Silence settled over the open land like a heavy blanket.
Batman's words still hung in the air.
You don't exist in this world.
Naruto shifted on his feet first. He looked from Batman to Tony, then to Gaius. Mindy and Saeko did the sa, their eyes moving without a word. None of them wanted to speak first. This was not their choice to make.
Tony noticed.
He turned his head slowly toward Gaius.
Gaius t his eyes.
For a brief mont, nothing passed between them. No words. No signal that anyone else could see.
Then Gaius turned away.
It was a simple motion. Calm. Clear.
Tony understood at once.
Your choice.
Gaius did not care if Batman knew the truth. This was not his world. It did not change his Mission. If they were exposed, so be it.
Tony let out a quiet breath through his nose.
A small smile appeared on his face, light and casual, like he was about to make a joke.
"Well," he said, lifting his hands a little, "guess there's no point dancing around it."
Batman watched him closely, eyes sharp, body still.
Tony tilted his head slightly. "We're from other universes."
The words landed softly, without force.
For half a second, Tony's smile stayed. Then it faded.
His posture straightened. His voice beca steady.
"We are defenders of humanity."
Batman did not react right away. He stared at Tony, then slowly shifted his gaze to Gaius.
"You don't seem like it," Batman said.
His voice was calm, but firm.
Images flashed through his mind. Footage he had watched again and again. Gaius moving faster than any human. Two soldiers dying in seconds. Blood on the ground. No hesitation. No rcy.
Defenders of humanity?
Behind Tony, Diana let out a soft breath that almost sounded like a laugh. Mindy smiled, pressing her lips together, and Saeko looked away with a quiet chuckle.
They understood.
They were good people, but they were not enough to be called the defenders of humanity.
But the title Tony used carried weight.
Only one of them truly fit it.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, not saying anything. He was slow sotis, but not blind. He could feel Tony is Fooling The Batguy.
Gaius did not turn back.
He only raised one eyebrow slightly.
No denial.
No agreent.
Tony glanced at his companions, with a smile, then back to Batman.
"For we have co to this universe," Tony continued, "because this world called for help."
Batman's jaw tightened.
He did not believe the first part. Other universes sounded like an excuse. A story.
But the second part…
That part made him pause.
He studied Tony's armor. Smooth. Advanced. Nothing like what the military had. Far beyond it.
A hidden Organization, he thought. One that erases its tracks with their high technology.
Then his eyes moved to Gaius again.
Ten feet tall.
Ten feet tall in golden armor, he looked like sothing out of legend, clearly advanced technology at work, yet shaped in the style of a dieval knight.
Batman did not like unknowns.
He stepped forward once, boots pressing into the dirt.
"What did the world call for help for?" he asked.
Tony answered without thinking.
"Sothing called Doomsday."
The word felt heavy the mont it was spoken.
"We have to kill it."
There was no drama in Tony's voice. No fear. Just fact.
Tony didn't hide his thoughts, after all, they needed it destroyed, not kept as sothing precious. And this Bat-guy might just help them track it down.
Batman's eyes narrowed.
"Doomsday…" he repeated.
His thoughts went straight to one person.
Superman.
The Capitol bombing.
The anger.
The silence that followed.
Superman had vanished, and no one knew where he was or what he was doing.
Batman's fingers curled slightly at his side.
If this thing exists, he thought, then the world really is in danger.
He turned away from the group, already striding toward the Batwing.
"I'll be watching you," he said.
His voice was low, steady, final.
Batman had work to do.
He was already deep into studying the kryptonite he had stolen from LexCorp, testing it, learning its limits. He was preparing for the day Superman might turn, if that day ever ca. After the Capitol bombing, Superman had vanished without a trace. No sightings. No signals. No answers.
Bruce didn't know where he was or what he was doing.
That uncertainty was enough.
Batman reached the edge of the Batwing ramp.
"Hey," Tony called out.
Batman stopped.
He turned his head just enough to see Tony pointing toward the Mother Box resting nearby.
"You're clearly high-tech," Tony said. "Why don't you help study this?"
Batman turned fully now, eyes locking onto the object.
The Mother Box.
His concern flared imdiately.
These unknown individuals had taken the Mother Box, he had seen it earlier. He wanted to confront them at once, knowing how dangerous the artifact was, but he wasn't prepared. Without sufficient information or planning, he couldn't risk facing them.
"Why would I do that?" Batman asked, his voice calm, betraying nothing of the tension he felt inside.
Tony shrugged. "I'll trade."
Batman did not move.
"Information," Tony added. "About where so of us ca from."
That made Batman pause.
It was a risk. A big one.
Letting strangers near his base.
But knowledge had its value and its worth the risk, he only have Alfred left anyway.
He nodded once.
"Follow ."
Batman stepped into the Batwing.
Tony moved after him without hesitation.
Batman stopped again.
He turned and looked back.
"What about them?"
Tony turned to the others.
"Naruto, Mindy, Saeko," he said, "co with first."
They nodded.
Tony then turned to Gaius.
"What about you, Gaius?"
As Gaius ca to his world then completing his mission, the Emperor residing within him issued a new task. He couldn't help but wonder, would this be just like the last ti?
Even though the mission is still unfinished.
Gaius stood still.
Inside, he considered everything calmly. The Emperor had not co with him this ti, so there was no task beyond Doomsday and the Mother Box. But Doomsday had yet to appear, they didn't even know who or what he was. As for the Mother Box, that objective was essentially complete, with Diana set to acquire the second one. At this mont, nothing else demanded his attention.
Tony waited, already understanding the silence.
"Why don't you co with us," Tony said. "Relax a bit. At this guy's place."
He pointed at Batman.
Batman said nothing.
It was better this way. Better to watch them closely.
Gaius considered it for a mont.
Then he nodded once.
General Swanwick, who had stayed quiet through all of this, let out a slow breath.
Relief.
They would not scatter.
They would not roam around.
They would be in one place.
Diana stepped forward.
"Then I will return ho," she said calmly. "I will acquire the Second Mother Box."
Swanwick turned to her. "I can take you back to tropolis. This place is remote."
Diana nodded.
They boarded the helicopter together.
The rotors spun up, wind kicking dust into the air.
Within monts, it lifted off and flew away.
The remaining group watched it go.
Batman looked at the Batwing, then at the people gathered.
It was clear.
It could not carry all of them.
He raised his hand and tapped his comm.
he said. "Send a private plane to my current location."
A pause.
"Understood, sir," a old voice replied.
Batman turned back.
"Wait here," he said. "A vehicle will take you to my place."
The Batwing lifted into the sky and vanished.
The field grew quiet again.
Naruto looked around. "So… we are just gonna wait here?"
Tony smiled. "Yes, we'll wait."
He felt that Batman was much like himself, just far darker.
Gaius said nothing.
~~~
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