"Your questions have been answered, Batman."
Ever since Tony Stark learned that the face beneath the mask was Peter Parker, calling him "Batman" felt increasingly awkward.
"Now it's your turn to answer me. Why did you choose to wear that mask in the first place?"
"Because bats can instill fear," Batman replied.
"If you strapped yourself with explosives and screamed 'Allahu Akbar' every time you saw a criminal... the effect would probably be a lot more potent than what you're doing now," Tony quipped.
Batman remained completely indifferent to Tony's sarcasm.
Tony Stark stared at Batman's squared-off chin. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reconcile this stubborn, difficult man—as unyielding as a stone in a cesspit—with the young Peter Parker.
He couldn't help but ask: "Are you really Peter?"
"I am," Batman answered.
"The Vibranium isotope from before—that was your doing too?"
"Yes."
"The man under the mask has been you from the very beginning?"
"Yes."
"Even back when Obadiah was at the weapons factory, the guy on the tarmac with me... that was you?"
Batman looked at Tony Stark. "What exactly are you trying to ask?"
"I don't want to ask anything. I think there might be something wrong with you up here." Tony pointed to his own head. "You have to be a lunatic; otherwise, you wouldn't have repeatedly performed both identities right in front of me."
Tony shuddered at the memory of how confidently he had warned Batman: "Every injury Peter suffers, every drop of blood he sheds, I will hold you personally accountable."
His body gave a violent squirm, trying to shake off the wave of sheer embarrassment that washed over him from scalp to sole.
"It's a form of protection, Tony," Batman explained.
"Protection for yourself? To keep those vengeful criminals from finding out your real identity?" Tony asked.
"No. To protect everyone except me," Batman said.
Hearing this, Tony Stark stood up from the sofa, walked over to Batman, and tapped the back of his hand against the Arkham suit.
"This armor doesn't provide you with much protection, does it?"
Batman remained silent. Tony continued: "Since you've come clean with me, and seeing as this suit of yours can't fly and barely offers any protection..."
"Listen to me, Peter. Let me build you a new suit. Hmm... how about the Rescue Mark II?"
"At least it won't leave that damn chin of yours exposed."
Batman shook his head. "No."
Batman's primary reason for coming to Stark Tower was to determine if Tony Stark needed help. Seeing that Tony was physically weak but mentally sound, Batman didn't intend to linger. After his refusal, Batman turned and headed straight for the helipad.
Tony Stark rubbed his temples in frustration and called out from behind him: "Are you really going to do what you did the last few times? Turn around and leave without saying a word?"
Batman stopped and turned his head slightly to look at Tony.
Tony walked toward the bar, pouring himself a drink as he spoke. "Look, this dinosaur invasion was a complete accident. I shouldn't have trusted Reed; I shouldn't have let him tinker with the Omnidirectional Wave Projector."
"But as far as I'm concerned, it was a good thing. It helped me discover a lot of things I didn't know—like your identity, and... the Hulk."
Batman turned fully around, his white-lensed eyes fixed on Tony.
"We're supposed to be friends, right? You saved me twice, I helped you once. I don't think there should be too many secrets between us," Tony said.
Batman watched as Tony gulped down a large glass of beer. He frowned. "You should quit drinking, Tony."
"Alcohol is as important to me as that mask is to you." Tony shut down the lecture with a single sentence. "Back to the topic at hand."
"If it wasn't for this dinosaur invasion, I wouldn't have even known the Hulk was hiding in New York this whole time. Furthermore, according to the report from Electro—Max Dillon—this guy..."
As he spoke, Tony swept a finger through the air, and a holographic projection shimmered into existence between them. The image didn't show the Hulk, but rather Dr. Curt Connors, the Lizard, locked in combat with a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex.
"This fellow looks a lot like a dinosaur, but I've deconstructed his physical structure. I believe he's more of a crossbreed between a lizard and a human."
Tony walked through the projection, glass in hand, to stand side-by-side with Batman. "And this was the only instance during the Manhattan invasion where two monsters were actively trying to kill each other."
"He's one of your companions too, isn't he?"
Batman didn't confirm or deny it, letting Tony draw his own conclusions. Seeing the lack of a rebuttal, Tony tilted his head slightly, knowing his assessment was correct.
"Two others didn't appear in tonight's battle, but I find it hard not to suspect they're in your hands as well. I'm talking about Morbius and Harry Osborn, who went through their changes at the same time as Max Dillon."
"Then, after you went to the Savage Land, I was contacted by Otto, a nuclear physicist the world thought was long missing. That's another one."
Knowing Batman was Peter Parker had allowed Tony Stark to connect many dots. However, he wasn't saying this to interrogate Batman, but to make a point.
"You see? This city has already gathered you—a bat with an exposed chin—and me, the guy in the tin suit."
"Then there's the Hulk, this Lizard, Electro, and then Otto, Morbius, and Harry Osborn, whom I'm not even sure about yet... and maybe others."
"Oh, right—and the guy riding the Pegasus today. He's one of yours too, right?"
"This time it was a dinosaur invasion. What about next time? What if the Hulk loses control? What if the Lizard hides in the sewers?"
"If they kill someone, how do you intend to handle it?"
Seeing Batman remain silent, Tony Stark sighed. "Peter, I'm not blaming you. I just don't think you need to try and control so many freaks on your own, carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders."
"What do you plan to do?" Batman asked, wanting to hear Tony's thoughts.
"A two-pronged plan," Tony said. "Establish a union-like organization to manage these 'enhanced individuals,' and then build a super-prison to house the ones that standard jails can't hold."
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