Chapter 46: Inventor 

Soho, New York 

Volume 1: Origin

Name: Cole Stephens

Known Name: Jeremy York

Alias- Red Hood

Race: Inhuman Mutant

Physique: Unique Physiology

Alignment: -Neutral

System-Bank: $1,123,789

Minion(s) Bullseye—Contracted

Anne Weying—Contracted 

Legal—Contracted

Angelica "Angel" Jones—Contracted 

Kaecilius- Red Lantern-Holder 

Persona(s)Jason Peter Todd- Red Hood 103%|100%

Daniel Kilgore- Priest - Haunt 22%|50% 

Kurt Kilgore- Special Agent - Haunt 17%|50% 

Attributes

Intelligence: +Moderate Tier 9

Strength: +Exceptional Tier 1

Speed: Moderate Tier 8

Durability: +Exceptional Tier 1

Energy Projection: +Moderate Tier 4–>10

Fighting Skills: +Advanced Tier 8

Gear-Inventory

Red Hood Symbiosis Costume 

Atrocious Lantern Ring

Jokers Crowbar

Batman Utility Belt 

Clark Kent's Glasses 

Scarecrow Gear 

Orichalcum Knives 

Nth-Promethium Katana 

Dual Pistols [9mm rounds] 

Dual Modified| Sniper Mod|M1911 [.45] 

Captain Cold's Gun. 

Fear Toxin 

Smoke Grenade 

Pocket Explosives 

High Powered Taser 

Bulk Medical Bag 

Bulk Duffle Bag [Electronics] 

Kinetic Hammer

Super-bike 

Black Hawk 

Tumbler Batmobile 

Star Trek Commbadge

Abilities

X-Gene: Host mutant factor has awakened.

Thermokinesis, Fear Inducement 

[Unexposed] Terrigenesis 

Unique physiology: The Host's mutant abilities, alongside your latent inhuman nature and the new ghost-like powers and abilities, have caused the Host to develop a unique physiology.

[+1] Holder of the Hero-Villain System.

[+10] Criminology: Deception. Stealth. Infiltration. Demolition. Enhanced Investigation.

[+7] Occultism: The Host knows various mystical concepts due to his training with the All-Caste. 

Additionally, the Host has formal training as a Catholic priest.

[+4] Superhuman Senses: The Host has supernatural senses, allowing them to see, hear, smell, taste, and feel better than their average species member. 

[+8] Skilled marksman, assassin and expert tactician.

[+6] Expert martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant. Highly trained in Dim Mak. 

[+9] Acute understanding and utilization of high-tech equipment, Bioengineering, and advanced weaponry. 

[+8] Business Management: ATC, Wayne Enterprises, Lexcorp, Iceberg Lounge. 

[+4] Computer Operations: Computer Hacking.

[+10] Superhuman strength, speed, and durability due to exposure to the Lazarus Pit and your mutant and latent inhuman metamorphosis. Chi reinforcement. 

Astral Projection Portal: By manipulating Ectoplasm energies, The Host can project his consciousness onto the astral plane, allowing him to manifest and communicate without being physically present and create portals. He can only use the astral plane to port to places the Host has marked spiritually.

[Limited] Ectokinesis: The user can create, shape, and manipulate energy unique to spirits/ghosts.

[2] Thermokinesis: The ability to manipulate and control the motion of molecules, slowing them down or speeding them up, thus changing temperature in the surrounding area with the power of the host mind. This is a broad spectrum ability than simply being pyrokinesis or cryokinesis. This is considered a Mutant ability that can be affected and altered by outside stimuli and other attributes and abilities.

[1] Pyrokinesis: Create and control fire, manipulate heat in your immediate vicinity with your mind. 

[1] Cryokinesis: The ability to control and manipulate frost, ice, snow, and cold temperatures in general

[Limited] Transformation: Originally, when Daniel and Kurt's ghost merge, Daniel's body becomes covered in ectoplasm that gives him various superhuman abilities; because of the unique nature of the Host, this transformation involves all personas, significantly increasing Haunt's parameters. 

Red Hood Armor Symbiosis: Joining of your ectoplasm|Bio-Electricity with your armor. Amplifies Host parameters to an undefined amount. 

Red Hood Cowl: Heightened Mental Resistance.

[0] Claws: Haunt has razor-sharp claws on each finger that can easily decapitate enemies.

[Limited] Metamorphosis: You can manipulate your ectoplasm to create tentacles, cobwebs, spikes, blades, and other appendages.

Adhesions: Haunt can stick on walls.

[+5] Inhuman Optimal Healing Factor: Granted by the system and augmented by Chi and Ectoplasmic energies, you can heal from extreme mental or bodily trauma in minutes.

Red Lantern Mantle: The first Lantern has been chosen; the Host now bears the responsibility of holding the Mantle of the Red Lantern Corps. 

The First Ring-Atrocious: You wield the first Red Lantern Ring ever created. The boundless rage of Atrocious fuels your powers. Furthermore, unlike the more scientific Green Lantern Ring, the Red Lantern Ring uses vast amounts of magic in its construction. 

A Red Lantern's ring is one of the most potent weapons in the known Universe. Red Lantern's ring can affect and use fundamental forces of the known Universe, including electromagnetic energies such as gravity, radiation, heat, light, and powerful blasts of concussive force. 

The ring can also create fields of power formed from a red energy spectrum. The limitations of such use are the user's skill, knowledge, and imagination.

[0] Rage Suppression: Said to be a rarity amongst Red lanterns, holders of this power need not the baptism of the blood ocean. You can control all the Red Lantern ring's degrees of intensity; lanterns under you have limited access to your passive suppression. 

[+2] Chi Manipulation: Host's mastery of martial arts and hidden innate parameters have unlocked one of the most sought-after abilities in the universe. You can wield and manipulate the natural forces of life and control your steadily growing Bio-electrical energy. 

[Augmentation] The Host Chi can enhance physical and supernatural parameters and significantly boost healing and recovery time.

[+6] Fear Inducement: Your presence has shown itself as a fragment of fear. The physical manifestation of your presence takes the form of an incorporeal bat-like thing. The target of your inducement perception may be altered, causing them to have waking nightmarish dreams pulling taut on their deepest fears. Your presence can now affect the waking and spiritual domain, causing the Host to become ominous, dark, foreboding, or even monstrous. This is considered a mutant ability.

Cole's grey irises roamed across his status screen, noting the changes and nuance in the flavor text of some of his abilities. 

His Persona parameters had a slight increase. He was close to having another persona to transform into. Unlike the youthful Todd countenance, Daniel Kilgore was middle-aged and had a lean appearance; given his proclivities In life, Cole wasn't surprised that much. 

A beep called him away, the status screen vanishing from his vision. He clapped his hands in excitement. 

Without delay, he pressed the key, and the artificial program whirled online or to life, depending on who you were asking. 

To him, it didn't matter; unlike some of the stories he read, his system was beneficial and held a penitent to push his growth to levels that would take others decades, and anything he made or bought from the system had almost unlimited safeguards. 

He liked the name he came up with and called it out aloud. "Beneficial System." 

He pulled himself from his musing and queried the new update he had brought forth. 

"Alfred," he said aloud.

"Master Cole," it replied from the computers in the lab, hastily bought from the system in a mess of cords and disorder.

"Alfred, refrain from using my real name. This is considered a core directive and should remain in place, security level black this order." 

He had always sucked at names, and since Jarvis's name had been taken already, he decided to use Batman Butler's name Instead for his burgeoning A.I. 

"Directive initiated," Alfred said in a British voice that was as close as he could get without buying more of its advanced functions from the system.

"Alfred, how is your rate of growth."

"I'm capable of growing based on the technology Master Jeremy had unlocked." 

He smiled. He had hoped that feature worked. "Alfred, can you purchase from The System?" 

"I'm limited to what I can purchase now unless Master Cole grants me full access."

I pondered on it. Todd's persona was heavy on my decision-making being the foundation, but Kurt Kilgore's experiences had me wanting to weaponize everything I had at my disposal. 

I smiled, a smile that didn't belong to me previously. "Full access to do so. Be mindful of spending." Cole was a millionaire but wasn't making money from anything but his vigilante efforts. 

"Focus on looking for potential team members that align with myself." He ordered.

"A list had already underway. May I suggest individuals that are slated to die by your reckoning?" 

The young inventor chuckled. "My reckoning is sound, Alfred. My memories are quite expansive pertaining to the world. Permission granted." 

"As you command, Master, Project Rescue has been labeled yellow," Alfred said. 

Alfred had been given free rein to work and act based on coded instructions based on colors. He had no reason to safeguard himself against artificial intelligence but the actual world. Like his suit, the artificial intelligence would continue to grow.

"Project Rescue," I muttered, nodding my head, as the project showed on many icons on the H.U.D.

"Master, I will begin seeding your companies and creating shell companies you can use to sell lesser technology to the natives."

'Natives?' He laughed inside; damn, artificial intelligence was slowly forming its personality. 

Cole smiled. "Great idea. Lexcorp is not making money at the moment." He bought and rebranded a small lab, keeping the employees on. He was just now beginning to place his hands on the company. 

"Start production of seasonal vaccines." He had realized that COVID-19 and other diseases hadn't shown up here but was aware it was probably still brewing.

"As you wish," Alfred said, going quiet, surprising the lawyer and introducing himself to his other teammates. 

Angelica: Why can't I observe what you're doing?

Cole laughed at the message exploding in his face. He had to admit, the girl was brilliant, and her ingenuity had helped bridge the gap he missed with the hardlight application. 

Admittedly, he should have realized it when she took the boas drones. 

Jeremy: Access granted, beautiful. 

Angelica: I'm not Anne. 

He didn't reply as he sensed the hardlight construct materialized from half-took-apart boas. 

"I can't believe you butchered her." Angelica hissed, her hand reaching for the boas. 

"Her," he parroted, goggles sliding from his eyes by one of his newly made appendages—basically Doc Octopus but with multi-tools. 

"Her," she harrumphed. "I c-

I waived my hand, paying the cost from the system. 

"Fixed her." He boasted. 

Her mouth opened and closed, but she tapped at a location only she and he would know about; a keyboard slid out, and she typed away. The boas thrummed and slowly hovered in place. 

"You're quite good," he stated matter-factly. 

Angelica beamed, or she tried, hardlight tech wasn't there yet with facial features. It wasn't the tech but the software. He would fix that, too, especially with his newly acquired shop items. 

"Thanks," she said, looking around, especially at my appendages that continued to work regardless of my attention being on her. 

"What is that?" She said, moving past me, the avatar shattered, coming in contact with one of the arms, but reformed almost instantly. 

He had felt that. The neural interface was working, at least. He rubbed at the back of his neck where the chip had been installed. 

He introduced her to Alfred, and he could almost feel her giddiness at the prospect of communicating with an artificial intelligence. He explained to her what he had done and was currently doing. 

She had stopped by because she couldn't spy on me—for some reason, Angelica liked looking over my back. 

"Send me the data on the arms. What are they called?" 

"Lab Arm assistants." Cole shrugged. He hadn't thought of a name; he just needed help... 

"Terrible," she exclaimed. "Whatever, I wanted permission to help Blackcat." 

He nodded my head, hand tapping on his chin. "Data is available, but I don't think you'll like the requirement to use the arms."

"Alfred," Cole called. 

"Data isn't available of mutant-kind compatibility with the Naquadah." 

Angelica deflated. 

Anne tapped at the air, obviously reading the data on the arms. Her brows scrunched somewhat, and she peered at me again.

"Allowing Anne the opportunity was because she is genetically human." 

"I'm not human." Angelica interrupted. 

Cole looked at her expressionlessly. "Mutants are an evolutionary step from humanity." 

Cole continued. "Naquadah could alter your mutant ability or be incompatible." 

He couldn't determine if it was safe or not. He was unique. The system would safeguard his ascension. He didn't know and wasn't willing to risk it just because she wanted a new toy 

"How long will the test take, Alfred," Angelica asked, her best chance at getting a pair of lab assistants. 

"If young master allows me a sample of his and Ms Anne's blood, I can begin analyzing the two."

He didn't even think about it. He wanted to look into it anyway, especially with his new physique. 

He nodded; one of the arms became blank to his mind and began moving on its own; a prick from the arm was all he felt before it began analyzing the data. 

"Thank you." She said.

He waved her off and said. "Blackcat is a senior of Midtown High." 

"You…. How did you know that? I thought I deleted the data.." 

He laughed, not answering her. "Are you going to use your powers finally?" 

Her shoulders slumped at the mention of her mutant abilities. "You know what happened to me?"

Cole nodded, genuinely feeling bad for her. "If you need someone to talk to, I'm always available." 

"I know Jeremy. I owe you a lot, and when I'm ready, I'll take you up on it. My powers activated when those men hurt me. It reminds me of those times." 

Cole sighed. He figured her mutation activated under duress. He couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't saved herself, but he shelved the thought. 

"Take what you need." He said, waving his hand at the gear in the lab. Most were curiosity projects he possibly wouldn't use, but he was testing his abilities and if he could grow by inventing small gadgets. 

"I sent more gear to Redoubt." He wanted her secure, so more protection and a better suit was required. 

"Angelica, I would love it if you came to Harlem and took one of the apartments. Being alone in the middle of the woods is not viable."

"Thank you, Jeremy. And I will think about it. The boas activated, hovering above areas in the lab, grabbing whatever Angelica fancied. She waived bye, her avatar breaking, no doubt wanting to dive into her new toys. 

"Any complications, and you call me." He added before she shattered in specks of purple light. 

He cleared his mind. He did not want to worry about her. She was powerful, and he was sure with the tech she had at her fingertips, not many threats that Blackcat faced could harm her. 

He refocused and was astounded at what someone could accomplish with multiple entities with a singular agenda, pooling every ounce of their resource on one goal. 

Parallel thought processing hadn't been fully explored, at least not until today. Cole had worked himself at a pace that would have shocked anyone who witnessed what he was doing. 

He had one small problem. No matter how often he branched himself out, he was limited to his two limbs. He had solved those problems relatively quickly, with the system, spider-like appendages maneuvered around the lab, two prominent protruding arms operated over his head, soldering and fabricating pieces to projects he had started. 

Multitasking allowed him to perform several tasks at once. The robotic arms had been purchased initially in the shop for almost a hundred thousand, not an amount that would affect him as he had noticed an uptick in his system's monetary gains. 

Having had access to Stargate technologies, at least a limited amount, he still couldn't purchase a battleship; at least he could buy a puddle jumper, a ship that belonged to the SG-1 team that rediscovered the ancient city of Atlantis in the Stargate universe. 

His primary focus was The Red Hood Costume, which stood before him. It had returned to its more normal advanced form; he still hadn't advanced it toward the Arkham Knight version. He had made sure he kept his trademark Red Cowl regardless.

A lens whirled inside the futuristic goggle-like headpiece he was wearing. With his superhuman advanced senses, he still couldn't see well enough to operate with sheer perfection, and he also didn't want to constantly heal his eye from a welding torch that burned brightly in one of his appendage's hands. 

He slid the goggles from his eyes and observed his creation, the electromagnetic gauntlet, a lightweight electromagnetic armament resembling Iron Man's repulsive gauntlets. Maybe it was the priest in him, even one such as Daniel Kilgore. He also added degrees of lethality. 

Time had passed, but he hadn’t lost the day to his endeavors. He was still inside the state-of-the-art A.T.C. lab that could be called futuristic. Cole sat on his stool, his nimble hands roaming across the floating keyboard made from the same hardlight tech. He stood, the hardlight keyboard trailing behind him as he went to another station.

His H.U.D. flashed in his peripherals. He effortlessly brought the notification toward his left eye as he continued to key in different codes for the software he attempted to update. 

He paused, a smile stretching across his face; both patents had been improved, and his hardlight technology had been so far beyond the current endeavors that he was awarded the patent for the application. 

He typed a message of gratitude to his lawyer. He smiled, glad he managed to secure Legal when he did. The man would soon take a lot of stress off his shoulders.