"Sorry, sir. Do you have an appointment?"
Stark Tower loomed in Manhattan, and Batman, disguised as Peter Parker in a plaid shirt, found himself stopped by security in the ground-floor lobby.
"No appointment," Batman replied, "but if you're willing to take me to Mr. Stark, I guarantee that starting today, you'll be more than just a security captain."
He fixed his gaze on the man before him, a security captain named Happy Hogan. "Because I've brought technology that could double Stark Industries' market value."
Happy Hogan's mouth opened slightly, caught off guard by this college-aged kid whose tone and demeanor didn't match his youthful appearance. Professional instinct kicked in, and his eyes dropped to the case in Batman's hand.
"Can I check what's inside?"
"Of course," Batman said, opening the case. "It's just a computer. Not a weapon, but the technology I mentioned."
Happy hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright, whatever my boss thinks, you've got my attention." He led Batman to the elevator and pressed the button. "Good luck."
The elevator glided smoothly from the ground floor to the top, where Tony Stark used the penthouse as both residence and office.
A private party was in full swing, with Tony Stark, predictably, at its center. True to the intel Batman had gathered, Stark embodied the quintessential playboy: champagne in hand, a model in his arms, and a bathrobe draped over his shoulders. Though his physique was still decent, the dark circles under his eyes and the soft, hollowed-out look of his muscles betrayed a body long since worn down.
"I told everyone—work hours or not, no interruptions," Tony barked, spotting the newcomer. "Who are you?"
Batman regarded Tony Stark, who was mid-act of feeding champagne mouth-to-mouth to the model in his lap. "Tony Stark, CEO and chairman of Stark Industries, the world's richest man with a fortune in the billions…"
His expression remained impassive. "But from what I know, you don't fully control the empire your father left behind. The board keeps you at arm's length, ready to oust you from Stark Industries at any moment."
"In other words, you're just a puppet they're using."
Tony set down his champagne and grabbed the phone nearby. "Happy? Get up here and throw this lunatic out."
"Happy?" he tried again.
Batman calmly found a seat. "The moment I stepped out of the elevator, this entire floor's security protocols were compromised. You can't contact the outside world, and they can't contact you."
Tony froze. He disentangled himself from the model, strode to his workbench, and hammered at the keyboard. Confirming Batman's claim, he clapped his hands and shouted to the models, "Ladies, party's over. You've got one minute to clear out."
Once the penthouse was empty save for the two of them, Tony's eyes burned with intensity as he studied Batman. "Who are you? What do you want? If this is about blackmail, there's a stack of bank cards in the cabinet behind you. Take one—or all of them. Passwords are written on them."
"I'm Peter Parker," Batman said, opening the case he'd been carrying. "And I'm here to show you this."
Inside was a computer he'd personally configured, now serving as an encrypted container for specific data.
Tony gestured toward the large TV in the room. "Hook it up to the screen."
As the display lit up with a stream of data, Tony frowned. "This is… some kind of digital model?"
"An AI model," Batman corrected. "I know you can't sleep at night, Stark. Your mind moves too fast for a world that's too slow."
"It's a curse of the brilliant," he continued, "and this AI is the only thing that can keep up with your thinking. It won't tell you 'no.' It'll only say, 'there's another solution.'"
It was 2006, and AI—artificial intelligence—was still just a concept. No company had a working product yet. Batman was confident Tony Stark would see the value in his model.
The model was a basic version, adapted from the intelligent obstacle-avoidance system in the Batmobile. But its true function went far beyond that—it enabled the AI to clearly interpret human commands and execute them with precision.
"You're here at just the right time," Tony said, a whiskey now inexplicably in his hand. "Another two months, and I wouldn't need your tech. I'm already working on an AI program myself. Your model might save me some time."
Tony Stark was developing an AI?
Batman's brow furrowed. That wasn't in any of the intel he'd gathered. Still, he had faith in his model's superiority.
"Jarvis?" Tony called into the air.
"How may I assist you, sir?" a voice—Jarvis—echoed through the room.
"Pour a whiskey for our guest," Tony said.
"My apologies, sir. I'm not capable of that," Jarvis replied.
"Jarvis is my own AI design," Tony explained, pouring a glass for Batman himself. "Right now, he's more like a talking Wikipedia. Ask him to pour coffee, and he'd spill it everywhere."
Batman took the glass but didn't drink, setting it back on the table.
"So, what's your plan?" Tony asked. "Sell me this tech outright, or partner up under some company name?"
"I'm not selling it," Batman said. "But I'll leave this computer here. If you can crack the source code and replicate the core algorithm in one day, it's yours."
Tony's eyes, shadowed like a panda's, gleamed with intrigue. The playboy was hooked. "And if I can't?"
"Then you hire my company as a technical consultant and pay a consulting fee," Batman replied.
"You're confident," Tony said, downing his whiskey in one gulp. "So am I."
Batman's goal at Stark Tower was accomplished. He had no intention of bringing up Tony's father or the Cosmic Cube on this first meeting. That could wait.
"Whether Tony cracks it or not, this sets my second step in motion," Batman mused, seated in the back of a taxi as he left Stark Industries. "But I can't pin all my financial hopes on him."
Back at the abandoned shipyard, Batman used the industrial equipment to train, pushing himself until the sun sank below the horizon.
As night fell, he donned the Batsuit and headed straight for Oscorp.
The previous night, Oscorp had been quiet—too quiet. Batman had staked out the place for hours with no movement, which wasn't normal. Protected by military connections, conventional exposure tactics wouldn't work. To bring Oscorp's human experimentation to light, Batman needed a more direct, forceful approach.
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