Chapter 46: Parker Industries
"Thirty-two pumpkin bombs, eleven short blades, seven serrated flying discs, over a hundred rounds of various caliber ammunition, four micro-missiles, one completely destroyed glider."
Still some time until dawn—even going out now, he couldn't acquire a factory to manufacture the cape.
Batman laid out everything he'd packed and taken from Norman's secret chamber on the ground, then retrieved the various firearms originally buried and later excavated.
He stared at these items for several minutes, then picked up the Goblin's destroyed glider. Using tools, he completely disassembled it into components—discarding the shell, spike deployment mechanisms, and everything else, retaining only the propulsion system.
"Not just the cape. The Batmobile too."
Batman surveyed the various items nearly covering his entire temporary operations center. His next steps were crystal clear.
Purchase a vehicle and modify it into the Batmobile to handle highly mobile opponents and cross-city combat requirements.
Acquire a suitable factory to manufacture the Bat-cape while producing secondary-grade samples to send prospective corporate clients, harvesting orders.
Buy the abandoned municipal subway station and convert it into the Batcave, providing support for all Batman's operations.
"The data I discovered hacking the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division at the precinct showed that after Captain America battled Hydra leader Red Skull, the Tesseract was recovered, but neither Captain America nor Red Skull's bodies were found."
"Can't rule out they triggered some switch—either the Tesseract vaporized them completely... or transported them somewhere."
"Like the Mother Box's 'Boom Tubes.'"
After establishing his short-term objectives, Batman removed his suit and began routine training with the abandoned shipyard's weights and industrial equipment, his mind never stopping:
"That document I saw in Captain Stacy's office clearly stated Dr. Octavius was exempt from punishment but would face two choices."
"I need to find Otto and see if he chose to join the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
"If not, I can use the cape plan to provide Otto with funding and experimental facilities while improving his formula."
"This will accelerate my business empire plan considerably."
The sky gradually brightened.
Batman stopped training and returned to Peter's rented apartment.
In the mirror, young Peter's face showed no change despite days and nights of relentless work, but considerable gray had appeared at his temples. Dense stubble covered his entire chin.
"This Saturday I need to tell Aunt May I'm terminating this apartment's lease. Otherwise I don't have time to keep showing up here specially."
"Peter Parker's identity can appropriately display some intelligence and talent. Otherwise there's no explaining how a college student could purchase a factory and produce cape materials exceeding current world technology."
This time nothing impeded Batman's plan. He headed straight for a Manhattan car dealership.
Compared to new cars, used vehicles with harder-to-trace funding sources and transaction records were Batman's preferred target.
With money and clear objectives working together, Batman soon drove a second-generation Dodge Charger away from the used car lot.
This vehicle's engine bay was massive—Batman could remove the original engine and replace it with something more powerful, plus install a series of weapons and intake systems.
The retro exterior would allow full armor plating, run-flat tires, and front plow spoiler to integrate seamlessly with the vehicle rather than scattering parts everywhere after impacts.
Having acquired the base vehicle, Batman didn't rush to modify it. Instead he drove toward Brooklyn's industrial district.
Batman planned to modify nearly everything about the vehicle inside and out except the frame itself. The salvaged equipment at the abandoned shipyard couldn't possibly meet requirements.
He needed to purchase large quantities of components, electronic parts, and supporting tools.
Before buying these items, Batman had to acquire the target factory first, avoiding having nowhere to store purchases.
Brooklyn's industrial district contained numerous factories established during World War II.
Including one that once provided technical support to the U.S. Air Force, later transitioning to aerospace development, but gradually falling behind the times due to funding shortages, teetering on bankruptcy.
Established during WWII, this factory held permits for heavy industrial manufacturing and specialized chemical handling—perfectly matching Batman's requirements.
This would serve as one of his bases besides the Batcave—a legitimate public enterprise. Batman needed everything inside the factory to appear reasonable and legal, avoiding trouble from various agencies like environmental protection bureaus.
Again through monetary assault, Batman acquired this approximately ten-thousand-square-foot factory for under five million dollars, renaming it "Parker Industries."
Next, personnel changes, structural reorganization, and process modifications at Parker Industries couldn't be solved with money alone—these required time.
Even materials one grade below the Bat-cape couldn't possibly be produced as samples within a day. It required purchasing materials and Batman personally modifying processes already existing in his mind.
After spending half a day completing necessary legal procedures and paperwork, Batman again drove the vintage muscle car away.
He needed to order a series of network equipment to establish comprehensive surveillance coverage throughout Parker Industries.
The abandoned shipyard's industrial equipment was all unusable. To convert this newly purchased muscle car into the Batmobile, Batman could only accomplish it at Parker Industries.
With surveillance networks, he could work with confidence.
Additionally, the various automotive components needed for Batmobile conversion had to be purchased separately. Even if Batman could design them independently, the newly acquired "Parker Industries" couldn't produce them with its current technology—he could only buy what was already available on the market.
When everything was ready and various materials prioritized for purchase in New York's market gradually arrived at Parker Industries thanks to money's influence, the factory-wide surveillance network was complete.
Clearing everyone from the factory, Batman first went to the abandoned shipyard to retrieve those weapons and glider parts.
He spent remaining time with fingers flying across keyboards. An artificial intelligence more complete and optimized than the half-finished AI model given to Tony Stark gradually took shape.
Night fell. Deep within Parker Industries' most remote building, underground.
This place had originally been a massive underground warehouse, now completely emptied. Besides necessary air vents and drains, only one exit remained—everything else Batman had completely sealed.
The space was now bright as day. Firearms, ammunition, micro-missiles, pumpkin bombs, glider parts, the muscle car, and Batsuit made it resemble a terrorist's private armory.
"Oracle."
Looking at this temporary Batcave established for Batmobile conversion, Batman suddenly spoke to the otherwise empty warehouse.
"Bruce Wayne, what are your orders?"
Between Alfred and Barbara, Batman had chosen Barbara Gordon as the prototype for his AI.
Before establishing his business empire with more sophisticated equipment and technology, the "Oracle AI" named after Barbara was sufficient for Batman's work requirements.
The future Alfred AI would need more powerful mainframe servers, cooling systems, and independent generators to display the old butler's full capabilities.
Oracle's voice showed no trace of electronic synthesis in its tonal fluctuations—identical to Batman's memory.
Batman's eyes flickered, but his voice remained emotionless.
"Initiate 'Batmobile' project. Begin modifications now."
***
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