Harvey wasn't being sarcastic when he commented on the sheer volume of equipment they'd confiscated from the two criminals. The amount of gear, gadgets, and mysterious devices was genuinely overwhelming—so much so that it was becoming genuinely frustrating to catalog everything.
Despite the impressive quantity of confiscated items, however, Harvey hadn't found anything particularly valuable among them. This was somewhat disappointing, as he'd been hoping to discover something that might provide insight into the criminals' methods or future plans.
What puzzled him most was why these two men had been carrying so much seemingly random equipment. Most of it appeared to be crude criminal tools or improvised weapons rather than anything sophisticated or expensive.
The only item of any real interest that Harvey had found on the Mad Hatter was a functional pocket watch that was still keeping accurate time.
"Couple of broke losers," Harvey muttered under his breath as he finished the search. "No wonder they turned to crime."
With the evidence secured and the prisoners unconscious, Harvey climbed into the police car and headed back to the station, looking forward to getting these dangerous individuals properly locked up.
Meanwhile, Bruce and Selena had chosen not to continue patrolling for additional criminal activity. Instead, they returned directly to Wayne Manor via their usual route, both deep in thought about the evening's events.
"Tonight was a good learning experience about our current limitations," Bruce said as soon as they arrived back at the manor. "We're reasonably effective in direct combat situations, but we still don't have adequate protection against chemical attacks like poison gas."
The encounter with the Scarecrow had revealed a significant vulnerability in their preparation. While the fear gas had primarily worked by triggering psychological terror rather than causing physical harm, it had still demonstrated how unprepared they were for airborne threats.
Their combat suits provided excellent protection against conventional weapons and enhanced their physical capabilities, but they offered no defense against pervasive chemical agents that could be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Bruce was already formulating plans to address this weakness. Even if they couldn't achieve complete immunity to such attacks, they needed to minimize the potential damage from future encounters with chemical weapons.
"Alfred," Bruce called out as they entered the manor, "do you know if we have access to any portable gas masks? Something that could be integrated with this mask I wear?"
Alfred immediately understood the context behind Bruce's request. The young man was clearly thinking about how to defend against the type of chemical weapon they'd encountered tonight.
"Portable gas masks?" Alfred mused, considering the question carefully. "The Wayne Group hasn't developed anything specifically along those lines, but we do maintain stocks of industrial-grade respiratory protection equipment that's quite effective."
As a diversified corporation involved in manufacturing, construction, and chemical processing, Wayne Enterprises certainly maintained safety equipment for their various operations. However, the kind of compact, easily concealed protection Bruce was requesting represented a more specialized challenge.
"The issue isn't technical feasibility," Alfred continued. "It's more a matter of market demand. There hasn't been sufficient commercial interest in portable gas masks to justify developing them as a product line."
Bruce nodded, understanding the business logic behind Alfred's explanation. Wayne Enterprises was, ultimately, a profit-driven organization. Investing significant resources in developing specialized equipment for a threat that might never materialize again wouldn't be a sound financial decision.
There was also the practical consideration of maintaining his secret identity. If Bruce Wayne were to suddenly commission custom protective equipment from his own company, and then a vigilante appeared wearing similar gear, the connection would be fairly obvious to anyone paying attention.
"I understand the complications, Alfred. We can't risk exposing my identity just to get better equipment."
"Actually, Master Bruce," Alfred said with a slight smile, "ordinary gas masks can be adapted for your purposes with some modifications. It's simply a matter of making them more portable and easier to conceal."
Alfred's experience with mechanical engineering and his familiarity with Wayne Enterprises' resources made him confident about solving this problem. If he could modify an entire vehicle into a mobile command center, adapting some respiratory protection equipment should be well within his capabilities.
"That would be incredibly helpful," Bruce replied with obvious relief. "This kind of protection could be vital for future operations."
"Don't worry, Master Bruce. It's just a gas mask modification. You'll have what you need before your next patrol."
With Alfred's assurance that the problem would be solved, Bruce headed toward the library. The evening's encounter had given him several ideas about improving their tactical approach, and he wanted to explore whether those concepts could be implemented practically.
Several hundred miles away on the Kent farm, the morning sun was just beginning to rise over the Kansas horizon. Marcus was engaged in his usual training routine in the field behind the barn, and beside him, Clark was practicing the Crushing Punch technique with careful attention to form and precision.
Despite having recently gained access to his Kryptonian abilities, Clark's powers were still in their early stages of development. While he was certainly stronger and faster than any normal child his age, he was nowhere near the incredible levels of strength and speed he would eventually possess.
"Clark," Marcus called out, pausing in his own exercises, "try using your new abilities against me."
Clark stopped mid-punch and looked at his godfather with surprise. "Which ability should I use?"
Although Clark's powers had only recently begun manifesting, he'd already discovered several different capabilities. In addition to the X-ray vision and heat vision that had first appeared at school, he'd noticed significant increases in his physical strength, speed, and durability.
His strength in particular was developing rapidly. While he wasn't yet at superhuman levels, he was already stronger than most adults, and his power seemed to be increasing daily.
"Just use your strength for now," Marcus instructed. "I want to see how much your physical capabilities have improved over the past few days."
Clark nodded seriously and positioned himself in front of Marcus, taking the proper stance for the Crushing Punch technique. His expression was focused and determined, like a student preparing for an important examination.
"Ha! You still make it look like a formal ceremony," Marcus chuckled, noting Clark's serious demeanor. "Remember, you're still just a kid, Clark. Don't lose that sense of fun."
As soon as Marcus finished speaking, Clark launched himself forward with his fist extended. The power behind his attack was noticeably different from anything he'd demonstrated before—this was the first time he'd used the Crushing Punch technique while drawing on his developing Kryptonian strength.
Clark was curious to see what he could accomplish now that his abilities were beginning to emerge.
Watching Clark's approach, Marcus smiled and casually raised his hand to intercept the incoming punch.
Thwap!
"Good power, and your technique is solid," Marcus commented as he easily caught Clark's fist. "No wasted motion, proper form. You've been practicing diligently."
Marcus gave Clark's punch the most minimal response necessary—simply absorbing the impact without using any special techniques or enhanced strength. Given the vast difference in their capabilities, he could handle Clark's attacks effortlessly even while holding back completely.
Seeing that his first attack had been neutralized so easily, Clark pivoted and tried a different angle of approach, launching another Crushing Punch from the side.
This time, a small breeze accompanied his strike—nothing dramatic, but definitely noticeable air movement created by the force and speed of his punch.
Marcus raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. While the wind effect was subtle, the fact that Clark had generated it at all was impressive. It demonstrated that the boy's technique was becoming refined enough to create the kind of focused power that could affect his environment.
Of course, Clark's rapid development was partly due to his Kryptonian physiology. As his body continued adapting to Earth's solar radiation and gravitational field, his strength would continue increasing at an accelerated pace.
Still, while the improvement was noteworthy, it wasn't sufficient to challenge Marcus in any meaningful way. With a casual flick of his finger, Marcus deflected Clark's punch and dispersed the accompanying breeze.
"You performed very well," Marcus said encouragingly, "but I notice you didn't try to use any of your other abilities to help you."
"But godfather, you told me to only use my strength," Clark protested, looking slightly confused and disappointed.
Seeing Clark's puzzled expression, Marcus smiled and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.
"You're right, I did ask you to focus on strength. But I never said you couldn't use your other abilities to support your attacks. Think about it—you have such a wide range of capabilities now. Why limit yourself to just one at a time?"
This comment made Clark pause and reconsider his approach. Marcus was absolutely right—many of his emerging abilities could be used in combination to enhance his effectiveness, rather than relying on brute force alone.
"For example," Marcus continued, "you could use your X-ray vision to study your opponent's body structure and identify their most vulnerable points before attacking. That's not using X-ray vision as a weapon—it's using it as reconnaissance to make your physical attacks more effective."
Clark's eyes lit up with understanding. He'd been thinking about his abilities as separate tools rather than as complementary aspects of a unified fighting system.
"I could also use my enhanced speed to position myself better for attacks," Clark added, beginning to grasp the concept of integrated ability usage.
"Exactly! And your enhanced hearing could help you detect an opponent's movements or breathing patterns, giving you advance warning of their intentions."
Marcus was pleased to see Clark beginning to understand the strategic applications of his developing powers. This kind of tactical thinking would be crucial as Clark grew stronger and faced more sophisticated opponents.
"The key is learning to use all your abilities together, rather than treating them as separate skills. A true master doesn't just have powerful techniques—they know how to combine those techniques for maximum effectiveness."
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