[Third Person Pov]
Technus streaked through the powerlines like a violent spark, zipping across circuits and transformers until he burst out of a streetlight on the outskirts of Metropolis. He poked his semi-transparent head out first, eyes widening as he surveyed the glittering skyline.
"Oooh~ Marvelous! Simply marvelous!" he cooed, floating forward with his hands clasped together. "Now this is a city worthy of my presence. So bright! So polished! So… aesthetically pleasing! Unlike that previous gloomy dump of a town."
He spun midair with a delighted giggle. "Technology really makes things sparkle and shine!~"
As he started to explore he saw a bullet train roared by overhead, kicking up a gust of air. Technus gasped dramatically, then chased after it in a zig-zag pattern. "Ooooh!" he squealed, darting past towering electric billboards. The displays flickered wildly as he passed through them, forcing each image to glitch into a static-filled mess.
"Ahhh… that's the stuff," he sighed, savoring the electrical buzz running through him.
No one noticed his presence. He was invisible to human eyes as he phased through high-rise apartments, streetlamps, and entire living rooms—his ghostly form gliding effortlessly through walls and street corners.
"Everywhere I go," he sang, spiraling through traffic lights and weaving above speeding taxis, "everyone seems to possess some form of electrical appliance. Phones! Microwaves! Televisions! They depend on them for everything! Truly the human world is a paradise unlike any other! Ah-ha-ha-ha!"
He flipped upside down and drifted backwards with his hands behind his head, enjoying the electronic ambience. A wave of static puffed through his spiky white hair as a large delivery truck rumbled beneath him.
Technus stopped cold mid-air. His body went stiff.
"My senses… are tingling~" he whispered, wiggling his fingers dramatically as sparks danced between them. "There's a positively fantastic piece of technology nearby…"
He lifted both hands like dowsing rods and slowly rotated in a circle before pointing abruptly at the truck. "There! That marvelous hunk of metal! Something inside is calling to me!"
With a burst of energy, he shot after the truck.
The vehicle eventually rolled to a stop outside a secluded industrial warehouse. As soon as he saw his opened, Technus phased inside like a streak of lightning.
"Huh?" he muttered, materializing fully within the cargo bay. It was nearly empty—except for a single large lead-lined container sealed with multiple heavy locks. "Lead? How quaint. An interesting choice for packaging… but nothing beyond the great Technus!"
His hands glowed bright violet. He zapped each lock one by one, melting them open with sizzling pops and curls of smoke. His grin widened with every latch that fell away.
Outside, the truck was greeted by two waiting figures—Lex Luthor and Mercy Graves.
The driver leaned out the window. "Special delivery, right on schedule, Mr. Luthor."
"Of course," Lex replied coolly. He adjusted the cuffs of his immaculate suit. "Your punctuality is appreciated."
He tilted his head toward his bodyguard. "Mercy, see that they're rewarded." He said before he started to walk away from her
"As you say, sir." Mercy's arm unfolded, revealing the cybernetic weaponry hidden beneath her skin.
As Lex turned towards the back of the Truck there was a flash of light followed by small thumps.
After Mercy finished executing her orders there was a large startling bang within the truck.
Lex's expression hardened as he stared at the door, "Mercy—to me, now."
She slid in beside him instantly, both shifting into a defensive stance.
With a blast from Mercy's arm cannon, the rear hatch blew open. Smoke drifted out… revealing Technus proudly hovering over the now-opened container. In front of jim was a humanoid android, its chest panel fully exposed. Nestled inside was a glowing shard of kryptonite emitting a sickly green radiance.
Technus, Mercy, and Lex all froze—each staring at the others.
"…Fantastic," Lex muttered with an exhausted growl. "Another apparition." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who are you, and what do you think you're doing with my property?"
Technus floated out of the truck and planted his hands on his hips. "Behold! For it is I—Nicolai Technus! Ghost Master of Science and Electrical Technology!" he declared proudly. "And I simply could not resist admiring such beautiful craftsmanship!" He motioned towards the android adoringly.
Lex blinked. "Like… Nikola Tesla?"
Technus frowned in confusion. "Who is he? He sounds handsome."
Both Lex and Mercy stared at one another for a beat. Mercy's expression remained perfectly neutral, as always—but the faint twitch at the corner of Lex's mouth betrayed the spark of a new idea taking form. Slowly, an amused grin spread wider across his face.
"Mercy," Lex said lightly, eyes glinting, "are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I would never presume to match your intellect, sir," Mercy replied with respectful flatness.
Lex chuckled under his breath. "Mm. No… no, I don't imagine you would." His smile sharpened into something predatory as he continued, "You see, I've been keeping Metallo's remains stored away. A contingency for ending Superman once and for all. However, now it seems he isn't working alone, there is a mild difficulty in formulating a countermeasure for his poltergeist assistant."
His gaze shifted toward Technus, who was still admiring the exposed circuitry of Metallo with the delight of a child in a toy store.
"But it seems the solution has come to us," Lex finished proudly.
He stepped forward, lifting his chin, clearing his throat with dramatic finality.
"Nicolai, was it?"
"You may address me as Technus!" the ghost declared, lifting his chin high with regal pride.
"Well then, Technus," Lex said, arms opening in a warm, inviting gesture completely at odds with the calculating gleam in his eyes, "would you perhaps be interested in joining hands? I could make tremendous use of a ghost with your incredible talent and—let's be honest—remarkable flair."
Technus floated a little closer, preening at the praise. "Hohoho! Flattery will get you everywhere with me, human. And what exactly would this 'joining hands together' entail?"
Lex internally congratulated himself. He had him on the hook.
"Seeing as you took such a keen interest in Metallo here," Lex said smoothly, waving a hand toward the android's lifeless form, "I can only assume you have refined taste. An appreciation for sophisticated engineering."
"But of course!" Technus declared proudly, puffing out his chest. "I adore sophistication. The more elaborate, the better! As I always say."
Lex forced a polite, strained smile—an expression he reserved for donors, investors, and unstable supernatural entities.
"Wonderful. Then it seems you've been incredibly lucky to stumble upon me. LexCorp is the number one pioneer of technological advancement in all of Metropolis."
He gestured gracefully for Mercy to lower her weapon. She complied immediately, though her cybernetic arm did not fully retract—just in case.
"Come now," Lex said, stepping back and motioning with a welcoming sweep of his hand. "Let's talk. We have a great deal to discuss."
Technus lingered beside Metallo's body, staring longingly at the intricate metal plating and exposed mechanical ribs. He didn't quite want to leave it—its appearance, its craftsmanship, its glow—it was far too beautiful to abandon.
Lex noticed the hesitation. "Oh, don't concern yourself with that thing. He's completely nonfunctional at the moment—just a pile of scrap metal for the time being." Lex waved dismissively. "A tremendous amount of work is needed before he becomes operational again."
"Nonsense!" Technus snapped. "No piece of technology is ever 'scrap' in the masterful hands of I, Nicolai Technus!"
Before Lex or Mercy could react, Technus surged forward, his entire ghostly form flaring with green light. He dove into Metallo's lifeless shell, disappearing within it. The truck's interior filled with blinding spectral energy, forcing Lex to shield his eyes with one hand and brace himself against the blast of supernatural force.
Then—THUD.
Another THUD.
Heavy footsteps reverberated from within the truck, each one rattling the concrete beneath them. The air trembled. Mercy shifted into a guarded stance.
Technus—no, a new Technus—emerged.
His body had been completely reforged. Metallic plates gleamed with a polished green sheen. His physique had become towering and heavily muscled, humming with captured energy. His once-spiky hair now flowed in long, wavy locks of shimmering metal. His eyes burned like twin green suns.
He struck a pose, flexing both arms theatrically.
"Behold!" he roared. "The masterful hands of Technus strike once again!"
Lex's initial shock melted into delighted triumph. He burst into a rare, boisterous laugh as he strode up to examine the upgraded ghost-machine hybrid.
"Magnificent!" Lex exclaimed, patting the now-armored Technus on the shoulder—though his hand nearly bounced off the hardened plating. "You and I," he said with a grin, "are going to get along very well."
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