"The Mark 4's firepower isn't heavy enough. Aside from the Unibeam at full power, it lacks other necessary lethal measures. Sustained use of the repulsors puts too much strain on the armor itself."
"The suit doesn't support remote deployment; I can't even swap armors on the fly."
"I desperately need the Mark 5—something that can fly in independently to provide support with much heavier firepower."
Tony Stark fired his repulsors one after another, blasting away the dinosaurs swarming inside the Baxter Building, while his mind raced with calculations.
During his last battle with the Crimson Dynamo, Tony's armor had been far superior in both technological sophistication and combat capability compared to the suit built by Yuri Petrovich. That fight had been so easy for Tony that he had procrastinated on developing the Mark 5.
But now, truly caught in a grueling battle, Tony Stark could clearly feel the deficiencies of the Mark 4.
His Mark 4 still required mechanical arms to assist with the donning process, and the current "battlefield" hardly afforded him the time for such a procedure. As for Reed Richards, the Rescue 1 armor he was wearing had been deployed from a Stark satellite equipped with its own integrated mechanical arms for automated fitting.
Moreover, with Tony Stark present, he had practically forced Reed into the Rescue 1 suit.
I need to constantly upgrade the armor to prevent future surprises, Tony thought, glancing over at Reed, who was still stuck standing rigidly at attention.
He couldn't guarantee that Reed Richards wouldn't cause more trouble down the line.
Thump!
Amidst his thoughts, Tony heard a sound coming from the yellow-green vortex he had opened first. Without hesitation, he leveled a hand at the passage, his repulsors humming as they charged.
However, upon seeing that the figure emerging from the tunnel was not a dinosaur, but Batman carrying a young girl in his arms, Tony lowered his palm.
Tony didn't bother hiding his identity. He flipped up his metal faceplate to look at Batman, but before he could speak, he was hit by the scent of smoke.
"Are you hurt?" Tony asked quickly.
"No," Batman answered curtly. "Did you open more portals?"
While in the Primitive World, Batman had seen the series of new portals appearing and immediately suspected this possibility.
The corners of Tony's mouth twitched. "It wasn't me, though I'm partially responsible."
Tony pointed toward the Rescue 1 armor. "But Reed bears the primary responsibility."
"Now isn't the time to worry about that, Tony," Batman said, scanning the area and noting the dinosaur carcasses littering the floor. "Shut down the Omni-Wave Projector."
"I don't think simply cutting the power will work." Tony snapped his faceplate shut and looked at the projector. "This little gadget doesn't even seem to be plugged in."
"I'll study it. Tony, you handle the dinosaurs and save the civilians," Batman directed.
"How much time do you need?" Tony asked.
"I don't know," Batman replied.
He had intended to study the Omni-Wave Projector when he first arrived at the Baxter Building, but he'd had to abandon the chance to dive into the Primitive World to save the girl, Lunella.
Starting from scratch on a piece of technology he had never encountered before, Batman couldn't say for sure how long it would take. If the Alfred AI were online, he could rely on the old butler's help, but for now, he only had himself.
"If it's just a matter of shutting it down, I think I can do it," Lunella said suddenly from Batman's arms.
"You've studied it?" Batman asked.
Lunella hopped down from Batman's embrace. She first looked curiously at Tony in his Mark 4 and the rigid Rescue 1 suit nearby, then turned her gaze to the Omni-Wave Projector.
"Reed and I studied this thing for about two hours. Even after those primitive people snatched me, I was thinking about how to turn it off... I can do it, Batman."
Batman shook his head. "I'll work with you."
After leaving the Omni-Wave Projector in Tony's care resulted in countless portals connecting the Primitive World to modern society, Batman preferred to take the time to do it himself.
"Tony, the dinosaurs outside are yours. I'll arrange for some help," Batman said.
"Help? Who?" Tony looked at him.
"Robin."
Manhattan is essentially an island, with the Hudson River bordering its southern side. Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty, sits on the southwestern waters of the river.
On Liberty Island, Garrett—a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who had been lurking in New York for days searching for Batman, and secretly a Hydra spy—stood alone.
"Which genius opened a path to another world, and which idiot turned that path into dozens of them?" Garrett muttered to himself.
He gazed out over the waters of the Hudson.
Compared to the chaos in Manhattan caused by hundreds of dinosaurs and primitive warriors, the river here remained calm. However, in the distance, Garrett spotted a black dot floating on the surface, approaching rapidly. Ripples spread across the water as the dot drew nearer.
"Whoever it was, I should thank them. They've given me the perfect opportunity—a chance to gain the New York government's trust and search for Batman in the open."
Clop, clop, clop!
The black dot drew closer. Accompanied by the sound of hooves, a pitch-black stallion with a pair of wings galloped across the water. It finally reared up, letting out a long neigh before coming to a halt in front of Garrett.
The horse was equipped with a saddle and bridle, and it carried a square metal box on its back. The box was engraved with the exact same patterns found on the stone tablet in the Metropolis Museum.
Garrett removed the box from the horse's back and opened it. Inside lay a neatly arranged set of black plate armor with red trim, including a breastplate, greaves, and pauldrons.
The box also contained a longsword, equally black, resting in its scabbard within a dedicated slot.
Without rushing, Garrett donned the pieces of the plate armor one by one. He then picked up the black sword, staring at it for a long time before hanging it from the saddle. He chose not to use the sword as his primary weapon; instead, he reached into the bottom of the box and pulled out a mace, a pistol, and several explosives, securing them to his person.
Finally, he patted the black stallion's head, took the reins, and vaulted into the saddle. He raised his mace toward the Hudson River and shouted:
"Come on, old friend. I haven't fought by your side since I joined S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
"Now, at last, I can join you again and restore the honor of the Whitman family in my own way!"
"I am Nathan Garrett—the Black Knight, descended from the era of King Arthur!"
"Charge!"
The stallion let out a piercing neigh, beat its wings, and carried Garrett into the sky. They circled the torch held high by the Statue of Liberty once before accelerating toward Manhattan.
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