Chapter 281: Electro's Conditions
Stopping a runaway truck was nothing for Batman. Barely an inconvenience.
But he didn't let the driver leave right away. After Jack Monroe pulled the truck into a nearby alley and killed the engine, Batman approached. The guy was still shaking as he climbed out of the cab.
Venom Robin had already put on his human-skin mask, looking like an ordinary teenage boy standing beside Batman. That's probably the only reason Jack Monroe didn't run. Instead, he leaned against the truck, took a few deep breaths, and finally spoke:
"Jesus. Thank you, Batman. Seriously."
"You know who I am?" Batman asked.
"Everyone in New York knows Batman. Sure, people say you're some kind of vampire, but you stop criminals—that part's real. And standing here in broad daylight, you just look like a guy in armor." Jack Monroe managed a weak smile. "I've got a buddy at school who's obsessed with you."
Without Barbara's AI, the Arkham suit couldn't run facial recognition. Batman wasn't about to hack into the NYPD database right in front of this guy, so he just asked directly:
"You're a student?"
"Yeah. Jack Monroe. Columbia University." Jack fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette pack. "Want one?"
Venom Robin barely suppressed a laugh. This had to be the first person who'd ever offered Batman a smoke.
"No thanks," Batman said, watching Jack light up and take a long drag. "You're not high. So why'd you lose control of the truck?"
Batman had already X-rayed the cargo hold during his jump from the Empire State Building. Nothing inside could've caused this—no monsters, no anomalies. Whatever happened was entirely on Jack Monroe.
"I was looking up at the Empire State Building and saw this streak of fire shoot into the sky..." Jack looked embarrassed. "Next thing I knew, I'd lost control. If you hadn't shown up, I don't know how I'd face my dad."
The fire was Tony Stark's Mark IV thrusters. Batman nodded. "The truck's not yours?"
"It's my dad's. He's been sick, needs rest, but the damn freight company said if he doesn't finish this month's routes, they'll dock his pay. So I'm filling in." Jack smiled bitterly.
Jack Monroe wasn't a criminal, so Batman hadn't used any intimidation tactics. The guy had calmed down enough to talk normally, his words coming easier now:
"Without you, my girlfriend would already be in someone else's bed. My parents would've buried their son. Thank you."
Batman didn't respond. His cape suddenly whipped upward, blocking Jack's view.
When Jack looked around again, both Batman and the kid had vanished.
"If my Batman-obsessed roommate finds out the actual Batman saved my life today..." Jack took one last drag, flicked the cigarette butt away, and climbed back into the cab. "He's gonna lose his mind."
Daredevil Matt Murdock graduated from Columbia University too, Batman noted as he and Venom Robin swung through the city's towers.
Tony Stark seems fine juggling both identities. No psychological issues there, at least not yet.
Max Dillon's condition is stable.
Batman had listening devices planted throughout Stark Tower, but without Barbara's AI, he couldn't monitor Stark Industries in real time. Still, everything he'd intercepted so far was good news. He didn't need to drop everything and rush Alfred's AI development. Not yet.
"Robin, when we jumped from the Empire State Building—those few seconds before we were ten meters from the ground—did you calculate all the force vectors? The truck, the surrounding buildings, everything?"
Back in the Batcave, Batman asked the question.
Venom Robin looked confused. "I figured you were just winging it..."
Batman shook his head. "Calculation, not instinct. Stop the accident while minimizing collateral damage to people and property. Always."
Venom Robin still looked lost. "What about when we can't avoid breaking stuff? I can't worry about some random person's new car while I'm fighting bad guys."
"Saving lives comes first. Minimizing damage comes second. When we do break things, we make sure insurance covers it afterward," Batman explained.
"You're like a super-powered Boy Scout," Venom Robin muttered.
At the top of Stark Tower, Tony had stripped off the Mark IV and sat alone nursing a drink.
He was thinking about what Batman had told him.
SHIELD's probably crawling with Hydra. Government agencies too. Which meant Norman Osborn couldn't go to the NYPD or SHIELD.
Norman alone was manageable. But Tony was thinking bigger.
Today it's Norman Osborn. Tomorrow? Next week? What about all the other criminals who don't deserve death but can't just walk free? How do you handle them?
He'd been so lost in thought that he didn't even notice Max Dillon coming back from home.
"You never put down the bottle, but this is different. You're brooding." Max poured himself a drink and clinked glasses with Tony.
"Yeah, I've got a problem. And now you've got one too." Tony snapped out of it and looked at Max.
Max raised an eyebrow. "News to me."
"Batman wants you back at Oscorp." Tony laid out the plan.
"Norman treated me pretty well. He's the one who promoted me to chief engineer when I was just another electrical tech." Max smiled. "So basically, I'm gonna be his bodyguard without him knowing. That about right?"
"Yeah."
"I'll do it. One condition though. I need to see Morbius and Harry Osborn first." Max said.