"You lack evidence, Master Wayne. This is merely your unilateral guess," Alfred said with a solemn expression.
"I will find the evidence," Batman said, opening the Bat-communicator. "Tony."
Iron Man Tony Stark was currently within Sokovia, the landlocked Eastern European microstate.
Seeing Batman contact him, Tony Stark answered the communication without a second thought:
"What have you found?"
He already knew that Batman would never contact him unless something was up.
"Tony, Sokovia is far too backward. Much of the information cannot be obtained from the internet."
Batman's voice spoke rapidly:
"I need you to infiltrate these three locations in this country, observe whether there are any gathering dens there, and if so, I need to obtain their leaders and the purpose of their gatherings."
As he spoke, Tony Stark watched as a small map appeared on his Mark armor's operation UI, with three regions marked by red dots.
"If there are no gathering dens, I need you to fly at low altitude across a section of Sokovia, from here to here."
A green, winding, thin line appeared once more on the map displayed inside the Mark armor.
"I need you to randomly record the expressions and words of ten thousand Sokovians when they see you, and sync them to Alfred in real time."
Tony Stark's brow lifted. He vaguely guessed that some major event must be about to happen; otherwise, Batman wouldn't be instructing him with such seriousness and meticulous detail.
Yet Tony remained silent, knowing that Batman wasn't finished yet.
"In addition, Tony, pay special attention to these two mountains. I need you to scan the overall structure of both mountains... Point the Stark satellite toward Sokovia, and I will coordinate with you using the S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite..."
With a rapid-fire succession of instructions, Batman made Tony Stark forget all about the first sentence he had spoken.
Fortunately, Jarvis had recorded everything Batman said, so it didn't matter much even if Tony forgot.
"Can you tell me the purpose of doing this?" Tony asked. "I'm not very fond of working in the dark without knowing why."
"I'm wondering what the true origin of Hydra is. This terrorist organization might not be as simple as just splitting off from the Nazis during World War II," Batman said.
"Leave it to me," Tony said, after which the thrusters on his legs and back spouted fire, carrying him to carry out Batman's instructions precisely.
Two hours later.
Inside the Batcave, Batman stood with one arm wrapped across his chest while his other hand massaged his chin, falling into deep thought as he looked at the data transmitted back by Tony.
Alfred stood roughly one step behind Batman, likewise reviewing those data files and occasionally shifting his gaze to Batman, watching his Master Wayne plunge into an unprecedented state of deep focus.
"These are the three dens that I deduced Hydra would inevitably establish for brainwashing ordinary people, based on my analysis of Sokovia's terrain and civilian distribution. Tony tells me there is no gathering behavior whatsoever here," Batman spoke up first.
Alfred followed up:
"Master Wayne, I analyzed the expressions and language of the ten thousand people randomly sampled by Master Stark, and can definitively state that the ordinary people of Sokovia have not been brainwashed."
Batman maintained his pose with one hand massaging his chin:
"The problem is obvious, Alfred. Even though Sokovia has practically completely fallen into Hydra's territory, Hydra hasn't brainwashed the people of this country to turn them into Hydra soldiers."
"Where did those Hydra soldiers come from?"
Mid-sentence, Tony Stark transmitted the final piece of intelligence Batman needed—the overall structure of the two mountains Batman had marked out.
Alfred immediately opened it, seeing that one of the mountains indeed had a problem: its interior had been nearly hollowed out to house a three-story fortress-like installation.
Without a doubt, this was Hydra's true main base in Sokovia.
"I'm not sure whether there are Hydra members with special abilities like Baron Strucker inside here, and Peter, my purpose in making this trip was to find that pair of siblings. I have to get to my work now."
Tony stated via encrypted communication.
"Mm." Batman grunted in response, his eyes reflecting the images transmitted back by Tony, though his thoughts remained unreadable.
Alfred didn't disturb Batman either, quietly standing guard by his side and waiting for Batman's instructions.
It wasn't until half an hour later that Batman spoke up again.
Yet the content of what he said bore no relation to the intelligence before them:
"Alfred, ever since the Battle of Manhattan, what is the average number of people each day who step forward to declare they possess various abilities? Including those who don't publicly announce it but commit crimes using superpowers."
"An average of thirty-four people per day, with New York accounting for over half that number... As if there's some kind of attraction here," Alfred said.
"What about those whose abilities are advantageous for combat?"
"An average of seventeen people."
"Closely monitor everyone who possesses abilities. Leaving aside those abilities disadvantageous for combat, sooner or later, someone among the remainder will be secretly approached by Hydra."
"You are quite right, Master Wayne. Hydra soldiers are all ordinary people; perhaps human-wave tactics can work against a regular military, but the lack of high-end combat power means Hydra must be starving for talent, eager to unearth those who can serve them."
"Indeed. Help me contact Commissioner George Stacy; I need to meet with him," Batman said.
"To chat with him about the increasing emergence of powered individuals? And the crimes committed by these powered individuals?" Alfred asked. "Tonight at nine."
Dr. Stephen Strange finally awaited the day of his discharge.
Leaving Parker Hospital, looking at his uncontrollably trembling hands and the grotesque surgical scars across the backs of his hands, Dr. Strange swallowed hard.
For some time now, the Parker Group had covered nearly all of his medical expenses, keeping him from going bankrupt over this accident of his.
He returned to his home and ordered a meal.
The food was delivered promptly. Dr. Strange spent half an hour opening the packaging, his trembling hands picking up the knife and fork.
The utensils struck the plate with a crisp sound, yet he continually lacked the strength to pierce the food with his fork, let alone bring it to his mouth.
After trying for over ten minutes without managing to get a single bite into his mouth, Dr. Strange suddenly flew into a rage, sweeping everything off the table with his arms.
The withered flowers and vase, the newly bought food, and the tableware were all swept to the floor by him, shattering everywhere in a clatter.
Staring at his own hands, Strange buried his head in the crook of his arm and finally broke down into uncontrollable, sobbing tears.
"I must find a way to heal my hands; I will definitely find it," Strange told himself amidst his tears.
--
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