American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

35. The Villain’s Relics (Part 1)

Walking along the long tunnel, Alex and Pietro headed towards the Batcave.

This path was revealed to Alex by old Bruce Wayne. There were many ways to enter the Batcave from Wayne Manor, far more than the abandoned manhole cover in the backyard remembered by Barry Allen. In fact, there was a secret passage within Wayne Castle itself.

Old Bruce Wayne didn't tell Barry Allen about this route because he wanted to see if they were truly, as they claimed, his good friends from another timeline.

From the surveillance footage, it was clear that the two Barry Allens had easily and familiarly found their way to the Batcave, demonstrating a thorough understanding of its layout. This eased old Bruce Wayne's vigilance a bit.

Although he didn't know what his counterpart from another universe was like, old Bruce Wayne believed that if the other version of himself trusted these young men with the Batcave's entrance, they must be trustworthy.

As for Alex and Pietro, this mysterious duo, old Bruce Wayne decided to trust them for now. General Zod's arrival had plunged the entire world into crisis. No matter their intentions, the world was already in grave danger. Holding the key given to him by old Bruce Wayne, Alex felt incredibly excited. Even though he hadn't met the Batman at his prime, he was still meeting a legendary superhero from another universe.

This place was far better than the universe Pietro came from. Although many superheroes were missing and the Justice League couldn't be formed, it was still better than the Avengers being wiped out and the X-Men either going mad or turning dark.

In this universe, Alex could truly witness the glory of superheroes.

"Alex, I've been meaning to ask you, who are those people? You seem to know them well. What is Batman, and are they the superheroes you mentioned?" Pietro asked curiously.

"They are indeed superheroes. As for why I know them so well, you'll understand after you've traveled through a few more universes. Batman was the title of that old white-bearded man when he was younger. He wasn't an ordinary person; he waged war against the crime of an entire city," Alex replied with a smile.

"Waging war against an entire city's crime!? That's terrifying. He just looked like an old man," Pietro found it hard to believe. From his perspective, old Bruce Wayne seemed like a regular old guy.

Pietro even thought he could beat him with one hand tied behind his back, without using his super speed.

"Don't underestimate him. He may be old now, but his combat experience is still sharp. If you give him time to prepare, he could kill you even if you weren't missing an arm," Alex laughed and shook his head. Challenging Batman wasn't just a joke.

"Seriously? Is it really as exaggerated as you say?" Pietro responded skeptically, almost sarcastically.

Alex just smiled and didn't argue further. There was no point in debating now. However, he planned to have a good talk with Pietro sometime about how many speedsters met their end in the DC universe. The two moved quickly and finally stopped at a large door deep within the passage. The door had a bat symbol on it, with a keyhole below the bat.

"This is it," Alex hurriedly inserted the key and excitedly rubbed his hands together.

With the rumbling of steel grinding, the door slowly opened, revealing the room inside. Once the door was fully open, the chandelier inside automatically lit up, displaying all the items in the room.

"Wow—" Pietro's mouth dropped open. Although he had looked down on Batman, these trophies still amazed him. "This looks just like President X's secret room. Alex, could this Batman also be a dictator like President X?"

"What do you think?"

Pietro recalled the harmless-looking, drunken old man and laughed. "Impossible. He doesn't have terrifying abilities like President X. But, Alex, is there really something here that can boost your combat abilities? These seem like items for regular people."

"Pietro, you need to have respect. Each item here, every object, its owner has left a significant mark on Gotham City's history. Don't underestimate them," Alex said seriously. He then began to compare each displayed item with his memories.

Although this world didn't have other superheroes, most of Batman's arch-enemies were still around. From the packed display room, it was evident that this world's Batman had defeated most of Gotham's villains.

Alex walked around, pausing now and then. Each displayed item continuously triggered long-forgotten memories.

"That's Black Mask's mask, rumored to be carved from his father's coffin. And that's Killer Moth's costume! Too bad he's weak, and his suit is useless. There's Professor Pyg's pig mask, another lunatic who loved experimenting and killing."

"What's this? A calendar? It must be Calendar Man. Oh my, is that Deadshot's mask? Quite stylish. And a Firefly suit and flamethrower. That must belong to Firefly. Oh, and the Mad Hatter's hat. I can't believe Batman took him down too."

Putting down the hat, Alex turned to the other side, where a golden cane with a question mark was displayed prominently.

"Alex, look, there's a whip here. Wouldn't it suit me?" Pietro called out.

Alex turned and saw Pietro playing with a black whip. From its non-reflective state under the light, it was clear the whip's material wasn't ordinary.

However, now wasn't the time to be concerned about the whip's material. Alex pointed at a surveillance camera and said to Pietro, "For your safety, I suggest you put that whip back where you found it."

"Uh, okay." Pietro smiled awkwardly and quickly put the whip back. He wasn't afraid of Bruce Wayne on the other side of the camera; he was just listening to Alex.

"Hey, Alex, have you found what you're looking for?"

"Almost," Alex replied casually. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a finely crafted umbrella. Turning to it, Alex smiled.

"Aha, I've found one of them!"

...….

20 advanced chapters on p@treaon
For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
36. The Villain's Relics (Part 2).
37. Misunderstanding.
38. Teaming Up with Batman.
39. The Terrifying Invasion.
40. Eerie Arrival!