In the laboratory on South Brother Island, Batman watched Dr. Banner with a guarded expression.
"You have experience?"
"Of course!" Dr. Banner nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "During the time I was fleeing General Ross's pursuit, I experimented on my own blood."
"Actually, it wasn't just blood. My body fluids, hair, and biological tissues all possess the ability—much like the Lizard's—to transform other organisms into Gamma-mutants."
Hearing that Dr. Banner had conducted such experiments actually caused Batman to relax his guard slightly.
Ever since the three scientists arrived at South Brother Island over a month ago, Batman had been secretly collecting their tissue and hair samples for experimental analysis. Naturally, he had discovered that Dr. Banner's somatic cells contained a Gamma-inhibitor, which caused them to rapidly lose their radioactive properties once they left his body.
Sure enough, Dr. Banner wasn't hiding anything from Batman, mentioning it directly in his next sentence:
"At first, I was completely unaware of it. It wasn't until a mosquito took a sip of my blood and grew to the size of a finger that I specifically formulated a special Gamma-inhibitor. I inject it into my body every single day, without fail."
"The inhibitor can't stop me from turning into the Hulk, but it's effective at preventing my tissues from causing mutations in other organisms once they leave my body."
"As a bonus, it prevents guys like General Ross from capturing me and using my cells for research. He would have to transport my entire body to a lab—and by then, the Hulk would take care of things."
Since arriving on South Brother Island, Dr. Banner had never mentioned this to Batman or the other three scientists. By speaking of it openly now, it signified that Banner fully trusted Batman. The two were no longer just stiff collaborators on a remote island; they were allies.
"But the Lizard's situation might be different from yours." Batman noticed the shift in their relationship, but he didn't pursue the conversation. Instead, he steered the topic back to the Lizard.
"Leave it to me," Dr. Banner said with a confident smile.
Batman stared at Banner for a long while before uttering a single word:
"Fine."
Batman did not leave the South Brother Island lab. After handing the Lizard over to Banner, he picked up the unconscious Norman Osborn and walked to the other side of the laboratory.
"Dr. Otto," Batman called out.
Not far away, Dr. Otto—whose hands and four mechanical tentacles were all busily occupied—heard Batman's call. Without needing a single word of explanation, Otto understood Batman's intent. One of his mechanical tentacles gripped an ankle monitor—a device forged through the combined expertise of the island's four scientists—and handed it over.
With a sharp click, Batman took the device and locked it onto Norman Osborn's lower leg.
Beep. Beep.
The ankle monitor emitted a sound, and a green light flickered to life as it detected it was being worn. The self-locking mechanism engaged immediately, ensuring it could not be opened by any force under five hundred kilograms.
If the monitor were ever opened, it would mean either Norman Osborn had reverted to the Green Goblin, or he harbored dangerous intentions. In either case, Batman would not hesitate to relocate Osborn to the high-security containment zone on Bat Island without mercy.
But for now, Norman Osborn had passed Batman's evaluation. Batman was willing to believe he had truly returned to being a normal man.
Batman couldn't keep Osborn locked up forever, yet he didn't trust anyone within the New York Police Department. Even if he sent Osborn back to prison, Batman suspected the authorities might open the monitor without authorization.
Given these factors, Batman decided to allow Norman Osborn to return to society, using the ankle monitor to restrict his freedom and privacy while maintaining continuous surveillance for several years.
Gripping Osborn with one hand, Batman finally left South Brother Island, making his way across the city to the rooftop of the Oscorp Building.
Thwack!
With a swift hand-chop, the unconscious Norman Osborn was jolted awake. He jumped in fright upon seeing Batman but quickly regained his senses.
"I... where am I?"
"At the Oscorp Building," Batman's voice was devoid of emotion.
Whew.
Norman Osborn let out a long sigh of relief. He remembered Batman telling him that if he passed observation and was confirmed to be stable, he would be allowed back into society. Since they were at Oscorp, it meant he was in the clear.
"I've fitted your leg with a limiter," Batman said, looking down at Osborn. "I am releasing you back into society, but there is something I expect you to know."
"What?" Osborn hurriedly bent over to roll up his pant leg, staring at the ankle monitor with the blinking green light. "Know what?"
Batman watched Osborn's reaction. He noted the brief panic and confusion—all the typical emotions of an ordinary person.
"The limiter is waterproof, fireproof, and corrosion-resistant. It cannot be opened by conventional means."
"It will collect your vitals daily and transmit them to me. If the limiter is opened, destroyed, or the signal is jammed..."
"I will once again deem you a threat and lock you underground."
Batman didn't explicitly say "the containment zone on Bat Island"; he was misleading Norman Osborn. In Osborn's eyes, Batman wasn't even human. What kind of human had a son with tentacles, a strange green giant for a companion, and a massive lizard dwelling on his island?
Hearing Batman mention being locked underground, Osborn couldn't help but shiver. He stammered, "No, I promise I won't do anything to it."
"I don't need your promises," Batman said, slowly shaking his head.
"Then what do you want..." A sense of foreboding rose in Osborn's heart.
"I need you to know what you've done, so you understand exactly why I consider you a threat," Batman stated.
The sun rose.
Garrett decided to make one last attempt to find Batman's trail. If he failed again, he would immediately pivot his objective to find Tony Stark's private bodyguard—the "Iron Man" in the suit of armor.
Fortunately, while Batman was impossible to find, tracking down a common little reporter wasn't a problem for Garrett.
Wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, Garrett arrived at a McDonald's not far from Metropolis Hospital. He found his target in the furthest corner and sat directly opposite him.
"Hello, Mr. Eddie Brock."
"I've been hired by the NYPD to—"
He didn't get to finish his introduction before Eddie Brock interrupted him with fury:
"You're here about Batman appearing at Rikers Island a week ago, right?"
Garrett looked on in shock as the wide-eyed Eddie Brock glared at him. The little reporter slammed his hand on the table in anger.
"The day before yesterday, another guy just like you showed up with the exact same pitch!"
"He kept promising he'd find Batman so I could get my revenge!"
"If you're with him, you'd better tell me where he is now. And where is Batman?"
Eddie Brock didn't bother to lower his voice. His outburst drew dissatisfied looks from the other customers. A server quickly approached.
"Sir, please keep it down, or I'll have to ask you to leave."
Eddie Brock turned his furious gaze on the server, who instinctively took a step back.
"You want to kick me out? I paid! I have the right to finish my food!"
Garrett sat across from Brock, ignoring the argument with the server. He frowned, his mind fixated on one question:
Besides me, who else is looking for information on Batman?
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze