A/N

Hello, and welcome to the newest chapter of the Titan Rises. Hope all of you are doing fine, including my newest reviewers (they are the only ones that review, lol.)

Reviews

NickStriker: Relationship goals! By the way, your series is amazing. To my viewers- If you are reading this, be sure to take a gander.

Elvisfonz23: You are undeniably my favourite reviewer, both here, and on my YJ book. Keep being spectacular, and have a nice day/evening/night.

Chapter 9: Keep it real...

Day 39- StarrWare

Well, this could have gone dramatically worse; more so, anyway. Since when do I give up without a good fight? It's time to get up, and show her what I'm made of. "I have no idea what you are talking about, to be perfectly frank. " I assure her, lying obviously. "Why would I access company files? I'm sure I have better things to do, rather than searching through crucial documents."

"Who said anything about this being, because you seeked out a file?" Mrs. Starr raises one of her well shaped eyebrows, her crimson hair flowing by her shoulders. "As for having better things to do... I'm fairly certain that I have... an inkling into what you're on about." she calmly carries on, her voice a gentle wave amongst a spectacular storm.

"Excuse me?" I sassily reply, scoffing at her words. What does she think I do? Be a Calvin Klein model? She has no idea how I spend my time. Fixing me with an intriguingly blank stare, Karen Starr casually flips her hair back. In a moment of eerie silence, a smirk slowly trickles onto her lips.

"I'm talking about your... interesting hobbies- exercise, watching the news, and oh... a hero by night." she heartily clarifies, maintaining her unsettling sneer. Even though I tried my best to sustain my emotionless expression, it cascades within mere moments; my façade unwilling crumbles, and I bite back any questions. I'm at her mercy. "To be honest, I wasn't too sure, but that settles it." Karen further crushes my identity.

"What do you want?" I disdainfully question, attempting to regain my lost dignity. So, it comes down to this. Karen Starr's next words could ruin my tenure, or save it. The life force of Black Titan rests within her (beautiful) hands, and I couldn't be more spiteful about it.

"Such a cliché, handsome." she disappointingly sighs, aware that she complimented me- she wants to toy with me. "If I really wanted to 'destroy' you, or anything, your name would be on Delta news, right now." she matter-of-factly answers.

"Two questions: How did you know it was me? and if not, what do you want from me?" I threateningly demand, yet she visibly appears unfazed; amused, even.

"Answering the first: When the 'Black Titan' appears at the exact place you researched, it tends to be glaringly obvious, don't you think? To reply to the second question: to help- sponsoring your activities, gadgets, and etc." the redhead reveals, ignoring the wary gaze I am throwing at her.

"Sponsoring? Who am I? Lebron James?" I sarcastically retort, shaking my head in absolute nihilism. "You really need to search up the definition of hero in a dictionary." I jeeringly snorts, responded to by a chuckle from the rich female.

"You're funny, sweetcheeks; we need to do this more often." Mrs. Starr cheerily declares, and swiftly places right leg over the other. "What's the answer? Yes, or no."

Reflecting on my precarious predicament as of now, it would seem wise the graciously accept, or at least cordially decline the offer. However, the risks are too deep and expansive, to simply dive in head-first. Examining her demeanour, there is something off about her (at least hidden), and I can't quiet figure it out. The actions- the flirting, and the smirks- all are the hallmarks of confidence. Although not just any plausible confidence, one that is righteous and deserving. The attitude that accompanies extreme power. Nevertheless, determination prevents me from refusing the suggestion. "Sure, why not?" I flash a dramatic smile, and assuredly extend my hand.

"You just made the greatest decision of your entire life." my new 'partner' announces, simultaneously shaking my hand with her own unexpectedly firm grip. Ouch. That wasn't a normal handshake from an average woman. Resisting the instinctual urge to wince, I beam at Karen. "How about we celebrate this moment with style?" she merrily prompts.

"Depends on your sense of style. From what I've seen, you usually go on the expensive side- mainly jewelry, and such." I return, and slide up into a standing position. Then, I observe as my employer follows my lead, her chest bouncing as she darts up. "Shall we?" I gesture for her to lead by example, and drive through the front. Theatrically creeping by me, she winks and pursues my course of action.

"Tell me, how long ago did you become the man you are today?" she suddenly pops a question as we enter the lift, whilst I key in the R&D floor. Some nagging core of my brain warns me to ignore her, except an uncontrollable desire commands me to divulge. Quite sincerely, it's insurmountably infuriating that she is so easy to converse with, our dialogue flows like the smoothest of streams.

"A month, give or take." I nostalgically inform, hiding my inner feelings about my current evening strolls. "It's not long, but it has been a hell of a ride since then- gangs, and police- basically the entire works." I ponder the painful events of my brief vigilantism.

"Sounds pretty awful." Karen sympathetically empathises, taking me aback slightly. Never in one million years, would I expect to hear Mrs. Starr to comprehend my tribulations, markedly that she is a corporate billionaire. "Everybody has trials, even superheroes. Oddly, they are the ones that always have the most difficult solutions." she gently taps me on my shoulder.

Just as I was about to parley further, the elevator door swooshes open, and we step out in a professional unison. "Welcome to research and development, primarily used for experimenting with new ways of transportation." Karen proudly briefs over the deafening noise of heavy machinery. "However, my head designer has a knack for making equipment, so, he will be seeing you from now on." she coolly adds on. How does she know? Apparently, she does.

After that preposterous sentence, she bounds away; out of sight before I even knew she was going. Great, now she can powerwalk, this just keeps on getting better. Huffing in defeat, I trudge along the floor, seeking out a hint of the person's mysterious whereabouts. "Do you need something?" a fairly elderly man approaches me, not-so-politely staring at me, similar to you would a zoo animal.

"Yes, in fact. According to Mrs. Starr, there is a lead designer I need to have a conversation with." I civilly impart, noticing the suspicious glint in his eye.

"Did she now?" he cackles, weirdly wagging his finger in the air. "And who might you be?" he cheekily requests, in a tone I can only describe as derisive.

"I'm Alex. Who are you? Doc Brown?" I gibingly repartee.

"Funny guy," the older man furiously snaps, and glares at me with a ruthless malicity. "has anyone ever told you it's rude to insult people, especially strangers?"

"Must have slipped past my parents, sorry." I brazenly comeback. A drawn-out stare down takes over, as we endlessly fight for dominance over the other. This lasts for what resembles an eternity, but my watch denies this claim- five minutes is the total. Impatiently, I collapse the contest by willingly folding, feigning ignorance to the triumph in his wide grin. "So, tell me: How are you?" I boldly ask, switching my posture to my perfect casual stance- hips wide apart, and a slight hunch of my shoulders, and back.

The recipient of my question pauses, his face contorting into one of thought, and calculation. Next, he investigates my appearance, scanning over me with a scrutinising eye. "I'm the person you seek, Alex." he eventually exposes, although with a well-hidden tone of caution. "Follow me, but also be wary; I am not your servant, only an ally." he advises, and struts off to a conveniently placed workshop, far away from the beehive of activity on the floor. Ally? What is he on about? Apprehensively bringing up the posterior, I sponge up any hints about the identity of this oddity of a person. Just the way he strolls is a clue- straight, and balanced- signifying that he is possibly ex-army, or police force. Then, the manner in which he bobs his head every so often, prying for dubious behaviour; this means he is more than likely ex-police, maybe even a detective. There is also another striking attribute of this man, which is his rare limp, as though he has one, yet efforts to conceal it.

At last reaching the isolated workshop/room, we enter. Whereas I am erring on the side of wariness, he is sauntering with a confidence, even Jake would be astonished by. Gliding into the cave of darkness, I spot the noticeable lack of anything, machinery, or otherwise. "Are you sure we are in the correct place?" I presume, to his dismay, as he puffs.

"Of course, we are. Obviously, I know where my prized possessions live." he confusedly comments, slamming down on a wall three times, each a set amount of seconds between them. The second comes at an estimated three after, but the third comes one second after the previous hit. Abruptly, the wall swings open, unveiling a hollow space. "Shall we?" the elder prompts, before roaming into the hole.

"I guess so." I guardedly mutter, and gradually chase my "ally" down the rabbit-hole. Upon being invited in by the compartment, all I can utter is how mesmerising it is. Streaming down the centre of this cave-esque interior, is a gushing waterfall, and all around the sides are holding cells; this appears to be some kind of facility, however, for whom?

"What are you waiting for, Titan!? Hurry up!." the man yells, his hard voice echoing through the captivating scene. Wait... did he just call me Titan? Forcing away my many doubts, I come to terms with the notion that I am far enough that there is absolutely no retreating. My movements moulded into a half-sprint, I end up leaping down to a central platform, greeted warmly by the man. "Sorry for my rudeness, but I had to keep up appearances, as people say." he genuinely apologises, to my nihilism.

"This day is rolling into a nightmare." I exhaustedly note, to which the elderly engineer chortles.

"You haven't seen the brightest side of it all, have you?" the man gaily tutts. "Yes, I do know your name: Alex Corver, aka Black Titan. Yet, I also know that you are in desperate need for a new suit. So, talk to me."

"Talk to you?" I incredulously solicit, wanting to have him explain what the hell he meant by "talk to me.". As for all I could comprehend, he could interpret that as give me your whole life story, or purely how is your day? Either way, this situation is getting out of hand, real quick.

"Yes, talk to me. Have you got any specific requests for your new piece of gear- smoke bombs, bullet-proofing, and etc- the whole shebang." he zealously clarifies, looking as if he would explode if I didn't tell him within the next three seconds.

"One thing: Who the living god, are you?" I enquire, befuddled as to who he thinks he is, coming up to me, and demanding my suggestions.

"Oh yes, I am Mister Smith, but you can call me Smithy, or Smith; take your pick... I know Mrs. Starr has." Smithy uncovers his surname, outwardly revelling at the instance. "Oops, I shouldn't have said that." he afterthoughts.

"Mrs Starr?" I shockingly ask. First off, what is Karen playing at? Secondly, why did I agree to this mess? and lastly, when will this all end? "Why di-"

"Ignore I said that." he sharply interrupts, just as I was asking about the intentions of the billionaire.

"Okay then, back to the Mark II." I redirect the conversation, tapping my feet on the platform anxiously. There are a minimum of two things I want this suit to be: flexible, and well-equipped. Lacking any proofing myself, it would make sense to place a couple of safeguards in the mix. Concluding with a decisive decision, I smirk.

"Here is what I want."

A/N

Here you go, honoured viewers. In my opinion, this is where the story finally starts to draw to a conclusion, so be sure to tune in. As I stated before, this is a prologue, so there will be sequels, due to the relative success of the series, and the chapters will be around 5,000 words each.