The Hulk was already tearing through dinosaurs inside the Baxter Building when Batman suddenly appeared before Susan, Reed, and Johnny.
When Reed was personally operating the systems, Batman had been unable to hack into the Baxter Building's defenses due to a lack of hardware processing power. However, with Reed now unconscious, it was no longer a challenge for Batman to breach the security lockdown and force his way inside.
Back on South Brother Island, the Lizard had mentioned that reptilian monsters had appeared within the Baxter Building—creatures so loud they had jolted him from his slumber. The building was under a total security lockdown with no external signals being transmitted, yet the Lizard had suddenly awakened, coinciding with the roars Batman had caught wind of earlier.
Everything pointed to total chaos inside the Baxter Building.
Regardless of the circumstances, Batman's primary objective was always to save lives. Once he confirmed there was a problem, he immediately teamed up with the Hulk and the Lizard to rush to the scene.
"Batman! It's Batman!" Johnny shouted excitedly the moment he saw him, recognizing the man who had been the talk of New York recently.
Perched on the Lizard's back, Batman cast a cold glance at Susan and the others. He raised his hand, and several strands of pitch-black webbing shot out.
"Awesome—"
Johnny's excited shout died in his throat. He realized the webbing wasn't aimed at the pterodactyls, but at them.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
The black webbing stuck to Ben Grimm, Susan Storm, Reed, and Johnny simultaneously. With a sharp tug of his arm, Batman pulled them off balance, dragging the four of them toward him.
Before showing himself, Batman had been observing from the shadows. His plan was to wait for the Hulk to distract the dinosaurs while he and the Lizard subdued the primitives near the vortex and studied the All-Wave Projector.
But seeing the four of them standing there like deer in headlights forced Batman to change tactics. Since they still hadn't figured out they needed to run, he simply webbed them up and swung them dozens of meters away.
Whoosh!
As he threw them, Batman simultaneously fired several clusters of webbing at the far wall. Upon impact, the webs expanded into layered, thick safety nets that perfectly caught Reed and the others.
"Batman! You have to shut down the All-Wave Projector to stop the dinosaurs!" Johnny yelled.
"No! Lunella is still inside!" Susan screamed immediately.
In the few seconds they spent shouting, Batman had already leapt from the Lizard's back, violently snapping the wings of four or five pterodactyls.
"Lunella?" Batman looked at Susan, a hint of confusion in his voice.
Sensing his doubt, Susan quickly added, "A little girl! She was snatched by the primitives coming out of the projector and taken through the vortex!"
"Save her, Batman!"
In truth, Batman didn't need Susan to ask. The moment he heard a child had been taken, he spread his cape like a massive dark cloud and glided toward the shattered floorboards where the Hulk was rampaging.
The Lizard kicked off the ground, crawling across the ceiling like a shadow. In the blink of an eye, both had vanished from Susan's sight, racing toward the All-Wave Projector.
Bang!
Spending two seconds to knock out the five or six black-furred primitives guarding the machine and binding them in webbing, Batman and the Lizard now stood before the swirling yellow-green vortex.
Dinosaurs were still lunging out, but with Batman and the Lizard there, any creature that poked its head out was met with a devastating blow. Each skull was shattered instantly, either by Batman's fifty-ton strength or the Lizard's powerful, lashing tail.
"The sound that woke me... it's coming from inside," the Lizard said, his voice raspy and strained.
Having been jolted from his sleep, the Lizard was clearly in a foul mood. His brief skirmish with the Hulk had vented some of his frustration, but his temper was once again simmering toward rage.
Batman couldn't hear the sound the Lizard was talking about, but his Arkham Suit was equipped to analyze ultrasonic and infrasonic waves. Activating both sensors, he immediately detected constant infrasonic waves emanating from the vortex.
"Professor, care to join me for a little excursion?" Batman asked, looking at the Lizard.
"That was the idea," the Lizard replied coldly, struggling to suppress the predatory instincts surging within him.
Given Batman's cautious nature, he would never normally charge into a vortex without analyzing it first. But the news of Lunella's kidnapping changed everything.
To Batman, just like Clark Kent, saving a life was the highest priority. Superman would cross galaxies and time, disregarding his own safety, to save a single child. Batman was no different. Even if the vortex led to a bottomless abyss or the gates of Hell, he would plunge in without hesitation to save a life.
"Dr. Octavius." Before entering the vortex, Batman patched through to South Brother Island. "The Lizard and I may be gone for a while. Protect yourself, Professor Morbius... and Robin."
There was no delay. It was as if Otto had been waiting for word. "I will, Batman. Do you require further assistance?"
"No."
"Can you tell me where you are going? What you intend to do?" Otto asked.
"To an unknown world. To save someone."
"I will wait for your return," Otto answered without a second thought.
Batman continued his instructions. "The Hulk is dealing with the dinosaurs at the Baxter Building. If necessary, go to the Manhattan City Hall subway station. There is a 'Project Alpha' file on the workbench; use all my resources to stop him."
"There are four Gamma monsters on the second basement level. If anything goes beyond your control, contact Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. The frequency is—"
When Superman left Earth for the heavens, he did so knowing Batman, the Justice League, and his allies were there. In this world, before venturing into a prehistoric unknown, Batman had to ensure everything was accounted for to prevent a catastrophe in his absence.
There was one last thing. Someone had to guard the All-Wave Projector to ensure they had a way back.
Without overthinking, Batman opened an encrypted channel to Tony Stark.
"Tony, I need you at the Baxter Building immediately to protect an All-Wave Projector. My safety depends on it."
Tony Stark, who seemed to be in the middle of a "discussion" with a model, sounded annoyed. "Please, can this wait? Or send Max Dillon?"
"I only trust you, Tony."
"Why? I don't even trust you," Tony muttered, frowning.
"You will trust me, and you'll be here in two minutes," Batman said. "Because..."
"Because you're Batman, right? Give it a rest," Tony interrupted.
"No. Because I'm Peter Parker."
Smash!
Tony's phone, loaded with encrypted communication software, was hurled aside and shattered. Half-naked, he ignored the model posing on his bed and sprinted out of the bedroom like a madman.
"Jarvis! F*ck! Deploy the Mark IV, now!"
"Peter, you idiot! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Link to the Stark satellites! Activate Rescue One!"
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