Chapter 117: Batman Walks Into the Lion's Den
Middle East. A hidden cave controlled by the Ten Rings.
Tony Stark rested one hand on the car battery, despair creeping into his eyes as he slowly surveyed the cave's contents.
A forge. An anvil. Workbenches and computers. And surveillance cameras.
"What did you do to me?" Tony stared at the tall, balding man named Yinsen.
"What did I do?" Yinsen smiled faintly. "I saved your life."
"I removed most of the shrapnel from your chest cavity, but the rest will migrate through your bloodstream into your heart."
He picked up a small vial, the metal fragments inside clinking with a cheerful, almost musical sound.
"This is my souvenir." He tossed the sealed vial to Tony. "In my homeland, many people suffer wounds like yours. They're called the walking dead."
"Because after about a week, the shrapnel reaches their hearts. They die slowly, in excruciating pain."
Tony held the vial before his eyes, studying the fragments extracted from his chest—fragments manufactured by Stark Industries. Then he touched the device embedded in his sternum.
"So you built an electromagnet. You're using a car battery to keep the shrapnel from reaching my heart?"
Yinsen nodded with a serene smile, as though he weren't imprisoned in a sunless cave but relaxing comfortably at home.
"Where is this?" Tony tossed the vial of shrapnel aside and fixed his gaze on Yinsen.
Before Yinsen could answer, harsh voices barking commands in Pashto echoed from outside. The cave entrance swung open. Several armed men carrying Stark Industries weapons entered.
Tony instinctively looked past them toward the opening. Beyond lay not daylight but complete darkness.
He was deep within the mountain. Escape meant either tunneling through solid rock or fighting his way through fully armed terrorists.
Neither option was remotely feasible for Tony Stark in his current condition.
"Welcome, Mr. Tony Stark, history's most notorious mass murderer."
"We need you to build missiles for us. The Jericho missile you demonstrated—the one capable of widespread devastation."
The Ten Rings leader's mouth moved, but Tony understood nothing. Through Yinsen's translation, however, the message became crystal clear.
These terrorists wanted him to manufacture Jericho missiles here in this cave—to build Stark Industries' most advanced weapon system for them.
Tony stood with his hands behind his head, studying the smiling leader. Without hesitation, he shook his head slightly.
"I refuse."
---
"Remember the biological pheromone lure you helped me create, Dr. Banner?"
On North Brother Island, Batman turned toward Banner, who had already removed half his lab coat.
Both Banner and Otto had assumed Professor Connors might transform into the Lizard after Batman's deliberately provocative words.
But Batman knew Connors wouldn't. The professor was the only one of the three who knew Batman's "true" identity.
He knew both Batman and Peter Parker.
Both identities had helped Connors too much. He wouldn't turn on Batman over a few harsh truths. Connors knew he wasn't capable of such betrayal.
"I remember. You said it came from something extraterrestrial?"
Banner refastened his lab coat and retrieved his glasses from his pocket, settling them on his nose with an expression of genuine fascination.
For most people in the current world, extraterrestrial life remained purely theoretical.
Even a scientist of Banner's caliber—holder of seven doctorate degrees—found the subject captivating.
"Yes. It's appeared. I need to make contact. There will likely be a confrontation."
Batman's voice dropped to an unusually low register. He knew nothing about the white symbiote. Gaining information would require bonding with Venom—but Venom itself remained an unstable variable in Batman's assessment.
Until he could conduct comprehensive testing on Venom, Batman wouldn't risk another bonding. He couldn't guarantee the symbiote wouldn't delve deeper into his memories during intense combat, potentially compromising his mental state.
This meant Batman would confront the white symbiote with zero intelligence, gathering information through direct combat.
"If it's extremely dangerous, I can help you." After a moment's hesitation, Professor Connors spoke up.
"Professor, you're still in the early stages of mastering your transformation. This is something only I can handle." Batman declined the offer.
Whether the Hulk or the Lizard, Batman couldn't risk either being parasitized by the white symbiote.
Otto, who'd been ready to flee moments earlier, approached now that Connors showed no signs of transforming.
"Are you confident you can handle it?"
Batman studied the three scientists. Connors cared most deeply—he knew Peter Parker existed beneath the mask.
Banner came next. Though he only knew the Batman identity, the current arrangement gave him something he'd lacked for years: the ability to conduct research peacefully, with food and shelter secured, without constantly fearing discovery. Batman had provided all of it.
Only Otto maintained a thread of wariness toward Batman, but even he displayed genuine concern.
"I've prepared several contingency plans. But no, I'm not confident." Batman's admission was blunt.
He rarely engaged in battles without reasonable certainty of victory. But avoiding this fight wasn't an option. The white symbiote remained a threat that had to be eliminated.
Batman had witnessed Venom brutally slaughter eight or nine innocent people at the FEAST shelter while bonded with Eddie.
He couldn't guarantee the white symbiote would be any less vicious.
Under the three scientists' varied expressions, Batman departed the laboratory and retrieved the concealed containment unit.
Leaving Rikers Island behind, Batman purchased an SUV from a pedestrian and drove toward the Adirondack Mountains at high speed.
"Barbara, have you located Tony Stark's position?"
Half his attention on driving, Batman addressed the Oracle AI integrated into his Arkham suit.
Before leaving the City Hall station, he'd tasked the Oracle with continuing the process of narrowing down Tony Stark's location through financial trails and logistics routes.
"Currently identified five possible locations where Tony Stark might be held. Conducting systematic elimination, Bruce." The Oracle's voice responded.
"One hour and five minutes ago, the Ten Rings sent Obadiah an email," Batman said. "Even though that message was relayed through multiple servers, and the final transmission address wasn't in the Middle East—"
"We can use SHIELD's satellites to reverse-trace the network nodes the email passed through. That will narrow the range further."
The Oracle immediately executed Batman's instructions. Batman drew closer to the Adirondack Mountains with each passing mile, leaving New York's population centers increasingly far behind.
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