[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/H3gQQuc.jpg?1[/img][/center]
[right][sup][b]Kord Mansion. Westchester. New York State[/b][/sup][/right][hr]
Light began to filter through the drapes of the palatial master bedroom of the Kord Mansion, rousing Ted from a restful sleep. As he began to stir, pain shot through his head like a lightning bolt. His jaw throbbed with waves of agony, and the back of his head felt like it had been kicked by a horse. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, and was happy to note that outside feeling like his head was trying to escape his body, nothing else seemed injure.

[color=6ecff6]"What's a little CTE in the name of justice?"[/color] he grumbled to himself as he got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. Ted flipped on the light once there, and recoiled from the stars it made him see. He fumbled around for the medicine cabinet and found some ibuprofen which he quickly downed with some water. 

"Good morning, sir," Kha's voice came from one of the small, disk-like devices Ted had installed across the sprawling house. "Shall I start breakfast?"

[color=6ecff6]"Sure thing,"[/color] he grumbled and turned on the shower. He rubbed his jaw as the pain medication began to work its magic, [color=6ecff6]"Two eggs, some of that veggie sausage, and some fruit would be good. Nothing I have to chew too much."[/color]

The device beeped, understanding the command. Somewhere on the lower level, Kha's lone, physical body sprung out of its charging port and made its way towards the kitchen. While Ted realized the potential issues that could arise from artificial intelligence, he couldn't help but try it out. After all, if he restricted what Kha could learn, the AI would theoretically only become as advanced as Ted wanted it to be. The body came about when Kord got tired of making his own meals. The robot wasn't perfect, it tended to underseason things, not having tastebuds and all that. But it meant that he could spend more time in the lab.

After a hot shower that helped to relax his tired muscles, Ted made his way to the kitchen. He passed through the cavernous, ornate hallways of Kord Mansion, covered in mahogany and ornate windows. Priceless art his father had collected lined the walls, and very little signs a family had ever lived there joined them. Thomas Kord had never been a nostalgic man, and after the death of Ted's mother when he was only three, Thomas retreated from emotions completely. 

Why they ever needed a house this big, Ted had never understood. There were only three of them, and the extended family only ever consisted of his uncle Jarvis, who was still the CFO of Kord Sciences. It turned out to be a boon now that Ted was on the road he was on, but for decades the big house just felt like an empty void that stood as a status symbol more than a home. 

When he reached the kitchen, he found the robot had already plated his food, a new record. It was floating a few inches off the ground using some of the same anti-gravitational devices that kept the Bug in the air. The robot's body was little more than a meter-tall, thin column with four retractable, telescoping arms that came from the center. On top was a circular, ocular sensor so it could see where it was going. It was primitive, only an early prototype, but it was a start.

[color=6ecff6]"Kha, what's my schedule for the day?"[/color] he asked as he finished off the last of his meal. 

"Your weekly telecon with Dr. Olafsdotter is in one half hour," the AI responded. "Ms. da Costa has also requested your presence at Kord Sciences. The meeting invite mentions more media appearances to talk about your efforts during the recent pandemic."

Sighing deeply, he realized it was going to be a long day. Tora Olafsdotter and Beatriz da Costa couldn't be more different, aside from the headaches they caused him. 

Tora was a brilliant environmental scientist from Norway who was working on a pet project of Ted's to re-stimulate the growth of glaciers across the planet as a way to fight climate change.  Paired with Doctor Von Furth's prototype nuclear reactor, they stood a good chance at stabilizing the planet's climate. Both projects were Kord's most expensive, and Ted had faith in them. At least when Tora wasn't pushing to go faster than the tech allowed at this point.

Beatriz, on the other hand, was his Brazilian head of PR and marketing. She was always on him to get in front of television cameras to play up the company's efforts during the pandemic and for the climate change initiative. But Ted hated being on camera more than about anything else, much to her chagrin. Still, she believed in what the company was doing, and he valued that from a marketer. It was easier to sell what you believed in.

[color=6ecff6]"Let them know I'll be in after lunch,"[/color] he responded to the AI. [color=6ecff6]"I want to do some work in the lab this morning before heading in."[/color]

"Understood, sir."

He did just as he said, and made his way towards the cavernous library of the home. Two stories tall, with the ridiculous bookcase ladders most people just think are from movies, the library smelled of old dust and dry paper. It was honestly one of Ted's favorite rooms in the house, even if he didn't get time to read as much as he liked. He used the home theater more, and he was slightly ashamed of that.

He passed by the plush reading couch and sidled up to one of the bookshelves. He reached for a copy of [i]The Scarlet Pimpernel[/i], and pulled. Instead of coming free from the shelf, however, a mechanism clicked and the bookshelf shuttered. The bottom portion slid back and then to the left, revealing a lift behind it, which Ted took down to the lab.

His father had installed this as a covert way to get down to his garage without anyone knowing. Ted had found it after taking possession of the house. He had the garage sealed off from the outside, and turned the garage into his personal lab. And only he knew of the secret elevator entrance.

The doors of the lift opened and revealed the cavernous lab. It held the Bug, his suit, and various lab stations he had set up for potential gadgets to use in the field. He plopped down into a rolling chair and scooted over to the large super computer station and fired up the system.

Almost, instantly, his video conferencing system alerted him to an incoming call from David Garrett, the son of his mentor and his best friend. David was working as head of security for Kord Sciences. Ted looked behind him to make sure none of his equipment was visible, and flipped on the screen, [color=6ecff6]"Dave, what's up man?"[/color]

"Ted-," Garrett's green eyes widened at the sight of his friend. "Holy crap, dude! What happened to your face?"

[color=6ecff6]"Ah,"[/color] Ted pressed on his jaw where he had been kicked. [color=6ecff6]"Lab accident. Tried overcharging one of the anti-grav generators I've been working on, and it punched me in the face."[/color]

"You gotta be more careful, Teddy," David shook his head, his long brown hair slung back in a man bun that Ted never missed an opportunity to make fun of. "All alone in that house. You could die and we'd never find you. You need a girlfriend."

Ted rolled his eyes, [color=6ecff6]"Sure, with all my free time."[/color]

"Excuses, excuses, buddy," Dave shrugged. "Listen, mom wants to know if you're gonna come for dinner tonight. She made enough brisket for an army."

He had forgotten he was having dinner with Dave and Joan. Ted was completely wrapped up in his little project, and was glad that Dave called to remind him, [color=6ecff6]"You know I wouldn't miss that for the world. I'll see you tonight."[/color]

The call was ended, and Ted brought up the data collected by his goggles' built-in cameras. After flipping through the images, he stopped at the best view he could get of the man who was clearly leading the other men. He attempted to run his face through the police databases. After a few moments, the computer came up with no results, claiming the face's swirling colors inhibited analysis.

[color=6ecff6]"Damn."[/color]

With that outburst, he felt another wave of pain roll through his jaw and his neck. Rubbing it slightly, he called out to the AI, [color=6ecff6]"Kha, open up a new Blue Beetle project file."[/color]

"Title, sir?"

[color=6ecff6]"Crowd control."[/color]