Times Square, also known as "The Crossroads of the World," is located in the northern part of Midtown Manhattan.
Most of the time, it is a whirlwind of pedestrians and unending traffic, but with the arrival of the dinosaurs, it had long since devolved into utter chaos. Vehicles of all sizes were abandoned on the roads, and the throngs of people filled nearly every gap in the streets, flowing in all directions.
A crimson Tyrannosaurus Rex lay at the center of the intersection. Though its life was hanging by a thread, the occasional, inadvertent lash of its tail would still send nearby sedans flying dozens of meters away. While this area hadn't been ravaged by large carnivores as severely as others, the overcrowding, trampling, and collisions made it no better than anywhere else.
After leaping from the Baxter Building, Batman found the location with little effort. He now stood atop the most prominent landmark, One Times Square, overlooking the scene below.
One minute passed, then two.
Batman remained motionless, showing no intention of jumping down to haul the red T-Rex away or rushing into the streets to direct the evacuation. It wasn't until the two-minute and twenty-second mark that a piercing whistle echoed from the distance. The Batwing, having taken off from Bat Island, descended from the heavens, diving straight toward the red T-Rex.
Batman raised his hand and fired a strand of spider-silk, accurately anchoring himself to the diving Batwing. He didn't even flare his cape, allowing the Batwing to plummet toward the dinosaur at a speed far exceeding freefall.
The fleeing crowds in Times Square were deliberately avoiding the red T-Rex, which meant Batman didn't need to spend extra time clearing the area. He fired webbing from both hands, weaving a sturdy, giant net to bind the dinosaur before hitching it to the Batwing. The entire process took less than twenty seconds. Batman even took the time to perform a full-body scan, confirming that while the behemoth's breathing was faint, it was not yet in a terminal state.
"Lunella said this T-Rex possesses telepathic abilities, but it hasn't manifested them so far. Likewise, the Lizard hasn't been affected by it."
Batman stood directly in front of the T-Rex, staring at the two wounds atop its massive head.
"Like the giant the Lizard faced, its telepathy originates from the horns on its head. But with the horns severed, has it lost the ability to resist that other giant? Is it now just a pawn?"
Batman didn't dwell on the question for long; he simply noted the discrepancy, planning to address it after the current crisis was resolved.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The armor on the outside of Batman's right arm shifted, and a portable computer popped out. With the AI Oracle, Barbara, offline, Batman could no longer use voice commands to control the Batcave or the various tools on Bat Island. He had to return to manual operation.
"Activate stealth mode. Destination: Bat Island."
Batman's fingers blurred over the Arkham Suit's controls, issuing a series of commands to the Batwing. Upon receiving the instructions, the Batwing quickly ascended into the sky, towing the red T-Rex and vanishing into the clouds.
At this moment, the skies over Manhattan were filled with NYPD gunships and aircraft from other jurisdictions; Batman wouldn't allow the Batwing to fly directly to Bat Island. Per his settings, the Batwing would carry the T-Rex toward the Adirondack Mountains first, taking a long detour before flying back to Bat Island from the direction of the Bronx.
From the moment Batman and the Batwing dropped from the sky to the moment the craft ascended again, less than a minute had elapsed.
Just as Batman prepared to leave Times Square to hunt dinosaurs and save civilians elsewhere in Manhattan, he glanced toward Fifth Avenue. A truck sat skewed across the road. Unlike the occupants of other vehicles who had long since abandoned their cars and fled, the driver of this truck was still sitting in the cab, hands gripping the steering wheel.
Batman recognized it as the runaway truck he and Venom Robin had stopped a few days prior. He even remembered the driver's name: Jack Monroe.
The young man was a student at Columbia University whose father was bedridden at home. To prevent his father from losing his job, Jack had stepped in to handle the company's transport duties. Batman had investigated him afterward and confirmed that the youth had no ties to Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., the U.S. government, or any other faction.
Under these circumstances, the fact that Jack Monroe hadn't followed the crowd and fled the moment the T-Rex blocked Times Square meant one of two things: he valued his cargo more than his life, or he was paralyzed by fear. Regardless, Batman had to see what was happening.
Batman changed course, swinging from the center of Times Square to land beside the truck.
"Hey, Batman. I just saw you jump down from the sky."
As soon as Batman approached the cab, Jack Monroe rolled down the window and greeted him with a wide smile.
"Jack Monroe," Batman said, his expression unreadable.
The man wasn't paralyzed with fear, nor did he seem anxious to continue his delivery. This only deepened Batman's confusion as to why Jack hadn't fled despite knowing dinosaurs were roaming the area.
"Why didn't you run?" Batman asked.
Jack Monroe looked puzzled. "Run where?"
"The transport company, your home, or your girlfriend's place. Anywhere you're needed," Batman replied.
Jack's smile remained fixed. "My girlfriend dumped me. Ran off with a guy who has more money and more time than I do."
Batman frowned. "Your father still needs your care. He can't handle a dinosaur breaking into the house."
"There's some good news. Mom finally doesn't have to argue with Dad every day, because Dad is dead. Passed away yesterday morning," Jack Monroe said. "And Mom left New York this morning without saying a word to me."
The smile was still there, and Batman couldn't even tell what was hidden behind it. Two days ago, after confirming Jack's background was clean, Batman hadn't paid him much attention. He hadn't expected such drastic upheavals in the young man's family and life in such a short time.
"But this truck is mine now!" Jack looked at Batman's stoic, armored chin. "I have my own vehicle and a job! I'm not just a temporary replacement for my father anymore!"
"That sounds like good news," Batman said, his voice low and gravelly.
"Right? Right?" Jack patted the truck's center console. "So I'm not abandoning this truck to run away. It's the only thing my family left me."
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