Chapter 150: New Mexico
With Nick Fury's experience spanning from World War I until now, his feelings about Batman's suspicions could only be described in one phrase: utterly absurd.
He hadn't even considered suspecting Batman of being Hydra, yet Batman had turned around and suspected him—the SHIELD director—of being Hydra instead.
Nick Fury laughed bitterly in anger. He wanted nothing more than to draw his pistol and shoot directly at Batman's exposed jaw.
Compared to Nick Fury's bitter amusement, Batman displayed absolutely no emotional fluctuation from beginning to end.
"Prove it."
Through cold laughter, Nick Fury's single eye locked onto Batman. After several seconds of silence, he knew he had to break this deadlock.
He faced someone more extreme and stubborn, more paranoid than himself. He knew continuing this standoff would only make him—the SHIELD director—look ridiculous.
Facing Batman's demand, Nick Fury exhaled a harsh stream of cigar smoke, making no effort to conceal his current furious emotions.
"Proof? You think this is a courtroom? You don't trust me—why would I trust you?"
"I won't show you a single document or tell you a single name. Because in my eyes, you and Hydra are identical—threats that need locking up."
White smoke dispersed through the air. As it approached Batman, wisps of smoke about to dissipate drilled into vents in the Arkham armor.
Nick Fury said nothing, counting silently in his mind.
Three, two, one.
Nothing happened. Director Fury sighed inwardly, extinguishing his cigar.
"However, I can give you an opportunity. A chance for us to test each other mutually."
Batman remained standing motionless. The moment Nick Fury produced that cigar, Batman had already grown vigilant—especially after watching Fury seemingly casually clip off an excess portion beyond the cigar's seal. That vigilance intensified.
Fortunately, this wasn't some explosive. As Nick Fury lit it, when Batman watched white smoke drift toward him, he'd already understood—this was likely some tranquilizing or knockout gas.
But such substances proved useless against Batman wearing the Arkham armor. The suit's internal air filtration system could completely block them.
Nick Fury clearly recognized this tactic's failure. He immediately continued his unfinished "mutual testing" proposition.
"You claim I'm Hydra. I cannot self-verify using various classified SHIELD materials."
"But I can give you a genuine Hydra name. He's a parasite who's infiltrated SHIELD for years. If you can dig out evidence proving he's Hydra, and deliver that proof to me without alerting him—"
"Then you'll not only prove your capabilities but also preliminarily prove your position."
"And I can use him to prove I'm not Hydra."
"His name is Garrett."
Using Hydra to prove he wasn't Hydra—even Batman silently praised this maneuver. But upon hearing that name, Batman's eyebrows beneath the mask moved slightly. He immediately retrieved Garrett's files.
"Garrett. SHIELD senior Level Eight agent. Responsible for weapons handling procedures during internal agent training..."
A long string of information Batman had previously investigated appeared before Nick Fury's eyes.
"Knowing he's Hydra, why haven't you eliminated him?" Batman's voice rumbled low.
Nick Fury felt his head beginning to ache. Batman's situation remained unresolved, the whereabouts of Doctors Otto, Connors, and Banner still unknown. Now this issue of Batman rapidly accessing SHIELD internal information emerged.
"Before answering your question, first tell me how you did that?"
"Weapons he handled appeared on the black market," Batman replied tersely. "Your turn."
"A chess piece." Nick Fury also kept it brief.
The safe house fell silent once more. But this time the silence didn't last long. Again Nick Fury broke the quiet first.
"I can share information I've obtained about Norman Osborn with you. But I need to know what exactly you've done with Doctors Otto, Connors, and Banner."
"You first this time." Batman watched Nick Fury's single eye.
"They're safe. In a place where no one will weaponize them or conduct human experiments on them."
"I knew you'd say that." Nick Fury responded without courtesy. "So you took three, lost one. And the lost one happens to be the most unstable technologically and most likely to be weaponized?"
He once again placed blame for Norman Osborn's disappearance on Batman's shoulders.
"If you and your SHIELD weren't so incompetent, Hydra wouldn't have taken Norman Osborn." Batman similarly offered Nick Fury absolutely no consideration.
Watching the atmosphere grow tense again, Nick Fury sighed.
"I'm not your enemy, Batman. At least not right now."
Finishing, he walked toward the safe house's control console. After a flurry of rapid keystrokes, he pulled up coordinates.
"General Ross. That man who relentlessly pursued Banner. He never truly abandoned his obsession with super soldiers. He considers the Hulk his failure, and Norman Osborn the correct answer he's found."
"This is a desert location in New Mexico. It was once a gamma bomb research base under General Ross's command. Sealed five years ago after the Hulk's birth."
"But according to my intelligence, unusual activity has resumed there recently. Hydra is assembling personnel at that location."
This represented a lead even Batman hadn't possessed. Previously, while organizing his intelligence, Batman had added New Mexico to his network of clues. But unable to leave New York, Batman had never investigated personally.
"Is your intelligence reliable?" Batman asked.
"Hydra has planted countless spies and sleeper agents inside SHIELD," Nick Fury laughed coldly. "Similarly, I have my people inside Hydra. Whether the intelligence proves reliable requires your own verification."
"I'll verify it."
After speaking, Batman's form began retreating into shadow, dissolving into darkness like ink in water. But his voice continued resonating.
"Until I confirm otherwise, control your people. Any attempt to track me or locate those three scientists will be considered a hostile signal."
In the blink of an eye, Batman had vanished from the safe house, leaving only Nick Fury standing alone with an expression of stormy uncertainty, clenching his bald head.
That statement he'd made to Tony Stark about "Batman's threat level being elevated to maximum" hadn't been a joke. And now, Nick Fury regarded Batman as the greatest uncontrolled threat he'd ever encountered.