"Three days ago, those four people from the Baxter Building announced they were taking a space shuttle into orbit for a mission to study cosmic radiation."
"That very day, they were struck by high-energy charged particles from the Van Allen radiation belt, triggered by a solar storm."
"Their spacecraft burned up and exploded upon reentering the atmosphere. It should have sent all four of them straight to Satan, but they got lucky, crashed into the ocean, and survived."
Inside a bar in Manhattan's Lower East Side, Tony Stark, wearing glasses, sat across from Batman—who had taken off his suit and arrived in his identity as Peter Parker. Tony did the talking while Peter listened.
"Tony, are you just reading me a press release?" Batman asked.
Tony Stark nodded. "Exactly."
With that, he leaned over the table, getting closer to Batman, and lowered his voice. "Everything I just said is what's out there in the news... The real story is that it was a blessing in disguise. They only survived because they all turned into superhumans."
Batman instantly grew alert. "Superhumans?"
"Yes, humans with superpowers," Tony whispered. "You know as well as I do that even if Reed were reduced to nothing but a brain, he'd still be a national strategic treasure. Imagine what he is now that they all have superpowers."
Batman took a disappointed sip of his ginger ale. "Go on."
"Though it hasn't been made public yet, high-society circles—places ordinary people can't reach—have already given them a catchy name: the 'Fantastic Four,'" Tony muttered.
"You haven't gone to visit them?" Batman asked.
Batman had just returned to New York. If Tony hadn't mentioned the name "Fantastic Four," the only intel he currently had was that four people had flown into space, exploded, and returned completely unscathed.
It was because Batman deduced that something significant must have happened that he contacted Tony in the first place.
Getting a bit tired of leaning over the table, Tony picked up his glass, walked around, and sat down right next to Batman. "Nope. Actually, no one can see them right now. It's no exaggeration to say those four are rarer than China's giant pandas at the moment."
"I notice The Daily Bugle mentioned a security force composed of Navy SEALs has completely locked down the Baxter Building," Batman said.
Tony glanced down at his wrist to check the time. Batman noticed that a new metallic bracelet adorned each of Tony's wrists. "Yep. The public excuse is to protect the data the four scientists gathered during their space mission... but in reality, it's to keep the elite from getting their hands on them."
"If I remember correctly, these four are the first humans in the world to possess actual superpowers—not counting the Hulk, whose situation is based on genetic mutation."
Batman nodded, letting Tony continue without interruption.
"Only an idiot like General Ross would fixate so obsessively on the Hulk," Tony said, not missing the chance to insult Ross. "The American elites somehow caught wind of the information that Reed and his crew gained superpowers."
"They believe that if they can just get their hands on the cells, hair, bodily fluids—basically anything they can harvest—from any of the three besides Ben Grimm, and recombine it with their own DNA, they and their descendants will acquire the exact same superpowers."
Batman drained his ginger ale. "Why exclude Ben Grimm? Besides, Tony, you're considered one of those elites. You must know what their superpowers are."
Tony chuckled softly. "Of course I know. It's an open secret in high society."
"Care to share?" Batman looked at Tony.
"Reed's body can stretch at will and is incredibly elastic; Johnny can control fire; Susan gained the power of invisibility." Tony gave a strange laugh at this point. "As for Ben, he turned into a living pile of rocks. That's exactly why the elites excluded him."
"Many years ago, Americans believed that grinding Egyptian mummies into powder could cure diseases and even extend life," Batman said, shaking his head and playing along with Tony's tone. "I didn't think Americans would still buy into that kind of nonsense today."
Tony Stark wholeheartedly agreed. Fortunately, he wasn't one of those ignorant elites.
"I've interacted with some of those elites, mostly a few women."
Batman frowned slightly. "I trust you weren't just after sleeping with them."
"Half of it was for that, but the other half was because I felt like something fishy was going on." The smile faded from Tony's face, replaced by absolute seriousness. "They told me that the reason they believe this theory is because of their dreams."
Batman recognized the issue immediately. "Go on. I'm listening."
"At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but then I discovered that nearly all the elites who believe this nonsense had received similar suggestions in their dreams... Someone is targeting them, Peter," Tony said.
"It might not just be dreams; it could be illusions or telepathy built on top of them," Batman added. "When I was in Wakanda..."
There was nothing classified about Batman's experiences in Wakanda. He quickly recounted the incident with the Enchantress, only omitting the matters between himself and T'Challa, the Black Panther.
"Shit," Tony Stark remarked on Batman's trip to Wakanda.
"Tony, I think there is a very high probability that this is connected to the Enchantress. She might not even be the true mastermind, but rather taking orders from an even higher authority," Batman said.
"I always used to think those things were just fake myths, but you actually encountered one... I have a bad feeling that an unprecedented conspiracy is brewing," Tony said.
"Both you and I need to be prepared to face it," Batman said. "Do you remember before I left for Wakanda, I asked if you had ever run into a guy dressed in black carrying a shield?"
Tony nodded. It had only been a few days, so he wouldn't forget it so quickly—especially since it was something Batman had specifically inquired about.
"I suspect that shield-bearing man also has some connection to this conspiracy, but we don't have any relevant leads at the moment," Batman said.
Tony Stark nodded.
After saying goodbye to Tony Stark, Batman returned to the Batcave, which was located beneath Manhattan City Hall.
With Robin not around, Batman immediately went to check on the four Gamma monsters still sleeping on the second level of the Batcave before returning to the first level.
Using a pen, he sketched out the entire outline of the patterns on the axe carried on Venom Robin's back, then quickly began searching for relevant information across the internet.
Searching within the Batcave wasn't enough. A few hours later, under the cover of darkness, Batman secretly slipped into the New York Public Library—the largest public library system in the United States.
It wasn't until the night faded and the morning light arrived that Batman finally gathered all the materials. With a grim expression, he returned to the Manhattan Batcave.
"The Runic alphabet has an even more prominent name in this world... Runes."
"In Germanic mythology, this script was obtained by Odin, the All-Father. In his quest for greater wisdom, he hung himself from a tree for nine days and nine nights, contemplating the secrets of the universe."
"Over time, a branch of Germanic mythology evolved into what we now know as Norse mythology."
"The inscriptions on that axe are precisely the word 'axe,' written in the very Runes that evolved into Norse mythology..."
With piercing eyes, Batman listed nearly every figure from Norse mythology on a sheet of paper.
The name of Amora the Enchantress was not among them, but Batman didn't care. What he cared about was that, alongside Egyptian mythology, yet another mythological system seemed to be surfacing in this world.
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