MagicalGeek: Well... where next and how badly will it go or how hilarious?

Re: It… It'll definitely be iconic, that's for sure…

fallendemon248: I'm surprised Superman didn't show up after the whole thing seems kinda like what would happen. At least this way he can't blame Vergil for killing a man even though he killed himself

Re: Superman can't be everywhere which is the whole point of mentioning he was helping with disaster relief "overseas"; hell, one of Luthor's mustache-twirling plans in the Comics involved preoccupying Superman so the father of a Superman fanboy got killed in something completely unrelated, turning him from a Superman lover to a hater. It was petty, but it was still a victory for Luthor because he absolutely convinced someone that Superman can't be everywhere. Hell, the fact that Virgil's own parents died after that car crash is proof "heroes can't be everywhere", which is why he doesn't worship the ground they walk on, but at the same time he won't go at them with torches and pitchforks when the Heroes "let everyone down" because he has a lick of sense.
Also, Virgil didn't kill Osborn by dodging. He didn't even know about the Glider-mounted blades until he saw the aftermath with his all eyes; all he was doing was responding to the [Proximity Alert] that appeared on his HUD warning him of an imminent attack. If Superman tried to blame Virgil for his death, there'd be an element of hypocrisy because then he himself would have to accept "responsibility" for all the people that died that "he didn't save" because he doesn't do his thing "all the time". Once-again, Virgil knows that Heroes aren't omnipotent gods, he knows of their fallacy "all too well", and that they can't solve all the world's problems.

Jebest4781: okay so Luthor is starting to get the idea for Superboy being made now and enjoyed the chapter as always. wonder what else will occur in Metropolis before heading off to the next city for Athena's company tour

Re: How'd you get this from Gaige doodling an "exoskeleton"? But no, Luthor had been trying to clone Superman well before this, probably from the first time he could get his hands on some Kryptonian DNA like in Earth-12. Here in 2009… he's probably still trying to get Kryptonian tissue samples to maturate properly. Whether or not Match is in a completed state or not isn't majorly important to the plot, only that by 2010, he will be.

justinq719: Virgil vs the Green Goblin... Dude, that is genius.

Re: Well, ever since I worked Peter Parker/Spider-Man into Earth-16, or rather, found a way I could with he Peter/Palmer connection, it became easier to incorporate his Rogues into it, and obviously, Osborn would be Luthor's parallel. However! In the context of the DC Universe, Luthor is an infinitely more-capable businessman; and that's before Norman lost his mental sanity to the Globulin Green.
The very point of the original Spider-Man movie, of Norman turning evil (or at least acting upon the evil already inside), of him having to use the Globulin Green/CX. 00009 on himself without the proper countermeasures being in place, was because his company was in the shitter and selling a working Supersoldier Serum to the military industrial complex was their "last chance" to turn things around. Norman in all his major continuities became mentally unstable because he experimented on himself, whereas Luthor only suffered a similar fate in one continuity; the one where he used a Venom/Kryptonite cocktail where he was president and made Batman and Superman "public enemy number one".

Night Shadow76: I feel a mix of the Mjolnir Armor from Halo and Warmachine. I could be completely wrong, but that's the feel I got based on appearance and weapons.

OmegaDelta: I would say a mix between the exoseleton from the call ognduty series and the fire power of anthem mech. Wonder how moxxi will react to this? Keep up the good work.

ihsanderindoslu: Doom (2016)?

Re: None of the above. It's the "Delta-6 Accelerator Suit" from G.I. Joe. It just happens to have more on-board weapons and can fly like the Series Alpha Police Battlesuit from Superman TAS S2 E21 "Prototype".

superpierce: Makes sense that Luthor would buy out oscorp is there any is way smarter than Osborn is.

Re: Osborn did embezzle company money and pin it on someone else in the Spider-Man Canon, and since he can't re-invest money he embezzled without raising eyebrows, so it only makes sense that Luthor would pounce on that weakness. He would've done it eventually, but Harry sabotaging his father's experiment (what happened in the original Canon if my recollection is correct) simply gave Luthor an earlier window to do so.

Blaze1992: Hmm is it bad I think him getting the goblin glider skateboard version harry uses from SM 3 would be a cool add-on to the nanosuit.
So since we are on a theme of them 3 going to different corps to see which one is best for Athena makes me curious if there is a list of possible ones to use. A popular example would be Umbrella corp or one of those anime ones.

Re: Technically, the implement from Spider-Man 3 isn't called the "Goblin Glider", it's called the "Sky Stick"… for some reason. Tactically speaking, anything that'd allow him to move through Three Dimensions would be an improvement, but since there's no cover in the skies and anyone who looks up or uses Radar can see him, Virgil personally wouldn't use something so "obtuse". Also, the Goblin Glider (patent included) technically belongs to LexCorp because of the implied Corporate Takeover.
Resident Evil is technically fiction-within-the-fiction within the Earth-16H universe. Also, since the universe is largely DC with "a splash of" Marvel and a few others, I went with American-based companies for Athena to tour after she caught the various CEOs' attention, since most mega-corporations tend to keep their sourcing domestic.

Wraith048: I love a batman beyond reference also great chapter

Re: Don't completely remember where I made the BB reference, but thanks.

LuckyShadowWolf: So the Miriclo formula that now lies dormant in Virgil has either activated a previously dormant metagene or has changed Virgil's ocular physiology enough for him to have Raptor, by which I mean the bird to any smart alecks, like telescopic vision. Considering his preference for using a bow and keeping an eye or two out for trouble that will be very useful for him. Although one thing I had been expecting when Lex had Virgil pilot the suit was for him to mention that Virgil would be able use his experience piloting Athena's Fallout Power Armor recreation, Weather it's due to Athena herself mentioning it or his having looked into who was piloting it last Halloween. Now with Osbourne I have to ask is Oscorp situated in Metropolis or did he travel from New York? And finally I have to say, "God dammit, Gaige!" due to her designing and leaving said design for a personal power armor for Luthor to find.

Re: Yeah, the Raptor Binocular Vision is meant to be a reference/foreshadowing to something else, hence Dr. Yumeno's pause. As for Athena's Fallout Power Armor and comparing it to the Series Gamma Police Battlesuit, and the prior explicitly helping him pilot the latter, the sheer gulf of technical sophistication between the two doesn't really help; it's like saying "driving a go-kart makes you an ace Formula-1 racer". You can't compare "apples to oranges", because while Athena's suit technically was Power Armor, it was only in the decorative sense, whereas Luthor's was packed to-the-gills with tech, on top of giving him the strength "of fifty men". Like comparing a dump truck on Stick to a Maserati on Automatic. OsCorp is situated in New York, though obviously he and Harry weren't in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island when Mercer struck. Osborn has secondary headquarters elsewhere on the east coast, but Luthor was an infinitely superior businessman; what happened in New York was only one nail in a coffin that looked like a certain weapon with nails in it. As for Gaige, Luthor is capable of coming up with Power Armor designs all on his own, it's the theming that Gaige inadvertently gave him, in line with a certain storyline from Action Comics. Lex created the Police Battlesuit to "push out" Superman, but in the Earth-16H universe, he hasn't yet considered "usurping" the moniker "Man of Steel" from him, which does a great job of proving the point that Superman "of Krypton" isn't the only one who can "keep the world safe"; ordinary Humans can do so too. I mean just look at Tony Stark/Iron Man? He has literally gone toe-to-toe with gods, aliens, and even alien gods!

guisniperman: That's not a Great White. Unless Luthor frequently replace said Shark it can't be one because the sheer space a Great White need to survive in captivity would make it appear as a faint greyish blur far away from any observation window. I think it's the detection organ in their nose that make them need that space.

Re: Well, that's how big the things looked in Superman TAS, so that's just what I went with. Still, good attention to detail. Of course, all things considered, I think Luthor could afford a shark tank that big, so it isn't necessarily untrue.

Child of the Greek Chaos: Where would Virgil and the freelancers stack up against deathstroke?

Re: With their "standard loadout"? Well, Virgil would have the Nanosuit in this scenario, but it's a lesser version than the 2.0 from the Crysis games, so by technique alone, Deathstroke would be able to whittle the Nanosuit down to an Inert state before going in for the killing stroke. Carolina technique-wise stands the best chance of defeating him in a straight fight, even without the Speed Unit, but it's hard to say if she could win without becoming crippled for life since Slade's base stats are radically bolstered by a botched Anti-Truth Serum serum (yes that's literally what gave Slade his powers); experience-wise she stands an infinitely better chance than Virgil. Maine in all likelihood could "take as well as he got", so in that case it's a matter of who can land the decisive stroke; if Maine can get his hands on Deathstroke, he could probably rip the man's head off. Like that one guy whose head got punched off in Red vs Blue S10 E9 "Fighting Fire".
The other Freelancers aren't as skilled CQC-wise and while they could put up a decent fight, would stand little chance of beating him in a straight fight. Not to say they couldn't get the jump on him in an ambush or premeditated attack, though in those cases it's just a matter of causing more damage than his [Healing Factor] can compensate for.
So really, it's all a matter of circumstance. If they're going into it "blank", no time for prep, just a spontaneous fight with their standard loadout, Carolina or Maine would stand the best chance.

Jamius: Just finished reading, not perfect, but there is a lot to like, so honestly consider me invested enough to keep reading for a while if you don't do anything... too out of the blue and annoying to my sensibilities. But hey no one cares but me so thanks for the story so far I'll wait for an update.

Re: Well, I'd hardly consider my works "perfect", so I'm not offended, and I'm glad you're invested; hope you'll Review more in the future. As for anything "too out of the blue", everything will have a reason behind it, I actually have a PLAN, but if it LOOKS LIKE I'm about to go that way, I hope you call me out on it so I can course-correct before it's too late.

DAMN, what a turnout!

*ARMOR WARS*

Following the defeat of the Green Goblin, Virgil, Athena, and Gaige battened the hatches and attempted to lay low until they departed for Malibu, California the following day.

Those plans were sufficiently dashed when Lex Luthor himself chose to visit, something that roused the temporary neighbors into a fit, with Mercy toting a trio of boxes in her arms.

As for the contents of said boxes, apparently they were VR headsets that were used as a next-gen form of Orientation to bring new hires up to speed in a way that freed up manpower, while simultaneously field-testing LexCorp's budding VR technology.

"These won't mind-control us, will they?" Athena felt the need to ask.

"No, don't be ridiculous."

"Oh, good," she hummed, moving to put them on.

"Brainwashing headsets are still in Beta."

*Clunk*Clack*Clunk*

" . . . That was a joke," Luthor deadpanned when the headsets hit the floor.

"Mind-fuckery isn't typically something one would joke about," Athena said with crossed arms.

"If I may be so bold, that may have been in bad taste," Mercy hummed.

"And the woman speaks," Gaige awed.

"Look, if you're so-worried about this, I'll take the tour with you," Luthor said moving to put one on.

"How would you putting on your own mind control VR prove anything?" Gaige asked.

"Oh for the love of… These do not, mind control!"

"Yet…" Virgil saw fit to mutter.

*ARMOR WARS*

After finally conceding the point that the joke about mind-controlling VR headsets was-in-fact, in bad taste, Luthor decided to give them the virtual tour. The man even went as far as to give the voiceover himself, though Virgil suspected it was only as much for their benefit as it was, he liked to hear the sound of his own voice.

Not that he'd fault the man for it, he certainly earned the right to do so with all he'd accomplished in such a short time; a rags-to-riches story if he'd ever heard one.

As far as virtual reality went, the tour itself was actually really informative, though Virgil felt like the tour guide already-included may've been a tad over-sexualized…

Still, there weren't any crimes against nature in the virtual food court, so by that alone it was already doing better than the shitstorm the tour of Wayne's place of business was.

Virgil for his part kinda zoned out because it wasn't like Luthor was offering him a job, but if he'd taken the time to lift the VR from his eyes, he would've seen Athena and Gaige hanging on Luthor's every word. LexCorp's facilities truly were top notch, even if the rumor mill was being continually stoked by Lois Lane.

Even if those words were coming out of the mouth of a virtual voluptuous tour guide.

Eventually the tour came to end, and Luthor broached a follow-up.

"So, now that all the serious stuff is out of the way, what are your plans for dinner?"

*ARMOR WARS*

Metropolis: Centennial Hotel Rooftop Lounge
November 24, 19:13 EST

"Mr. Luthor, this really isn't necessary," Athena said eyeing their opulent surroundings the following evening.

The Centennial Hotel was Metropolis' first and still-greatest high-end hotel, serving clientele from the world over as they made their way through metropolis; staying there, let alone eating there at the observation deck overlooking the Centennial Park was a status symbol for rich and affluent "Metropolites".

The cuisine was all world-class faring ingredients flown in fresh-daily from across the globe, and it reflected in the zeroes that Virgil would assume were on the menu, given the place had a- "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" -vibe given none of the prices were actually listed. The view from their deluxe table of the observation deck added a further element of luxury only a few could afford.

That was the good. The bad was, since they were dining at the table Lex Luthor kept permanently in reserve, clad in evening wear the man had had his personal tailors prepare for them in the interim, that even though they were dressed nicer than most of the people there, they still stuck out like sore thumbs.

I guess being teenagers in a high-end place will do that to you, no matter what you're dressed like.

"Nonsense!" the man waved off with a smile. "After getting me out of that bind the way you did, I simply couldn't let you leave without a proper send-off. A toast to the next generation; may they be better than the last," he said raising his wine glass, Athena, Virgil, and Gaige awkwardly raising their flutes of hyper-expensive grape juice and reciprocating. "I must say, young man. I thought the Pilot Assist would have to do most of the work, but the heavy lifting you yourself did was quite impressive. Have you ever considered a career in prototype testing?"

"I appreciate the offer, Mr. Luthor, but after the day I've had, I'd like to keep some distance between me and Metropolis," Virgil waved off. "There's nothing wrong with you, I'd just rather not live in 'supervillain central'. Too much risk of something going wrong. Like today…"

"A perfectly valid concern. Well, I won't press you on the matter. Your current gig seems quite lucrative in its own right, though if you ever get tired of posing for a camera, my offer still stands," Luthor offered.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Virgil nodded, hoping that was all Luthor knew about his money-making work.

"Hey, Virgil, what is this?" Athena asked pointing to the menu.

Apparently whoever wrote the thing down was under the assumption only those already acquainted with the ingredients used would dine at the Centennial.

"Those are snails."

"And this?"

"Fattened duck liver."

"And this?"

"I have no idea," Virgil shrugged.

"Don't worry, I'll order for you. Anything we miss I'll generously give to the serving staff," Luthor said with his best winning smile. "Garcon!" he said getting the French waiter's attention. "We will be having one of everything."

At the sound of that the three teens sputtered grape juice into their glasses, cloth napkins flashing to their faces before the immaculate tablecloths could be ruined.

"Wow, you… you really don't mess around, do you?" Gaige asked in recovery.

"What can I say? I'm quite generous when I want to be," Luthor said with a smile. "Think of it as a taste of the good life. LexCorp employees on all levels make highly competitive sums."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind after the last stop on my tour," Athena hummed. "After all, it wouldn't be fair to Mr. Stark and Mr. Hammer if I didn't hear them out first."

"Well, even if you don't choose to work with me, I'd be quite pleased to see you in Mr. Stark's employ," Lex nodded.

"But isn't he one of your biggest competitors?" Virgil asked.

"Yes, and because of that, we bring the best out of one another's companies," Luthor nodded. "Mr. Stark and I are actually very good friends from our college days-"

"Wait, didn't he graduate with a double-major in Physics and Engineering from MIT when he was just nineteen?" Gaige asked trying to envision the two of them at college.

"Yes, well, our time together was short…" Luthor admitted. "Still, meeting him back then did motivate me immensely. I'll admit, I always thought I was the smartest guy in the room, but you know the old saying; there's always someone better than you."

"Unless they're aliens. Once you throw aliens into the mix, that old saying kinda goes out the window," Virgil chimed in. "Not that I'm a xenophobe mind you, but I feel like whoever came up with that saying never planned on off-worlders being a thing."

"And what might your stance be on off-worlders?" Lex asked curiously.

It sounded absurd out-of-context to ask that, but given all the known aliens on Earth, it was actually much more valid as of recent years to ask such a thing; even if there were hold-outs.

"Honestly? As long as they conduct themselves in a lawful manner, I don't really care where they come from; same with Humans. It's kinda undeniable that intelligent life lies elsewhere in the universe; hell, Martian Manhunter is proof alone that life does exist on Mars, a stone's throw away; assuming you take him at his word," he amended. "It's a big universe out there, so I doubt our planet can stay insular forever, and if we tried, well…" the brunette paused contemplatively. "Let's just say racism is an ugly color; pun not intended, if that even was one," he idly mused. "Of course, I doubt it'll happen any time soon. We can barely get along with people from the same planet, so there's no way we can get along with aliens from the get-go; even if they are as 'pretty' as Superman. Hell, we've had crusades and inquisitions and witch hunts over differences in religious opinion, and you know aliens aren't going to worship the same gods we do."

"Yes, as far as first impressions go, I doubt that would be a good one to make on any visitors of a… diplomatic nature…" Lex hummed aloud. "That's why we can't leave something that-delicate up to the League and- Oh, but listen to me rant; we're here to have a good time, not talk about religion & politics. Tell me, how are you finding the accommodations?" he said changing topic before he devolved into a rant.

"The view from here is amazing," Virgil hummed. "Shame that Superman has to intrude on it."

"Hm?" Luthor hummed, squinting his eyes down into Centennial park where the boy's gaze was directed. "Ah, I see what you mean," he said inclining his head toward the gold-colored Superman statue placed in the center of the park. "Yes, I was wholly against it, but you know what Public Opinion can do…"

"What'd he get the statue for, again? Was it a meteor, or something?"

"Superman's intruded on so many disaster fronts I honestly have no idea," Luthor hummed, if not a little bit pleased to see another Human that could care less about the Kryptonian menace.

"And I bet the Superman cultists just love that thing," Virgil hummed with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe," Luthor groaned. "City actually had to put out a restraining order."

"A restraining order? For a statue?" Gaige gawped.

"They were really disturbing the peace," Luthor hummed.

"I'll bet," the girl genius nodded. "I'm surprised Superman let that fly. I didn't think he was one for literal hero worship."

"Oh believe me, he tried to disperse them, but the words of such a 'messianic' figure just egged them on."

"Glad I didn't have to deal with that steaming pile of… stuff," Virgil relented, remembering where they were. " . . . So, you eat here often?" he asked making small talk.

"Whenever I have the time," the man returned.

"But doesn't having a table on permanent reserve get expensive?" the teen asked skeptically.

"Ha. Hahahahahaha!"

"In retrospect, you should remember who you're talking to," Athena hummed as Luthor laughed good-naturedly at the teen's comment.

*ARMOR WARS*

When the "one of everything" arrived, surprisingly enough, no-one batted an eye as the servers brought out additional tables so the gathered teens and Luthor could have their choice of whatever was on menu.

Virgil was tempted to ask if people ordered "one of everything" frequently, but felt like if he had, the knowing would only make him more pissed off at people who made ludicrous amounts of money and spent it so-frivolously on stupid bullshit.

At the very least, Virgil and Athena already had a baseline for what great gourmet steak tasted like, though the fancy variety placed before them with all their sauces, rubs, and marinades came to a close second. Not to say that the Iceberg Lounge was better than the Centennial, but the atmosphere at Cobblepot's place was better for him since it allotted them a more intimate atmosphere, whereas now they were getting offended looks from the other patrons just for being there.

"Ugh, how does anyone stay in shape after eating like this?" Gaige said putting down a particularly rich sort of entre with an unpronounceable name.

"Most of them don't," Luthor chuckled, pointing to a rich man off to the side who looked like his seat could barely contain his girth.

A slight squinting of the eyes revealed to Virgil that the seat was in fact, showing signs of bowing.

"Ooogh, sorry I asked," Gaige shuddered, the man's multiple chins flapping as he laughed at his own joke, told to a woman who was obviously there for rare earth metal.

Of course, it didn't stop her from eating whatever fancy dish caught her eye, and the girl could stand to have a little more meat on her bones.

Not that Virgil would ever say as such out loud…

"Well, even if we eat only a quarter of this, the kitchen staff will still be eating well tonight," Virgil hummed, assuming the un-eaten dishes would be given as gifts and not simply discarded.

The though that such-expensive foods could be so-callously thrown away made something in his stomach turn.

And not just because the sodium in the soy sauce had made the octopus tentacles wriggle on his plate and on the way down…

"Geez, if this is how-fancy the entres are, I shudder to imagine what the deserts look like."

*ARMOR WARS*

'I WAS FUCKING JOKING!' Virgil gawped as he beheld the ludicrously-ornate desserts placed before them once they'd finished with the entrees and send the rest to the staff.

Who needed to eat that much gold leaf?!

"Take your time with the desserts. Your ride won't be going anywhere without my say-so," Luthor said with a wave as he bit into something vaguely French. Or possibly Polish.

"Um… Ride?" Athena asked confusedly.

"Well, the three of you were such a big help today, and seeing as how I have to oversee the reconstruction of LexCorp HQ, I thought I'd lend you the use of a company jet to get you to the next stop on your tour," Luthor returned with a winning smile.

*ARMOR WARS*

LexCorp Private Airstrip
November 24, 21:22 EST

Amazingly, their luggage was all waiting for them in the limo that arrived to pick them up after their five-star dinner. With everything in order, there really wasn't any delay between dinner and their departure for the private airfield LexCorp owned, the engines of the luxury jet spooling up as they approached the hangar.

"Isn't this a bit much?" Athena asked with a raised brow. "I mean, at the very least you didn't have to see us off personally."

"Well, I just figured after all the trouble I put you through, I should at least see you off in person," Luthor returned. "Besides, one of our staff if Malibu will be needing a ride back in a couple days, so really, why not give you a ride to your next stop?" he said amiably. "I'm to understand that Wayne called you out but made you pay out of pocket?"

"Let's… not get too into the details…" Athena returned nervously. "We're grateful for all you've done for us. Dinner was wonderful, we won't be forgetting it any time soon."

"Don't mention it," Lex waved off congenially. "And remember what I said, even if you don't decide to work for me, I'd at the very least love to see you in Mr. Stark's employee."

"What, you afraid I'll choose Wayne or Hammer?"

"Honestly, Wayne's too much of a party-boy for my liking, and Hammer… Well, don't let it get out that I said this," he whispered, "but ever since Stark got out of the weapons game, Hammer's been playing pretty fast and loose with his quote/unquote 'weapons development'."

"I take it he's as bad as the rumors say?"

"Worse, I'm afraid, but I'm sure in his bumbling, you'll see for yourself relatively quickly."

"Well, I'll be very sure to keep that in mind. Thank you for all you've done for us, Mr. Luthor," she said extending her hand.

"It was my pleasure, Ms. Moxxi," the man returned. "Now, run along, children. Can't keep your chauffeur waiting forever, can you?"

*ARMOR WARS*

"Holy shit snacks!" Gaige gawped as they climbed inside, the ginger beholden to the accommodations. "This is nicer than my whole house! Not that there's anything wrong with it, but…" she trailed off. "Holy shit is that mahogany?!"

"Well, Luthor certainly has the money for it," Athena said putting her luggage in a corner.

A minute later after the pilot announced their departure, the trio found some seats and donned their seatbelts, the private plane taxiing toward the runway. While this was going on, the gathered teens made small talk about the evening meal, but as time went by the topic of conversation became more subdued.

"Virgil?"

"Hm?"

"You look… worried about something."

"Its… Well, it isn't nothing, it's just…" Virgil paused. "I'm worried what Moxxi will do to me when she finds out I left your side during that supervillain attack."

"Oh, don't worry, my mom won't find out," Athena said reassuringly. "At least… Not if you make it worth my while~" she purred running a finger down his arm.

" . . . Oh!" he gasped. "Yes, I think we can come to an… equitable exchange for your… silence~" Virgil said meeting lidded eyes with his own.

"Oh I hope I'm not silent~"

"Ugh, get a room you two," Gaige groaned.

Athena for her part gave the girl a flat look, a large smile blooming across her face as she turned to the rear of the plane.

"I think we will~" she said eyeing the private suite.

"Oh fuck, she took it literally!" Gaige yelped aloud. "Damn you, Athena Moxxi! Damn you to hell!" she shouted as the giggling girl dragged her boyfriend into the rear, the door locking behind her.

*ARMOR WARS*

*Knock-Knock*

"Its open!" the pilot said over his shoulder.

A moment later and one of his passengers stepped through.

"Ah, Gaige, correct?"

"Yeah… Mind if I sit in with you?"

"What's wrong with the cabin?"

"Ugh, the two lovebirds started canoodling and wouldn't let me watch, so it's rather impossible to stand being there…" she groaned.

" . . . Well that's an… interesting problem to have…"

"I know, right?!" Gaige asked loudly. "Sucks she isn't as free-spirited as her mother. I would've liked to join the Mile High Club."

"I think it only counts if you do it in an airplane bathroom stall. On a private jet like this, it's just 'sex on a private plane'."

"Huh… Never thought of it that way…"

"Trust me, when you've flown these private numbers enough times, you'll have seen just about everything," the pilot shrugged. "If you want, I could break them up for you," he said, finger hovering over the intercom button, "say we've got some turbulence incoming."

"No… Leave them be…" Gaige sighed. "It'd just make me feel like a real bitch afterwards…"

"You're the boss."

*ARMOR WARS*

Contrary to what Gaige believed as her imagination ran hot and steamy, Virgil and Athena were not "canoodling".

Instead, the two were just venting some pent-up teenage hormones accumulated over the previous days' craziness with some heady spit-swapping and over-the-clothes petting. Not quite third base, but well past the baseline for second.

After changing out of their evening wear of course.

"Sorry…" Virgil panted as he came up for air, his hands resting on her waist.

"For… what?" Athena asked, cheeks flushed red as she fisted the back of his shirt.

"For getting… separated."

"You shielded me… from that pumpkin bomb with your body," Athena returned with a beautific smile. "That's more than enough to earn this fair lady's favor~"

" . . . Ffft!"

"W-What?"

"There's less corn in the state of Iowa."

"You're lucky you're cute," Athena pouted. "Now take off that shirt. I want to feel that strong, lean muscle under my fingertips~"

"It's times like these I realize you really are your mother's-"

"Strip."

"Yes, ma'am."

*ARMOR WARS*

"Geez, rub it in my face why don't ya," Gaige pouted as she poked her head into the bedroom a while later, Athena resting her head upon Virgil's unclothed chest, his pants and her attire sufficiently ruffled.

"Oh relax, we didn't actually reach third base," Athena said back. "For now~" she purred planting a kiss on his neck.

"Yes, well, tuck him in and let him sleep. Luthor says we can stay in the jet until we leave for our errands in Malibu in the morning in the car he'll have waiting for us," Gaige said jerking a thumb into the main cabin. "Unless~"

"Unless what?" she felt the need to ask.

"I might be willing to let you join him in bed if certain… concessions were made~"

" . . . My mother put you up to this, didn't she?"

"A little, yeah~"

Athena narrowed her eyes at Gaige, but then directed them to the crisscrossing burns on Virgil's arm.

" . . . I suppose Virgil deserves something for his troubles," she admitted after a moment. "But keep it above the waist," she said flatly.

"Deal!"

*ARMOR WARS*

LexCorp Headquarters
November 24, 23:38 EST

Elsewhile, Luthor, burning the midnight oil, had received the reports from his private (corporate) investigators as he cleaned up the mess the so-called Green Goblin had left in his wake, confirming much of what he suspected about the man who considered himself his rival in the business world; Norman Osborn.

Norman Osborn had been, in life, an amoral industrialist who would do anything for money and power. After having his partner Mendell Stromm arrested for embezzlement, both Mendell's and his own, he had discovered the incomplete Globulin Green Formula, another failed super soldier formula attempting to emulate Abraham Erskine's original work. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Norman wanted to use it to get out of the hole he'd dug for himself.

Hence the reason Osborn considered himself his rival in the business world.

What it did take a genius to figure out, was that Norman's son, Harry, had sabotaged one of his father's experiments due to the neglect and derision he was shown finally reaching its breaking point, causing the flawed formula to explode violently in the man's face.

The injuries from medical report that followed were minor, but the autopsy performed after Norman's body was retrieved and peeled out of the Green Goblin armor, revealed massive chemical imbalances that the egg-heads said would cause "madness" in as simple a term. Lex speculated that the man known as "Norman" may have died when the Goblin was born, but by the same vein, based on the final moments of Norman's life captured by the Gamma's onboard camera, as he lay dying atop his own glider, it would appear that some of the original Norman Osborn still remained. For whatever good it did him.

LexCorp had actually seized control of OsCorp while Norman was injured and the board's confidence in him at an all-time low, prompting the man to steal one of his company prototypes before going on a rampage as soon as he'd awoken and learned the news.

Honestly, if he had a nickel for every time this happened…

Based on the specifications for the Globulin Green, it was possible, at least theoretically, that Norman, or at least his body, could've recovered from the double impalement he'd been subjected to after slipping into a lengthy quote/unquote "healing coma".

Lex however took the necessary precautions to prevent any such "resurrection" on the deceased villain's part. In order to prevent anyone from discovering wholesale what the Globulin Green had done to his body, including but not limited to a ghastly discoloration of the epidermal layer, Luthor had paid off a coroner who was close to retirement and less than wise with his investments over the decades prior, to conceal the skin discoloration. As far as the world at large would be concerned, Norman Osborn died of complications caused by the chemical explosion and cremated in accordance with his will; the latter of which wasn't necessarily untrue, since Norman actually did stipulate that if his body was too damaged from an industrial accident, that he be cremated so as to pass on with a bit of dignity and not traumatize his child.

Though Luthor suspected that line had only been added for the benefit of his own reputation, even post-mortem.

That just left the prodigal son behind. Harry Osborn wasn't cut from the same cloth as his father, but that didn't make him any less brilliant. A little therapy, a little father/son-type bonding, perhaps a legal adoption, and he could turn the boy into a loyal ally in the future. Good help was so hard to find after all.

He just had to make sure the shrinks tending to Harry's needs were legitimate psychologists and psychoanalysts, and not the two-bit snake oil salesman that filled Arkham's halls across the Delaware.

Someday, he might even be able to give the boy back his father's company as a "coming of age" present; all of OsCorp's infrastructure at the disposal of LexCorp, of course.

To top it all off, the Gamma Series Police Battlesuit had been given a beautiful demonstration that largely eclipsed the Alpha, and Lex had been able to meet a promising young man who shared his own distaste, or at least skepticism, for superhuman crutches.

All in all, today was a good day, and Luthor would sleep well that night.

Or morning, depending on how-long the midnight oil burned for.

If anything, the inspired insight of future human/alien relations and what would have to be done in the future from a most-unlikely source would give him much to think on in the future, and would prove to be quite… enlightening.

*ARMOR WARS*

Malibu, California
November 25, 6:15 PDT

The first thing Virgil noticed as he roused from unconsciousness was that there was no humming of plane engines. This indicated that the corporate jet Luthor had loaned them had landed and they were now in Malibu, home of Hammer Industries and Stark International. Why their pilot had not yet woken them and directed them to a hotel, he did not know.

Eyes still shut, the next thing he noticed was he was no longer in the jeans he was wearing the day before, nor was he shirtless; instead of was clad in his pajama bottoms and one of his shirts, meaning he'd been changed while he was asleep. He didn't think the fatigue of fighting the Green Goblin had taken that much out of him, but without anything pressing to handle, he could've easily slept through it as long as nobody displayed any malice to set him off.

The next thing he noticed, was he wasn't alone.

That in of itself would've been enough to set him off rolling out of the bed like before… were he not flanked on both sides by soft, feminine bodies pressed closely against his own.

An eye cracking open, adjusting to the low light of the private room as it pooled in from the cabin under the door, Virgil glanced at Athena on his right, and Gaige on his left, the covers kicked down to waist level in their sleep. Both had let their hair down and were sleeping contentedly in over-sized T-shirts, their legs bare.

How did he know this?

Well, Athena, resting her head on his torso and an arm across his stomach, had a leg sticking out over the covers revealing pale skin.

Gaige on the other hand had draped a leg over his own, his left arm held against her slender body as she leaned her face into his shoulder.

Thankfully, neither of them had chosen to go commando, otherwise the control he held over his libido wouldn't hold out.

Not that he'd ever consider doing that to a girl, not after what he did to those guys who had done 'that' thing to some of his peers, but even he could admit he wasn't a paragon of virtue.

He and Athena were still exploring their feelings toward one another, but this was the closest he'd been to her in recollection. For Gaige, their first meeting had been her intruding on the pull-out sofa and thus didn't count, but the fact that she was here in a bed with him now meant she'd reached some kind of accord with Athena.

Virgil prayed it only applied to this trip, and not to their relationship wholesale.

He wasn't necessarily against a polyamorous relationship; in fact, the more carnal hind-brain part of his psyche concerned with sowing his oats far-and-wide secretly hoped an arrangement like that could be made between the two attractive genius girls. However, the more-ethical part of him held firm that a man should show dedication only to a single woman and not sleep around, even with close acquaintances.

Oh well. He was sure he'd find out how and/or why he was sharing a bed with two attractive girls when they deigned to wake up.

*ARMOR WARS*

"So~ Is that a gun in your pocket, or did you just have a good morning~?" Gaige purred as they got dressed.

"Do I even want to know why I had two girls in bed this morning, let alone one?" he asked adjusting his belt, a slight flush on his cheeks he didn't let either of them see.

Even though a woman in her underwear wasn't anything new to him (read: Dana Mercer), he still gave the two the privacy they deserved by turning his back on them.

Come to think of it, why did they insist on changing in the same room again?

"Relax, I didn't rope you into a three-way while you were sleeping. I just thought you deserved something… nice to wake up to," Athena said with a smile.

" . . . It was… nice," Virgil admitted after a moment. "Don't let your mom find out. She'd tease me relentlessly."

"My lips are sealed~" Athena grinned. "Provided…~"

"Business before pleasure, people!" Gaige groaned as Athena walked her fingers up the boy's arm. "Come on, we have to see what Justin Hammer has to offer before we get to see Mr. Stark!" she said excitedly.

"Fan of his?" Virgil asked with a raised brow.

"You kidding? I was a card-carrying member of the Tony Stark Fan Club: STAR Academy chapter!" Gaige said holding up a laminated card that attested as-such.

"Wait, you just carry that thing around?" Athena asked with a raised brow.

"Don't judge me! His flight-capable power armor is way cool!" the ginger argued with a red face. "They're like sports cars you can fly. And wear!"

"Remind me again why the US Government doesn't just mount guns on those things?" Virgil asked aloud.

It was kind of an open secret that Tony Stark sold flight-capable power armor to the military industrial complex for use in clandestine operations where agents needed not only protection from firearms and explosives, but also powered flight capabilities to haul ass when the mission was over. Turning infantry into attack helicopters was a logical tactical choice in today's battlefield.

"Because any tampering would void the warranty, and those things are hella expensive!" Gaige grinned.

"Well, given those things cost… millions a pop," Virgil said completely unaware of the exact cost of something like that, "voiding the warranty would be a good way of maintaining the integrity of his choice to… Why did he stop manufacturing weapons again?"

"Long story short, a shrapnel-filled irony bomb," Gaige hummed.

"Right. That," Virgil nodded. "Well, we should probably get going, don't wanna burn all that daylight."

The next moment their stomachs growled within seconds of one another, their faces flushing red, the girls moreso than Virgil.

"Um… What're we going to do for breakfast?" Gaige asked bashfully.

"Well, assuming this thing comes fully-stocked, I'm sure we can raid the pantry," Virgil shrugged. "Hey! Pilot! You there?"

"Yeah, what do you need?" the man called from the front, hair slightly a mess.

"You wanna eat on the company dime?"

"I was gonna go to a drive-in, or something, but sure, why not? You're the boss."

"Great! Let's get cooking!"

"You can cook?" Athena blinked.

"What, you've never seen me cook before?"

"Not since you moved in."

"Huh… Well, I guess I'll just have to fix that," Virgil smirked.

*ARMOR WARS*

True to his word, Virgil fixed Athena's never having seen him in a kitchen.

Throughout the course of his foster care experience, he'd helped, either by volition or otherwise, with the cooking in the homes he'd stayed in. Because of that experience, he was somewhat versed in the nuances of Korean, Swedish, Creole, and Floribbean cooking, with the State family teaching him more-American types of cuisine since they were old-fashioned that way, and living in New York had given him experience with foods from all over. He had done some of the cooking at the Red Light, but Athena was always in her room or workshop, and hadn't actually watched him help with the food.

The kitchen on the plane was compact, but had enough utilities and ingredients to make a good breakfast, and with their pilot helping out, they soon had a hearty breakfast for four waiting for them.

It wasn't anything overtly fancy, the kitchen was more in place for if the passenger(s) got bored, but they managed to whip up some tasty-looking veggie omelets and fruit on the side, with tall glasses of milk all around.

Breakfast was the most-important meal of the day after all.

"Geez, you can fight, pilot mech suits, and cook? Man, you're a keeper!" Gaige said with a beaming smile.

"Yes, and I'll be the one doing the keeping," Athena pouted the ginger's way.

"I wish I was this-popular with the ladies when I was your age."

"You really don't," Virgil returned. "Girls, don't fight, or I won't make you any Floribbean when we get home."

"R-Right!" Gaige said straightening in her seat.

"Floribbean? You lived in the Gulf?" Athena groused.

"For a while at least. It wasn't all bad in foster care," Virgil waved off. "Anyway, we shouldn't keep our driver waiting, so let's hurry up, brush our teeth, and get going. We don't want it to be too late when we finish up with Stark."

At this the girls nodded, eating with a little more haste.

*ARMOR WARS*

True to Luthor's word, they had a car waiting for them, and a driver set to take them to Hammer Industries for their insider tour of the facility.

Hammer Industries, lived in a rather interesting niche within the military industrial complex.

Back when Stark was still in the arms business, Hammer wasn't even third banana behind the likes of Luthor and Stark, but once the later opted out and focused on more humanitarian pursuits, Hammer began gobbling up smaller tech firms and managed to provide for the U.S. Government when they couldn't or didn't want to pay Luthor's exorbitant fees. Stark still had the market impressively cornered in terms of military-grade hardware, but nowadays Stark provided more along the lines of sensor tech and body armor than missiles capable of levelling mountain ranges in Afghanistan.

It wasn't to say that Hammer was incompetent, he was a decent-enough businessman to capitalize on the void that Stark left when he stopped making heat-seeking murder-bombs and heavily dominated the west coast, but compared to Tony who double-majored at nineteen, Justin Hammer was just… adequate. Whereas Stark hovered over the drafting tables himself, the Jericho his last big creation before his eyes got opened by a "shrapnel-filled irony bomb" as Gaige so-eloquently put it, Hammer just threw his money around so other people would hover around the drafting tables. The man had inherited the company from his father, and while Hammer Industries didn't see any major downturn, it seemed like the company had plateaued, since bigger and better companies gobbled up all the best college graduates for their own R&D programs.

Still, all that being said, it was only fair Athena give Hammer his shot.

*ARMOR WARS*

Hammer Industries HQ
November 25, 7:55 PDT

"Ms. Moxxi! So glad you could make it!" Justin Hammer, a handsome-enough man in an expensive gray suit and glasses with swept-back hair, greeted. "I hope you don't mind the atmosphere, but we like to keep our top secret work at Hammer Industries… a secret," he said gesturing to the wastelands around them, well away from Malibu proper, the air incredibly dry and the sun blistering. "If you'll follow me to the shuttles where we have sunhats and bottles of water waiting for you; we're gonna get straight into it!" he said with a confident swagger, leading them away from the front entrance towards, you guessed it, a shuttle where a few staff were piling in and taking shelter from the sun.

"Well he's very to-the-point," Athena hummed.

"Right. Let's see what this guy has to offer," Gaige nodded.

Virgil, for his part as chaperone, trailed dutifully behind, his sidearm hidden in his coat.

He prayed to god he wouldn't need it, 'cause all the bullshit happening around him… it was getting ridiculous!

*ARMOR WARS*

Arriving at the test site for… whatever Justin Hammer was so-enthusiastic too show them, the teens were privy to a small work camp consisting of a trailer, an overhead tent shielding a bank of computers and staff from the morning sun, and a power generator connected to the back of what appeared to be a large suit of power armor.

The armor in question was large, clunky, gunmetal gray, and just-plain-ugly. Sure, it'd scare the bejesus out of someone wielding only conventional firearms, but in terms of aesthetics… It wouldn't be appearing on the covers of any magazines, that much was certain.

Hell, Athena's was made in a garage, but even that looked better!

Then again, it was kinda hard to compete with one of the most-iconic sets of powered armor in all of pop culture…

"Um… What're we looking at here?" Athena asked as she eyed the armor.

There wasn't anything outwardly wrong with it, but then again, the worst of the problems were always under the hood.

"If Tony Stark doesn't wanna turn infantry into attack choppers, that's fine. That's fine… Hammer Industries will be more than willing to make up the slack," Justin said confidently as he stood alongside the pilot, who was being fed water through a long bendy straw before snapping his helmet shut. "If you sign on with Hammer Tech, some of those rewards to be reaped might be your own. I personally saw the video that got you the attention of so many Fortune 500 companies, and I have to say, you've got a real talent there. I'd hate to see it go to waste."

"Virgil, I'm getting a bad feeling about this…" Athena said worriedly as Hammer turned to the pilot.

"Relax, that thing isn't armed. What's the worst that could happen?"

That being said, the three teens wisely stepped back. Ugly or not, those arms still looked powerful enough to turn an ordinary person into jelly.

"Let's start with something simple," Justin said loudly as the cameras ran. "Right leg up. Leg."

A moment later and the pilot raised his right leg from the ground, bent at the knee. It was impressive the bulky armor could stay balanced on only one foot.

"Right arm, up."

The pilot acquiesced after letting his foot down.

"Okay now, gimme a left twist."

The pilot did so, the upper half of the armor turning slightly to the left.

"Left's good. Turn to the right. Oh, shit. OH, SHIT!" Hammer yelped as the upper half of the armor spun around like a twist top, sparks guttering from around the abdomen, arms and head going limp.

"AAUuugh…!" the unfortunate wailed briefly before he went silent, legs buckling but the armor forcing his body to remain upright.

"EYAAUUUUUGH!" Athena shrieked, hands going to her face as she beheld the horror before her.

A sentiment many expressed as they skittered backwards in horror.

"Oh my god! OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!" Gaige cried as she turned green.

"That is sick… and WRONG…!" Virgil said on the verge of hurling. "That is WRONG-SICK!"

"W-Wait I can fix this! I can fix this!" Hammer said over his shoulder.

Too late. The three teens had already bolted as though he were a radioactive leper, the brunette "commandeering" a golf cart and hauling ass like nobody's business back to the front gate.

*ARMOR WARS*

"Oh my god that was horribllllllle…!" Athena blubbered, legs hugged to her chest and rocking in her seat.

"D-D-Don't worry! That'll go away with some therapy. Or a lot of alcohol," Gaige said reassuringly.

"Nope, nope, nopenopenope NOPE!" Virgil muttered as he drove the golf cart as fast as it would go.

"I can still hear it…!" Athena sobbed, the sound of that poor man's spine being twisted completely around inside his suit echoing off her head. "Why oh why did I have to be born with an eidetic memory…?!"

"You think you have it bad? That shit got burned into my eyelids!" Gaige retched.

"NOPE SANDWICH!" Virgil shouted as he peeled onto the main complex, practically running down a man on his smoke break as he made his way to the front of the Hammer Industries complex. "Driver! Get us the fuck out of here!"

His pounding on the window warranted no response.

"Fuck! He must've gone to take a smoke break!" the brunette swore peering inside the tinted glass.

"I thought that one guy looked familiar…" Gaige hummed.

"How're we gonna get out of here?" Athena asked worriedly, terrified Hammer might try to silence them for what she'd seen.

CEOs had had people killed for less.

No, really, they'd literally killed people off for seeing lesser things…

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Virgil swore as he opened the driver's seat door. "SHIT! He took the keys with him!"

The next moment a silver R8 Spyder with the vanity plate STARK11 pulled up toward them, a roguishly handsome man in a tailor-made blue suit, stylish sunglasses, and perfectly-trimmed facial hair at the helm.

"Come with me if you want to live," the handsome man quipped with a chuckle.

Athena, Gaige, and Virgil couldn't pile in fast enough.

At least not until after they'd grabbed their luggage…

To Be Continued…

*ARMOR WARS*

Well… Bet you didn't see that coming at the end, now did ya?