Chapter 332: New Battle Suit - Field Disruption Tactical Exoskeleton Armor
Professor Connors had plenty of thoughts about Batman's upcoming alliance—everything from minor details to operational strategies once the team was assembled. The depth of his ideas made it clear he'd been considering this for quite some time. He'd even picked out a name: "Frankenstein."
Batman rejected it the moment Connors suggested it.
In this world, Frankenstein was just a fictional character from a science fiction novel—a name that admittedly fit the mad scientist image Connors and his colleagues projected. But to Batman, Frankenstein was something else entirely. A former teammate. A member of the Dark Justice League that Wonder Woman Diana had personally assembled.
Unlike the Justice League, which ran on Batman's funding, the Dark Justice League operated differently. Its members—Deadman, Phantom Stranger, Etrigan, Black Orchid, Katana—had little concept of money. Zatanna and Constantine occasionally took side gigs doing stage magic or exorcisms, but that barely covered the team's operational expenses.
Magical threats were common enough that Batman needed a team like the Dark Justice League to counter them. So through his personal connection with Zatanna, he'd been providing the Dark Justice League with anonymous intelligence support and non-lethal equipment for years. Only Zatanna knew the source—even Constantine had no idea where the funding came from.
Batman had fought alongside the Dark Justice League more than once. He could tolerate his new alliance not being called "Bat-something," but he absolutely wouldn't accept "Frankenstein."
Faced with Connors's confused expression, Batman simply offered a flat, emotionless "No."
Connors remained on Bat Island, continuing to work with the red Tyrannosaurus on solidifying its identity recognition. Worth noting—since the Frankenstein name had been rejected, a sulking Connors had given the red T-Rex a new name instead: Devil Dinosaur.
The creature's fire-scarred red skin hadn't faded as its injuries healed. Instead, the crimson coloring had permanently replaced what should have been olive-green scales, keeping the dinosaur perpetually red.
The red Tyrannosaurus seemed quite fond of its new name. It was currently lying on its back, using its multi-ton body to act playful and affectionate toward Professor Connors—a heartwarming father-and-son scene playing out on Bat Island's surface.
Below ground in the Batcave, the atmosphere was entirely different.
The cave wasn't fully constructed yet, but it already had some basic facilities in place. Enough for Batman to design and build a new suit for tonight's mission—infiltrating Pym Technologies Tower to rescue Black Widow.
Batman's contingency plan for Ant-Man was called the "David Protocol," named after the SHIELD "Goliath Project" that Ant-Man had participated in. But the plan itself had nothing to do with Ant-Man's giant form. Batman had never worried about being helpless against a giant-sized Ant-Man. What concerned him was the shrunken version.
"I don't need to see a miniaturized Ant-Man with my naked eye."
Based on this principle, Batman hadn't added complex microscopic target tracking and lock-on functions to the new armor.
"Considering Atom, Ant-Man has been to the quantum realm at the microscopic level. He could very easily shrink himself to a subatomic state, bypass the armor's multiple layers of defense, and enter directly into my body."
Batman's gaze was sharp and focused. He knew conventional suits couldn't defend against Ant-Man's infiltration. Therefore, the new suit required an unconventional defense mode—fully sealed, with no exposed chin or eyes.
"When shrunk, Ant-Man's strength doesn't decrease. It might even be greater than his normal state. And the ant colonies inside Pym Technologies will attack me on his command. So the new armor's conventional defensive plating is still essential."
One layer of conventional defense, one layer of unconventional defense—but Batman still didn't consider it foolproof.
"If he still manages to breach all defenses and enter my body... in a subatomic state, he can't actually affect my body directly. So he'd need to grow larger inside my organs or bloodstream—at least to ant-size. I need to be prepared for that scenario internally."
One by one, Batman methodically listed the sub-plans within the David Protocol and implemented them into the new Batsuit.
The new suit was officially designated Field Disruption Tactical Exoskeleton Armor. Its more colloquial name was Vulcan Armor—after the Roman god of fire and forge, one of the twelve Olympian deities.
This was a suit specifically designed to counter Ant-Man and the Wasp.
The armor was fully enclosed, primarily black but marked with bright yellow stripes across the arms and chest. The center of the massive bat symbol on the chest bore a prominent yellow-and-black hazard symbol reminiscent of radiation warnings—an unsubtle declaration of danger.
Batman hadn't included a cape with this suit. Instead, he'd incorporated a different "new" design element. On the Vulcan Armor's back, replacing the cape, was a pair of black wings.
These were the wings from the new Vulture suit Batman had been preparing for Adrian Toomes's eventual release from prison. They could provide enough lift to counteract gravity.
When Batman emerged from the underground Batcave wearing the Vulcan Armor, Connors had transformed back into his Lizard form and was sleeping peacefully curled up with Devil Dinosaur.
The moment the hazard-marked yellow-and-black armor appeared, Connors sprang up instantly, slashing a claw toward Batman without hesitation.
SLASH!
Batman spread the black wings on his back, leaping backward while beating them to hover in the air. "Professor, it's me."
The Lizard Professor stared at Batman with uncertainty. "I can't smell you. Can't sense your presence. Is this a new suit?"
Batman nodded.
"What's in there?" the Lizard Professor asked, pointing to the backpack Batman was carrying. It looked stuffed full of something, bulging noticeably.
Batman didn't answer. He launched himself into the air, wings beating as he merged into the pitch-black night.
Pym Technologies Tower.
Ant-Man Hank Pym stood in his white lab coat before Black Widow Natasha, whose arms were pinned by the pincers of two giant ants.
"Even now, I still can't believe a trained agent would accidentally drop a coffee cup and then step on it."
Ant-Man looked at Black Widow. "We've removed all the ceramic fragments embedded in your foot. But as a precaution, I still need the ants to restrain you."
Black Widow lay on the medical bed, listening to Ant-Man's words with an indifferent nod. "I'm kind of bored. Can you put on a TV for me?"
Ant-Man ignored her request, leaving the temporary surgical laboratory in the ants' care while he returned to his work studying the symbiote.
'I've been restored to normal size. If my guess last night was correct, Batman will still try to infiltrate this place tonight. Will he come?'
Black Widow stared at the ceiling, then glanced at the giant ants gripping her arms, asking herself the question internally.
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