New York, inside the Batcave in the Manhattan district. Batman gazed solemnly at the computer screen on his workbench.
The screen displayed events that had transpired during the mere day and night Batman had been away from New York.
The Stark Expo was destroyed; Oscorp Tower suffered a total power outage; Ryker's Island prison was breached.
Professor Morbius, Max Dillon, and Harry Osborn were missing; Professor Warren was critically injured; and Kingpin had escaped prison.
Beyond this, Batman also discovered that the NYPD had issued an official wanted order, and the target was none other than "Batman."
According to the warrant, the prison break at Ryker's Island was triggered by that "Batman" breaking in to feed on the blood of inmates.
His method of entry was crude and direct: he smashed through the walls of Ryker's, drained blood, and then left.
When Daredevil was facing down hundreds of inmates on Ryker's Island, that "Batman" had returned, killing dozens of prisoners to intimidate the rest, and then fled before the police arrived.
Interrogations of surviving inmates revealed that the entity called itself "Batman." It possessed extreme speed, moving elusively like a wisp of black smoke, and had a gray-black face, a mouth full of fangs, and sharp claws.
"Claws, fangs, gray-black face, bloodthirsty..."
Batman rapidly searched through his memories, reviewing the individuals from his former world who had once taken up the mantle of Batman.
But neither Jean-Paul (Azrael), who had been dead for years, nor Nightwing fit the description on the warrant.
As for others who might fit the description, there were some, such as the Werewolf Warren Griffith or Man-Bat Kirk Langstrom.
But regardless, none of them had any reason to call themselves Batman.
The possibility of someone from his former world finding their way here was infinitesimal; Batman suspected it was more likely that something had gone wrong at Oscorp Tower, resulting in the birth of yet another monster.
Putting the Oscorp Group matter aside for the moment, Batman looked at the securely bound Blonsky, the Leader, General Ross, and Norman Osborn.
The Batwing was parked on Bat-Island.
Aside from the Batwing's lift and launch platform, the rest of Bat-Island was still under construction, especially the planned secure containment zone.
Batman had not turned these four over to the police, but instead brought them straight back to Bat-Island in the Manhattan district.
He injected all four with excessive doses of sedatives and anesthetics, ensuring they would remain comatose and not wake up for at least the next twenty-four hours.
But this was still not secure enough. Batman had to completely contain these four before he could rest easy enough to patrol the streets and alleys of New York and gather intelligence on this new "Batman."
The missing Harry Osborn, Professor Morbius, and Max Dillon also required Batman's time to locate.
Cough.
A faint sound echoed. Clarifying that his immediate priority was controlling the four Gamma monsters, Batman sprang into action, using four blood collection devices to draw blood from General Ross and the others respectively.
Marking the blood samples, Batman then took samples of their epidermis, hair, and other tissues.
The lab equipment in the Manhattan Batcave was far less comprehensive than that on South Brother Island; Batman needed to go there to analyze their physical conditions.
Removing his basic suit, Batman changed back into the fully functional Arkham suit. Before departing for South Brother Island, he hid a piece of chocolate in his palm and whispered:
"Robin."
One second, two seconds. Venom made no movement.
"Robin?" Batman called again, no longer hiding the chocolate but pinching it between his fingertips.
Usually, Batman didn't need to do this at all; with just a single call, Venom would instantly pop out like a puppy.
But this time, Venom remained motionless. "Hibernation? Or is it in a self-preservation state due to extreme weakness?"
Batman looked down at his palm, then closed his eyes, hoping to find the presence of Venom's consciousness within his mind.
Unfortunately, he failed. Batman could sense Venom huddled in a corner of his body, but it showed no reaction to his calls or attempts to pull it into his memories.
After several failed attempts, Batman did not dwell on the issue.
He simply opened the Batmobile's cockpit in silence and jumped in. Then, amidst the roar of the engine, he sped along the subway tunnels into the sewers, finally charging into the East River along one of the routes.
South Brother Island remained almost exactly as it was when Batman left.
The moment Batman pushed the door open and entered, Dr. Banner, Dr. Octavius, and Professor Connors all turned to look at him.
"You seem to need help," Dr. Octavius spoke first.
Batman nodded slightly, taking out the blood and tissue samples from the four different Gamma monsters.
"I need Dr. Banner to develop drugs that will be effective against these four individuals respectively."
Hearing this, Dr. Banner walked over, took his glasses out of his pocket, accepted the four samples, and asked after examining them:
"Who do these samples belong to?"
Professor Connors also stopped his work and leaned in curiously.
"General Ross was in New Mexico, conducting Gamma research in conjunction with a man named the Leader," Batman said.
As his words fell, Dr. Banner's brow furrowed immediately, and he rubbed his chin in thought.
After a long while, Dr. Banner spoke:
"Since you are telling me this information, either you need me to go to New Mexico with you, or you have already returned from there."
"And these four samples demonstrate that you have not only been there, but also infiltrated the place to some extent."
"Where are the four of them?"
Batman did not hide much; even if he didn't say it, someone as smart as Dr. Banner would be able to identify the four once the blood and tissue analysis was complete.
"Emil Blonsky—the Abomination. Norman Osborn. Thaddeus Ross. Samuel Sterns—the Leader." Batman listed the four names one by one.
The Leader had never revealed his name, but Batman had already deduced his specific identity based on the fact that only his head had enlarged, while his facial features remained undistorted—unlike a gargoyle.
Samuel Sterns, originally just a laborer, who for some unknown reason appeared at the Gamma base in New Mexico and transformed into the Leader.
But the question of his identity was secondary for now, and Batman had not wasted time waking the Leader up for a detailed interrogation.
Dr. Banner nodded solemnly, and as he took the four samples toward his lab bench, he said:
"I approve of you, Batman. Hulk likes you, too."
"If you need help, just ask. I will try my best to assist you without crossing my bottom line."
Dr. Banner was hinting verbally that if Batman went to New Mexico, he could call him along.
This was hardly a hint; it was practically a declaration. Not only did Batman hear it, but even Dr. Octavius and Professor Connors looked at Batman together:
"The same goes for us, Batman."
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