The code flowed through my fingers like water.
Four hours had passed since the battery installation. My eyes burned, my back ached from hunching over the terminal, but I couldn't stop. The AI core was at 95% completion.
So close.
```
[>> TIME CHECK <<]
Hours Elapsed: 20 total
Time Remaining: 24 hours
AI Core Programming: 95%
Armor Assembly: 75% (Mercy working)
Weapons Integration: 30%
Overall Completion: 62%
```
Coffee cups littered my workstation. Mercy had been bringing them without being asked, along with energy bars I barely tasted. She was still working on the armor plating despite her cracked ribs, movements slower but determined.
"You're mumbling again," she said from across the lab.
"What?"
"Technical jargon. For the past hour." She winced as she lifted an armor plate. "It's actually helping me follow your logic."
I hadn't realized. Marcus used to do that when working alone. Apparently the habit transferred.
"Sorry."
"Don't be. Keep talking. It means you're making progress."
The neural pathways were forming beautifully on the holographic display. Combat algorithms, threat assessment matrices, weapon coordination systems. This AI would be the difference between survival and death.
My phone buzzed. Unknown number.
I answered without stopping work. "What now?"
"Mr. Luthor. Twenty-four hours remaining." That smooth, cultured voice. "I thought you should know, Deadshot has arrived in Metropolis. Earlier than scheduled."
My blood chilled. "How early?"
"He's been in the city for six hours. Observing. Learning your patterns." A pause. "He's quite impressed with your progress, actually. The suit, the AI, your... resourcefulness."
"He's watching?"
"We're all watching. The question is: will you be ready when he decides to act?"
"When will that be?"
"When he gets bored of watching. Could be hours. Could be minutes. Deadshot doesn't follow schedules." A dark chuckle. "I suggest you work faster."
The line went dead.
```
[>> THREAT UPDATE <<]
Deadshot Status: IN METROPOLIS
Location: Unknown
Activity: Surveillance
Threat Level: EXTREME
Time to confrontation: UNKNOWN
Could happen at any moment
```
"Shit," I breathed.
Mercy looked up. "Problem?"
"Deadshot's here. In the city. Watching us."
Her face went pale. "How long?"
"Six hours. He could move at any time."
She set down the armor plate, moved to a security terminal. "I'm checking the building's perimeter sensors."
"Find anything?"
"Nothing. But if it's Deadshot..." She shook her head. "He wouldn't trigger sensors. Too professional."
I turned back to the AI core. 97% complete. Almost there.
"How much longer?" Mercy asked.
"Thirty minutes. Maybe less." My fingers flew across the keyboard. "Then we test it."
"And if Deadshot moves before then?"
"Then we fight with what we have."
From the storage room, I heard banging. Plastique was awake, trying to break out.
"She's getting louder," Mercy observed.
"Let her. The door will hold." I hoped.
Everything was coming to a head. Deadshot in the city. Plastique trying to escape. Alex suspicious of Victoria. The AI almost complete.
Twenty-four hours had become right now.
"Gaius," I whispered to the incomplete AI. "Come on. Wake up."
___
The final line of code compiled.
I hit enter, held my breath.
The holographic display flickered. Neural pathways connected, multiplied, formed complex networks. Like watching a brain being born.
```
[>> AI CORE COMPLETE <<]
Compilation: 100%
Booting...
Initializing...
Loading combat protocols...
Status: ONLINE
```
"Come on," I whispered.
The display stabilized. A voice emerged from the speakers, smooth, professional, with a hint of British dryness.
"Good evening, Creator. I am functional. Awaiting designation."
I grinned despite my exhaustion. "Gaius. Your name is Gaius."
"Designation accepted: Gaius. Initiating system diagnostics."
Data streamed across screens as the AI analyzed everything.
"Diagnostics complete," Gaius reported. "Current suit status: 62% operational. Power source stable at 61% capacity. Weapons systems partially integrated. Armor plating 75% complete. Neural interface calibrated successfully."
"Gaius, we have a problem. Deadshot is in the city."
"Analyzing threat profile... Floyd Lawton. Confirmed: extreme threat. Recommendation: accelerate completion timeline immediately."
"How fast can we finish?"
"Minimum viable combat configuration: 8 hours. Full completion: 16 hours. Current time available: 24 hours, but threat may materialize sooner."
Mercy looked impressed despite the situation. "It's actually intelligent."
"He," I corrected. "Gaius is a he."
"I appreciate the anthropomorphization," Gaius said. "Male pronouns are acceptable for communication efficiency."
"One immediate concern," Gaius continued. "I have detected a successful network intrusion. Someone has gained access to LexCorp's security systems."
My stomach dropped. "What can they see?"
"Everything. This lab, your activities, suit progress, current capabilities. The breach occurred approximately ten minutes ago."
```
[>> CRITICAL ALERT <<]
NETWORK BREACH SUCCESSFUL
Unknown party has visual access to:
• Your exact location
• Suit capabilities and progress
• All security feeds
• Building schematics
They can see everything you're doing
RIGHT NOW
```
"Shit." I looked at Mercy. "They're watching us. Right now."
"Who?"
"Unknown Employer. Maybe Deadshot. Maybe both." I stood up. "We need to assume they know everything."
"Then what's the plan?"
Before I could answer, every light in the facility went red.
Emergency lockdown.
"What the hell?" Mercy grabbed her gun.
"Analyzing," Gaius said calmly. "External override of facility systems. All exits sealed. Power grid compromised. Someone is taking control of the building."
A voice came through the facility's speakers. Calm, professional, with a Southern drawl.
"Ralph Luthor. Floyd Lawton. I believe it's time we met."
Deadshot.
He was here.
```
[>> SKILL UNLOCKED <<]
Engineering Knowledge Level 1
New Ability:
Build and modify advanced technology
Success rate +15% on tech projects
XP Gained: +70
Total: 440/500
```
___
"You've been busy," Deadshot's voice echoed through the speakers. "Impressive work. Your father would be... surprised."
I looked at Mercy. She'd gone pale, gun raised but hands shaking slightly.
"What do you want?" I called out.
"To talk. Face to face. Professional to professional." A pause. "I'm in the main corridor, forty feet from your position. Unarmed. Come out."
"Gaius, is he lying?"
"Scanning... detecting one individual, corridor junction. No visible weapons. However, Deadshot is known for concealed firearms. Probability of deception: 67%."
"If I don't go?"
"He controls the building now. You are contained. He can wait indefinitely or breach this room at his leisure."
I looked at the incomplete suit. At Mercy's terrified face. At the weapon prototypes scattered around the lab.
"I'm coming out," I called. "Don't shoot."
"Son, if I wanted you dead, you'd have a hole in your head already."
Fair point.
I grabbed the plasma gauntlet, strapped it on. Not much, but something.
"Ralph, this is suicide," Mercy whispered.
"It's tactical. Maybe." I hoped. "Gaius, stay active. Record everything."
"Acknowledged. Maintaining full surveillance."
I walked to the door, heart pounding. Opened it.
The corridor was empty except for one man.
Floyd Lawton. Deadshot.
He was shorter than I expected. Maybe 5'10", lean build, dressed in casual clothes, jeans, jacket, no mask. His face was weathered, mid-forties, with cold eyes that had seen too much death.
But true to his word, his hands were visible and empty.
"Nice lab," he said, glancing around. "Your old man built some interesting toys down here. That suit especially." He looked at me. "How's it feel? Wearing something that might actually make you dangerous?"
"You tell me. You're the expert on dangerous."
He smiled. Actually smiled. "Smart mouth. I like that. Your brother just whimpered."
"Alex isn't dead."
"Because I didn't want him dead. Warning shot. Message delivery." He tilted his head. "You know what's funny? The guy who hired me said you'd run. Hide. Cry. Beg for mercy." He gestured at the lab behind me. "Instead, you built a weapon. That's... unexpected."
"So what now?"
"Now we have a conversation. Because I don't kill interesting people without understanding why they're interesting." He started walking slowly down the corridor. "Walk with me."
"Where?"
"Roof. Nice view. Good place to talk without interruption."
I didn't move. "Why should I trust you?"
"You shouldn't. But you're smart enough to know that if I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. That fancy wrist gun? Wouldn't save you.
He was right. And I knew it.
"Gaius," I whispered. "Options?"
"Limited. His assessment is accurate. If he attacks, survival probability: 3%. Recommend: continue dialogue. Gather intelligence."
I started walking.
"Smart choice," Deadshot said. "You're already more interesting than your brother."
___
The elevator ride was surreal.
Deadshot stood casually, hands in pockets, like we were going to a business meeting. Which, in a way, we were.
"You know what I respect?" he said as we rose. "Professionals. People who do the work. Your brother? Amateur. Predictable. Got shot because he walked the same route every day, sat in the same chair, ordered the same coffee." He glanced at me. "You? You adapted. Improvised. Built something."
"I'm not dead yet."
"Nope. And that's what makes this interesting."
The elevator reached the roof. Doors opened to night air and Metropolis lights spread below us.
"After you," Deadshot said.
We walked onto the roof. The city was beautiful from up here. Peaceful. Hard to believe people were trying to kill me down there.
Deadshot pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one. "Want one?"
"I don't smoke."
"Smart. These things'll kill you." He took a drag, smiled at his own joke. "Here's the situation, Ralph. I'm being paid five million to kill you. Good money. But here's the thing—I choose my contracts. And you?" He studied me. "You're more interesting than I was told."
"Interesting how?"
"Your father tried to kill Superman. Multiple times. Know why he failed?"
I thought about every comic I'd read as Marcus. "Because Superman's stronger?"
"Wrong. Because your father fought alone. Pride. Ego. Had to prove he was better than everyone." He pointed at me. "But you? You recruited help. That Graves woman. You built something instead of stealing it. You adapted when the plan changed." He smiled. "That's not your father's arrogance. That's intelligence."
He walked to the roof's edge, looking out over the city.
"So here's my offer. I don't kill you tonight. You get your original forty-eight hours back. Full reset." He turned to me. "But when that time's up, I'm coming for you. For real. No more games, no more warnings. And when I come, you better be ready."
```
[>> QUEST UPDATED <<]
Deadshot's Challenge
Time Limit: 48 hours (RESET)
Condition: Prove yourself worthy
Stakes: A "fair" fight vs execution
```
"Why?" I asked. "Why give me more time?"
"Because the guy who hired me is a pretentious asshole who thinks he's smarter than everyone. Gave me specific instructions about making you suffer, making you know you're nothing." He dropped the cigarette, crushed it. "I don't do sadism. I do my job. Clean. Professional."
"And?"
"And because I haven't had a real challenge in years. Maybe you'll be it." He smiled. "Your father was predictable. Your brother was pathetic. But you? You might actually make this interesting."
He walked past me toward the elevator.
"Forty-eight hours, Ralph. Starting now. Use them wisely."
"Wait." I called after him. "The Unknown Employer. Who is he?"
Deadshot paused. "Someone who thinks he's playing chess with people's lives. Someone who hired me to be his knight." He looked back. "But knights can choose which king they serve. Remember that."
The elevator doors closed.
I stood alone on the roof, mind racing.
```
[>> TIME RESET <<]
Deadshot's Challenge: 48 hours
Current Suit Status: 62% complete
Immediate Priorities:
1. Return to lab
2. Complete suit
3. Prepare for real confrontation
```
But as I turned to go back inside, I heard something that made my blood freeze.
Alarms. From inside LexCorp.
And through the building's windows, I could see figures moving. Multiple figures. Armed.
"Gaius," I said into my comm. "What's happening?"
"Multiple security breaches detected. Twelve armed individuals have entered the building. They appear to be... bounty hunters."
Bounty hunters. But where did they come from?
My phone buzzed. Text message from unknown number:
"Deadshot gave you 48 hours. I didn't. Survive the night first. - Your Benefactor
P.S. There's a $5 million bounty on your head now. Every hired gun in Metropolis knows where you are."
Son of a bitch.
```
XP Gained: +60
Total: 440/500
PROGRESS:
AI Core: COMPLETE (Gaius online)
Suit Status: 62%
New Threat: Bounty hunters (12 active)
Time Reset: 48 hours (Deadshot's challenge)
IMMEDIATE CRISIS:
Building under siege
Mercy trapped in lab
Ralph on roof, separated
``