Chapter 70: Underground Affair – Is this a double entendre? Family bonds hidden in the sewers…
“Of course, it’s because I can’t leave people standing there. I think you should remember what happened after I was gassed,” Thomas seemed to know what he was thinking. “The anesthetic was only partially effective, the handcuffs and locks were easy to pick, and the hospitals, police station, and Wayne Corporation were all busy…”
I can't exactly send someone to Owl Court to be locked up, can I?
Indeed, considering Isaiah Thomas's sudden and extremely aggressive nature, this decision is quite reasonable.
Batman took the tube of gas and performed a simple scan.
He then skillfully found a ready-made neutralizing agent that matched this version of the fear gas.
“We usually keep a sample tube to treat the wounded as quickly as possible,” Batman said. “If there are a large number of victims of the fear gas in your Gotham, they should be treated as soon as possible to prevent irreversible brain damage.”
Irreversible brain damage.
If he were to become an idiot...
"Thanks."
"Don't... traverse the multiverse so casually anymore."
But Thomas Jr. took the medicine and syringe directly, and before he could finish speaking, he disappeared again.
It is foreseeable that they will have many entanglements with this guy who completely disregards the dangers of the multiverse in the future.
“That Batman was indeed around twenty-five years old, and judging from the exposed parts, he did look exactly like me,” Batman judged. “Unfortunately, he didn’t inject the neutralizing agent here, so I can’t tell if it was Bruce Wayne or just a fake face.”
"So you don't think he's a night owl."
“From an age perspective, that’s certainly true, but we should also consider the differences in the flow of time across the multiverse, so age may not necessarily be reliable evidence,” Batman added. “However, regardless of whether he is Bruce Wayne or not, I can at least temporarily rule out the possibility that this Batman is also Nite Owl.”
"Why?"
“Night Owl wouldn’t wear such a suit. He’s a cautious madman, extremely wary of everything around him, and wouldn’t expose himself to danger. Even if Night Owl were to impersonate Batman, he would modify his armor as much as possible,” Batman explained. “He would at least wear an automatic gas mask inside his helmet when facing Scarecrow.”
He had just observed that there was definitely no such device inside the Batman mask.
Therefore, the real Night Owl is probably someone else.
“I have an idea!” the troublemaker suddenly spoke up. “Could it be possible that Night Owl used the quantum starter you left him to get to that multiverse, and then, as Bruce Wayne, get Thomas Wayne Jr. to help him? I don’t think that Thomas Wayne Jr. cares much about the differences between individuals in the multiverse.”
Indeed, Thomas's understanding of the multiverse seems rich yet distorted. He knows that there may be time differences between each universe, but he doesn't know that he should be wary of the other universes in the multiverse.
“We can’t rule out that possibility,” Batman said. “If the Justice League doesn’t get any more information about Night Owl in the short term, we can also shift some of our attention to Thomas Wayne Jr.”
-
Batman opened his eyes and found himself lying in a damp place.
He squinted, observing his surroundings discreetly.
Arches, brickwork, ladders, the sound of flowing water—this is…
sewer?
"Good evening."
A familiar voice came from above Batman's head, which made him stand up quickly and warily, placing his hand on the All-Purpose Belt.
Fortunately, the belt was not removed.
Night Owl was sitting on a large, fairly clean piece of cardboard, still wearing his gas mask.
How did I get here?
“Because there’s nowhere else to go with you,” Night Owl said. “I can’t take you to my base, and you probably wouldn’t want me to send you back to your territory.”
Since Gotham is already being divided up by Thomas's own scheme, taking Batman to locations related to Night Owl might expose something, while taking him to locations related to Wayne would definitely arouse unnecessary suspicion or speculation.
Therefore, the sewers are the best choice, since any kind of mental illness or freak can find their place in Gotham's sewers.
"Antidote..."
"Robin received it; I guess it's already been delivered to Wayne Enterprises."
Batman breathed a slight sigh of relief, then looked at Night Owl: "Why did you help me?"
“Actually, I didn’t originally plan to save you. It might be better not to give you the antidote.” Night Owl met his gaze (but the round goggles made it impossible for the two to make eye contact, since Batman couldn’t see Night Owl’s eyes, only two round lenses), “But considering that this little bit of fear gas is unlikely to turn you into an idiot, I abandoned the plan and wanted to do someone a favor in return.”
...So honest.
"Thank you." Batman pretended not to hear the second part, politely thanking him while trying to extract information about Night Owl. "How's Scarecrow?"
“You’re welcome.” Night Owl took out his grappling hook. “He’s still alive, but I suspect his brain has undergone some changes. If you’re fast enough, you should be able to get him out before Scarecrow is completely killed by the fear gas.”
Batman quickly maneuvered the Batmobile towards the location.
"goodbye."
The grappling hook left the well opening, and the tightening rope carried the owl out of the sewer.
Batman rushed over and raised his grappling hook, trying to find a suitable spot.
He squinted.
No, there are no suitable hook points outside the well.
Batman noted this small suspicious detail and climbed out using a ladder.
-
"So you also fell into that same dumpster that young master Thomas 'accidentally fell into' a couple of days ago, young master Bruce?"
“No, Night Owl took me to the sewers.” Batman took off his suit and picked up a syringe to try to draw blood from himself.
“Alright.” Alfred professionally picked up the equipment scattered on the ground; it needed to be cleaned up properly. “I’m curious, why would an owl burrow underground instead of staying in a tree?”
Batman analyzed his blood sample and extracted a small amount of neutralizing agent: "Has Wayne Enterprises researched invisibility coatings?"
“I think you can ask young Thomas,” Alfred said. “He should be upstairs. Should I wake him before sunrise?”
“No need. I won’t ask Alfred. I’ll ask him tomorrow how he escaped from Lars Augu,” Batman said absentmindedly. “But I won’t ask Thomas that question. I’ll ask Lucius when he has time.”
"That'll be a long wait. What are you doubting?"
"No, no, I'm just curious about something."
-
"Last night, Jonathan Klein, the suspect in the gas attack, was brought to the GCPD by unknown individuals. According to informed sources, Jonathan Klein appears to have also inhaled a large amount of gas, resulting in severe brain damage. Like other victims, he is trapped in terrifying hallucinations..."
"So he calls himself 'Scarecrow'?" Dick asked, leaning over to look at the newspaper in Bruce's hand as he ate his breakfast. "And he says he's afraid of cats... or some kind of bird? That sounds really weird. I don't think he'll be able to do his job well."
After saying that, he secretly glanced at Thomas.
Thomas didn't react much to the word "owl"; he was staring blankly at the milk in his glass.
If only I had asked Batman for some more dessert, or at least a couple of candies, things wouldn't be like this now.
“Halloween is in a couple of days,” Bruce interjected. “What are you guys planning to dress up as?”
Halloween... Halloween!
Thomas sat up a little straighter.
“I don’t know, maybe… Batman?” Dick answered him, racking his brains, trying to hide what he really wanted to be.
“I haven’t decided yet,” Jason said thoughtfully. “Maybe I’ll dress up as Thomas. I think he can scare a lot of people.”
Thomas waved his hand in dissatisfaction.
I'm right here. Has anyone noticed me?
“That makes sense,” Dick agreed. “I can teach you a little trick to impersonate Thomas.”
Thomas then looked at Bruce.
"I might dress up as Batman too."
"How about trying something new, like dressing up as an owl or something?"
The two spoke at the same time, and their sentences collided, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward.
?
“Okay, I’m all geared up. If you’re not going to dress up, I will,” Thomas said. “I think Night Owl is scarier than Thomas Wayne, so I should be able to get a lot of candy.”
“…I can put your healthy eating plan on hold for a week,” Alfred said. “As long as you don’t dress up as an owl and steal candy from our poor neighbors on Halloween, I think most of them are pretty decent people.”
“You mean what you say, Alfred.” Thomas agreed without hesitation, making one wonder if that was his real purpose.
“Thomas,” Bruce began hesitantly, “I have something I want to ask you.”
-----------------------
Author's note: In short, I'm too sleepy today and don't have enough words. I'll make up for it tomorrow.
Goodnight _(:з」∠)_
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