Chapter 373: Respecting the Hulk's Opinion
Batman rarely showed emotion. Most of the time his face was unreadable -- including the chin that stuck out below the cowl.
But right now, every person on North Brother Island -- the Hulk included -- could tell that Adamantium had caught his attention.
"Sounds like a fine material for a new Bat-suit?" Dr. Otto ventured, testing the waters.
Batman shook his head. He would use Adamantium, yes -- but not for the suit. Not exclusively.
Judging by how Kingpin's weight had nearly doubled after his skeleton was replaced with Adamantium, the material's density was extreme. The higher the density, the heavier any given volume of it would be. An Adamantium suit would provide meaningful stability against opponents whose strength was measured in tens of tons -- but Batman had already thought past that.
What happened if, mid-fight in an Adamantium suit, he lost Peter Parker's abilities again? Every ounce of his strength would go toward simply carrying the armor. He'd have nothing left for the fight itself.
From his perspective, Vibranium remained the ideal suit material.
Adamantium had a different purpose. He was already thinking about the Batmobile -- a vehicle that needed to withstand a Hulk-level impact and keep functioning. Something virtually indestructible was far better suited to that role than to a suit that needed to move like a person.
"Why not just send Robin to pull Kingpin's bones out?" Lizard Professor suggested. "Instant Adamantium supply."
Batman fixed him with a look.
"Don't put ideas in Robin's head."
Lizard Professor grinned.
"I'm joking."
Batman let out a quiet breath and didn't dignify it further. He was privately relieved that Venom Robin wasn't in the room. That kid would have taken the suggestion seriously.
He reached over and closed out all of Dr. Otto's Darkwind Group files, then straightened and turned to Professor Morbius.
"Professor Morbius -- I ran into a half-vampire recently. He told me he controls his bloodlust through willpower alone. I think it's worth you trying the same approach, with supervision."
"I'll try," Morbius said. "But don't expect too much."
Batman turned to the Hulk.
"Hulk. I need to speak with you privately."
The Hulk blinked at him, genuinely bewildered.
"Privately? Hulk doesn't do talking."
"That's fine," Batman said.
Lizard Professor glanced between them, already having a rough idea of what this was about.
"Want us to clear out?"
"No. We'll go outside. You stay here."
On the grass outside the North Brother Island laboratory, running along the East River, Batman and the Hulk sat side by side and looked out at the black water.
"I've spoken with Dr. Banner about this," Batman said. "But I also think your opinion deserves to be heard."
That first sentence alone made the Hulk break into a wide, stupid grin. Most people saw the Hulk as a monster. Even the scientists on North Brother Island, who treated him like a colleague, had never phrased it quite that way. No one had ever said they wanted to respect the Hulk's opinion -- not once since he'd existed.
"Hulk agrees," the Hulk said immediately, grinning, without even asking what he was agreeing to.
"Don't answer yet. Think first," Batman said.
The Hulk nodded, still grinning.
"You remember I've told you, more than once -- to me you're like a nation with a nuclear weapon. A strategic-level asset. Not deployed unless absolutely necessary. You remember that?"
"Hulk remembers." The Hulk sat up straighter on the grass, chest out, looking proud of himself.
Batman watched him puff up.
"But in the future, when I do need you -- I need you to control your strength. Protect yourself first, and then do everything you can to protect others. Not like an actual nuclear weapon that doesn't know friend from enemy."
This wasn't idle criticism. During the dinosaur invasion, a Hulk with better control would have caused a fraction of the destruction. Instead he had smashed and collided with everything around him, causing more panic than the dinosaurs themselves.
The Hulk's proud expression deflated. He knew exactly what Batman was referring to.
"When I give you direction, follow it. I give you my word -- I will never put you in a position where you're in danger because of my orders."
The Hulk sat quietly, head down, saying nothing.
"That wasn't a criticism," Batman added.
The Hulk looked up.
"I'm building an alliance. I want you in it. As my biggest card."
The Hulk turned his head and looked at Batman sideways, mimicking his low, measured tone:
"Hulk already said yes."
"Good."
Batman held out his fist. The Hulk extended one enormous green fist, and the two of them knocked knuckles.
Batman didn't stay on North Brother Island through the night. He worked through the remaining business there, then returned to the Batcave.
He had barely sat down -- hadn't even had a chance to speak to Venom Robin yet -- when Tony Stark's encrypted line came through.
"Peter, I've been reverse-engineering those glasses you gave me, mainly the Bluetooth functionality. Something like this has enormous commercial potential. Dinner? Somewhere we can talk properly?"
"I'm sorry, Tony. I still have things to handle tonight."
"The Bluetooth situation--"
"Alice, Parker Industries' CEO, will handle the business side with you directly."
"Then forget it -- I was only after a private dinner with you, not a business meeting. Parker Industries needs the channel more than Stark Industries does anyway. I'll stay out of the Bluetooth deal. Call me if you run into trouble."
"I will."
Batman ended the encrypted call and looked over at Venom Robin.
"Come with me. There's somewhere we need to go."
"Where?" Venom Robin dropped the chunk of metal he'd been using as a hand grip and walked over, hand out.
Batman placed a square of chocolate in his palm, pulled up a map, and tapped the upper-left section of Manhattan.
"Hell's Kitchen. I need to see Luke Cage and Jessica Jones." He paused. "And we need to put together a South Pole expedition team."
***
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