Hydra, the omni-wave projector, the S.W.O.R.D. Program, Colonel Danvers...
Much like when Batman was dealing with Kingpin, these clues—though initially appearing almost entirely unrelated—ultimately all pointed toward the extraterrestrial as a shared endpoint.
Of course, unlike the situation with Kingpin, the extraterrestrial domains pointed to by these clues had a high probability of not being the same out-of-world region at all. For the moment, they shared only that single commonality: being beyond Earth.
And the cosmic space outside of Earth was virtually infinite.
"Alfred, you're quite right; the omni-wave projector is not an Earth-born product. Furthermore, while it completely lacks any programming, circuitry, or chips—making it look like a magical artifact—I believe it is a piece of technology." Batman said.
"So you must be quite curious as to why I believe Moon Girl would be your second candidate for contacting this world's magical realm?" Alfred said with a smile.
At Alfred's chuckle, Batman smiled along with him, his tone relaxed:
"Why?"
"You've already guessed it, Master Wayne. She possesses the most powerful telepathic ability you've encountered since coming to this world," Alfred said. "And she herself holds no fanatical ideological leanings toward magic whatsoever."
The reason Alfred arrived at this conclusion was actually because Batman had long since cross-analyzed Moon Girl, the Enchantress, Madame Hydra, the Leader, and even Dr. Otto—all those individuals possessing similar telepathic traits—within his own private database.
In Batman's analysis, Moon Girl's telepathy surpassed everyone else's.
"She's merely a backup, Alfred," Batman said. "Compared to her, we have another candidate from the magical realm."
"Ancient One?" It didn't even take Alfred a full second to grasp Batman's intent.
"Correct. I want to find an opportunity to make a trip to Tibet and pay a visit to this mysterious Ancient One," Batman said. "Even the Moon God Khonshu is willing to act as a messenger for him; I imagine he must be an extraordinary figure in the magical realm."
"Using the omni-wave projector? Or do you plan to deploy the Tesseract?" Alfred asked again.
Batman shook his head:
"No. After the last time I used the omni-wave projector to defuse the bomb crisis, I noticed that the device covertly transmitted a frequency outward. Hindered by my outdated equipment at the time, I failed to capture that frequency."
"No wonder you've never deployed the omni-wave projector ever since... It must have triggered your persecutory paranoia." Alfred remarked.
Batman spread his hands slightly, and just as he was about to say something, his gaze shifted.
The wiretap inside Captain George Stacy's home captured a trace of unusual sound.
Although Batman had only officially finalized his cooperation with Captain George tonight, as far back as when the Green Goblin was born and used pumpkin grenades to blow up the Manhattan Police Department, Batman had already quietly installed wiretaps inside Captain George's home.
His initial purpose had been to safeguard the captain's safety, and later, as Norman Osborn came under Batman's command, that wiretap had been left in a semi-abandoned state.
Yet in the previous second, Batman heard the sound of "soles treading against a wall" coming through the wiretap.
Batman was intimately familiar with this kind of sound; he had made this exact sound when testing his own abilities right after crossing over.
A while back, when Benjamin Reilly underwent training to adapt to his new body, he had produced this sound as well.
"Alfred, simulate the target's physique based on the audio." Batman immediately issued the command.
Alfred maintained his cross-legged posture, gently waving one hand.
The omni-wave projector data projected in the air slid rapidly to the side, replaced by a virtual outline.
As the footsteps in the wiretap sounded in succession, the outline grew increasingly clear.
"It appears no one is attempting to harm Captain George; rather, someone in his household has also joined the ranks of the powered," Alfred said, gazing at the sharpening silhouette.
It was the physical contour of a young girl, and the moment the outline completed itself, both Batman and Alfred recognized who it was.
It was Gwen Stacy, Captain George's daughter.
"First, we can rule out the possibility of her being an extraterrestrial." Alfred dropped a dry witticism.
Batman had already developed a fairly high tolerance for the old butler's occasional quips.
He didn't reply, choosing instead to leave the Batcave directly.
Watching Batman's rapidly vanishing figure, Alfred shook his head in place, and his projection vanished right along with him.
The old butler naturally knew why Batman was so tense.
The last person to establish a cooperative relationship with Batman was Commissioner Gordon, who likewise had a daughter and nearly lost her life after getting entangled in Batman and the Joker's affairs.
Even though her life was subsequently saved, Gordon's daughter Barbara was left paralyzed in both legs, forced to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.
Batman dreaded a similar event repeating itself; he had to go make contact with Gwen Stacy as quickly as possible.
"Look at it from another angle—perhaps everything in this world won't turn out quite so poorly, right? There are no old gods or hellmouths beneath the streets of New York." Alfred's voice echoed from within the Gargoyle Suit.
"Alfred, fate is always startlingly similar." Batman said, his eyes fixed intently on the young silhouette darting and weaving athletically between the skyscrapers out in the dark night.
Gwen had fabricated a pair of web-shooters of her own—considerably crude compared to the ones Batman used, and her web-silk lingered in the air for a long time without dissolving.
Aside from the web-shooters, her suit's style—including the bat emblem on her chest—unmistakably tied back to Batman in every single aspect.
How reminiscent this was of Barbara once choosing to become Batgirl.
Batman remained quietly concealed within the shadows, watching Gwen swing away into the distance, feeling for a fleeting moment as though he were catching a glimpse of Batgirl's shadow.
Yet just as he prepared to set off in pursuit of Gwen Stacy to see where the girl was heading and whether she was in danger—
Hum—
Batman's spider-sense suddenly flared with a signal, blooming like a bright lamp suddenly ignited in the pitch-black night.
This time, the signal wasn't a warning, nor did it signify any danger; it conveyed only a single message: "Kindred spirit!"
Not only Batman himself, but within his line of sight, he also noticed that down in the distance, Gwen's fluid, athletic movements paused and faltered for a fraction of a second as well.
Spider-sense was a sort of sixth sense that couldn't be observed visually, yet at this moment, Batman clearly realized that Gwen had triggered her spider-sense as well.
And so, meeting Batman's gaze, Gwen Stacy—clad in her black, white-trimmed, pink-lined suit—swung over and landed precisely three meters away from him.
"Alfred, did you record my brainwave signals at this moment?"
Gwen landed right before Batman, yet Batman's first words had nothing to do with her, addressing Alfred instead.
"Already recorded, Master Wayne," Alfred said. "Though we almost overlooked the possibility that the Spider-Totem might likewise belong to a product of magic—otherwise, how else to explain why you lost your power and regained it previously... Perhaps, Master Wayne, you are the most suitable person to touch upon this world's magical side."
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