"Just wait. Both of you, just wait!"
"Once I build the Hellbat Armor, I'll take you both down!"
His voice was low inside the pumping station, like lava forced through a crack in stone, carrying the pure viciousness of a man driven into a corner.
The Hellbat Armor!
He had conceived the project long ago. He had drawn seven versions of its blueprints and worked through nine possible core power systems.
He had never dared to build it. The thing was an order of magnitude more dangerous than anything he had ever made.
But today, he had finally made up his mind!
Ultron had acquired a Vibranium body, humanity faced annihilation, and Yongye had repeatedly manipulated his former lover right in front of him. If Bruce Wayne kept putting up with this, he had no right to call himself Batman!
He switched off the projection, crouched, and pulled a fingernail-sized Storage Chip from a hidden compartment in his boot. He clenched it in his palm, feeling its edge press painfully into his skin.
The chip held the seventh version of the Hellbat Armor blueprints. He had always thought there was room for improvement. Always told himself to wait a little longer and refine it a little more.
Not anymore.
Today, he would build it to the seventh version's specifications.
He bent down, lifted his cape out of the standing water, and wrung it out. The dark gray fabric gave a faint squeak between his fingers. He threw it back over his shoulders and headed for the exit on the other side of the pumping station.
His boots struck the damp concrete steps, each footfall sending a distinct splash echoing through the narrow passage.
"Yongye. Minato Namikaze. Just wait."
"Once I put on the Hellbat Armor, I'll show you firsthand what