Batman was right. Given T'Challa's pride and the honor of Wakanda, if Batman had been the one in trouble, T'Challa would have risked everything to rescue him just the same.
This was the promise made when T'Challa first gifted him the Kimoyo Beads.
The two warriors wasted no words on sentimentality, instead diving straight into preparations for the upcoming operation.
"Throughout history, our kings have been the 'Black Panther,' the protectors of Wakanda. They ingest the Heart-Shaped Herb to gain the strength of the Panther God."
"I have not yet consumed the herb. While my physical condition is peak human, I still cannot match M'Baku. Therefore, I need a suit."
Inside the dilapidated apartment, the former prince of Wakanda and the Dark Knight of Gotham mapped out their pre-battle strategy with tense but orderly precision.
"I'll get you a Vibranium suit," Batman nodded, saying without hesitation.
"We don't have—" T'Challa stopped mid-sentence as realization dawned. "Are you planning to use the piece of Vibranium I gifted you before?"
Batman nodded. "The total weight is three kilograms. While it's not enough to forge a thick set of armor for you, I have..."
Before Batman could finish, T'Challa quickly raised a hand to stop him from continuing. "No, three kilograms is more than enough."
Now it was Batman's turn to be puzzled. "Three kilograms? To coat you in Vibranium like a thin membrane?"
"Exactly. The habits of the Black Panthers are different from your suit," T'Challa said, glancing at Batman's chest.
Batman's Arkham suit was a transitional design between heavy armor and a form-fitting bodysuit—half filled out by his musculature, half reinforced by armored plating. Naturally, the thickest part was across his chest, where it bulged out prominently.
"What is the specific design?" Batman asked.
He had been prepared to supplement the lack of Vibranium by crafting a suit of armor combining Vibranium and Adamantium for T'Challa if needed. However, that would take more time. Synthesizing Adamantium required Antarctic Vibranium combined with several other specialized metals, and the team led by Silver Sable had only just arrived in Antarctica.
Finding a pen and paper in the apartment, T'Challa quickly sketched out the appearance of the suit.
Batman took a glance. The so-called Black Panther habit was completely form-fitting. Change the color and add some webs, and it would look exactly like Spider-Man.
"For weaponry, I need non-lethal options. Our opponents aren't just M'Baku and the mercenaries led by Ulysses Klaue—we're up against the Wakandan military as well," T'Challa said, handing the completed drawing to Batman. "I cannot harm them."
"Topographical map of Wakanda..."
"Route of operation..."
Working in tandem, a clear and precise plan rapidly took shape. Based on their current strategy, Batman silently simulated various scenarios that might occur on the ground, mentally preparing several contingency plans.
Next came the fabrication of the suit.
"Batman, this is the specific method for processing Vibranium. You apply sound waves at a specific frequency to disrupt the stability between the Vibranium atoms." T'Challa wrote down a series of data on a sheet of paper and handed it over to Batman without a second thought.
This information should have been top-secret. Leaking it to anyone outside the Wakandan royal family was practically inviting an existential threat to Wakanda. Yet now, T'Challa handed the data to Batman without reservation—an act no different from an unarmed man pointing a blade at his own chest while handing the hilt to another.
Batman took the data, glanced at it, and then crumpled the paper into a ball. He pulled a small vial from his utility belt and squeezed a single drop of liquid onto the paper ball.
Sssss!
Within two or three seconds, the paper was completely corroded away, leaving absolutely no residue behind.
T'Challa gave Batman a puzzled look, but Batman simply pointed to his own head. "I've already memorized it."
T'Challa spread his hands, choosing not to dwell on the matter, and shifted the topic. "Batman, I don't know the exact extent of your combat capabilities. If possible, I'd like to spar with you to make our plan more reliable."
T'Challa had heard rumors of the Bat in New York and knew Batman's technological prowess far surpassed the rest of the world. However, he knew nothing of his actual physical combat skills.
Batman said nothing. He simply stood up, walked into the apartment's living room, turned around, and gestured for T'Challa to come at him.
"In here?" T'Challa was taken aback.
"Yes. Sparring without breaking anything in this apartment should give you a more intuitive grasp of what I am capable of," Batman said.
T'Challa nodded. Though he was currently weakened and lacked the enhancement of the Heart-Shaped Herb, he could still easily defeat world-class heavyweight fighters. Since Batman had made the offer, T'Challa said no more. Pushing off the ground with one foot, he lunged forward.
Late at night.
T'Challa remained in the apartment, while Batman changed into his Vulcan armor and headed straight for the Pym Technologies Building.
Ever since the battle in the Adirondack Mountains half a month ago, Ant-Man and the Wasp had been missing for some time. Batman had come here several times, but each time he was greeted only by giant ants and Ultron bots. Every time, Batman would leave a handwritten note, informing Ant-Man and the Wasp that he would visit again after a while.
It wasn't that Batman was trying to provoke them or steal Pym Particles right under their noses. Rather, Batman had harbored a lingering suspicion.
If the deductions he made with Hawkeye and Black Widow were correct, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury might be Hydra. If that were true, what did that make Ant-Man, who secretly managed the Ant Farm, codenamed D-2?
Ever since Hawkeye and Black Widow left, there had been no word from them. Batman knew he had to show up in person to meet and speak with Ant-Man.
Thud.
Batman landed with incredibly light footsteps on the edge of the Pym Technologies Building's skylight.
Because the glass over the skylight had previously been shattered by Venom Robin, it had now been replaced with three layers of bulletproof and explosion-proof glass, reinforced with embedded wire mesh. If broken by force, the wires would instantly electrify the grid.
This posed little problem for Batman. Just as he was about to slip into the Pym Technologies Building undetected, as he had done several times before, his gaze suddenly locked onto an open space on the rooftop beside him.
Something was wrong there. Concealed beneath the surface was a metallic mechanism that hadn't been present during his previous visits.
Under Batman's watchful eye, one of the floor panels in the open area suddenly rose and slid to the side. An Ultron bot's head, its eye sockets glowing with blue light, emerged from the opening. Its mouth moved as it spoke to the nearby Batman:
"Dr. Hank Pym has been waiting for a long time. Please follow me."
With that, the surrounding floor tiles began sliding away in all directions with the Ultron bot at the center, revealing a brightly lit, spacious staircase right before Batman's eyes.
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