Dr. Banner and a pack of the largest, most ferocious carnivorous dinosaurs crashed through the floor to the level below in the Baxter Building.
However, this level—where the All-Wave Projector was located—was home to more than just those giants. Scores of smaller dinosaurs, such as Velociraptors and Deinonychus, prowled the area.
Of course, "small" was a relative term, only applicable when compared to the behemoths that exceeded ten meters in length. These smaller predators were mostly under five meters long, but they far outnumbered the apex hunters. When they swarmed out from a corner, charging toward Tony Stark in a coordinated pack, Tony didn't hesitate. He raised both hands, firing his palm repulsors in alternating blasts.
Under normal circumstances, Tony Stark would have been more than capable of protecting the All-Wave Projector with ease.
That was until a Torvosaurus appeared. It seemed to have lost its way, wandering in circles before stumbling back toward the All-Wave Projector. At that moment, Tony knew the "unpredictable" had arrived.
Tony didn't waver. The instant the beast—which exceeded fifteen meters in length—reared its head, he barked an order to his AI:
"Jarvis! Deploy anti-armor missiles!"
"Apologies, sir, but the anti-armor missiles have been depleted," Jarvis replied.
"Then divert all output power to the energy cannon!" Tony shouted. He had no intention of letting that monstrosity get within twenty meters of the All-Wave Projector.
...In reality, given the size of the Torvosaurus, a distance of twenty meters was merely a single step. Tony was acutely aware of this.
As he shouted the command, Jarvis's voice followed immediately:
"Ninety percent of reactor output has been rerouted to the chest-mounted Unibeam."
"Weapon ready."
Whirrrr!
The brief whine of a weapon charging echoed through the hall. Then, the Unibeam emitter on Tony Stark's chest erupted with a dazzling yellow light. A thick pillar of energy materialized out of thin air.
The beam didn't just strike the Torvosaurus center-mass, punching a massive, charred hole through its body; the residual energy was so intense it tore right through the laboratory wall behind the beast.
The beam extended straight out, piercing the Manhattan night sky like a radiant sword.
—And it pierced through an NYPD armed helicopter hovering outside the Baxter Building.
The helicopter's tail rotor was clipped. The aircraft immediately lost stability, swaying violently as it careened toward the Baxter Building. It slammed into the outer wall, trailing a shower of sparks as it plummeted toward the streets below.
Tony Stark's heart skipped a beat.
He struggled for a split second, torn between flying out to save the helicopter he had accidentally shot down or staying to guard the All-Wave Projector. No matter who he chose to save, the result would be abandoning someone else who desperately needed protection.
Just like the dilemma he had faced back at the Oscorb Building, Tony Stark had once again inadvertently driven himself into a corner.
"No..." Tony muttered, his mind racing with regret.
At that critical moment, through the hole his near-maximum-power Unibeam had blasted into the building, Tony saw a flash of golden electricity.
The weight on Tony's heart instantly vanished.
Electro, Max Dillon, had arrived.
A few minutes earlier, on his way to the Baxter Building, Tony had casually told Jarvis to "Contact Electro." At the time, Tony was worried that the physical strain of flying at full speed would leave him too exhausted to protect the projector alone. He hadn't expected that this bit of foresight would prevent a catastrophic mistake.
"Iron Man!"
Tony had barely caught his breath when the loudspeakers on the remaining police helicopters outside began to blare:
"You are suspected of a terrorist attack against Reed Richards, a permanent member of the U.S. National Security Protection Sequence!"
"Power down your armor, raise your hands, and step into the searchlights! Otherwise, we are authorized to use lethal force!"
Tony Stark smirked.
It seemed the NYPD was well aware of his earlier use of anti-armor missiles to blast into the Baxter Building. Beyond the visible helicopters, there was no telling how many more armed units were being deployed.
Tony didn't bother responding to them. He lowered his voice and commanded, "Jarvis, leak the news about the dinosaur infestation here to social media under the Stark Industries name. Use the headline: 'Tony's Bodyguard, Iron Man, is Currently Protecting Reed Richards.'"
"Understood, sir," Jarvis replied.
Max Dillon saved the falling helicopter and then traveled back into the building via the electrical conduits. Reforming into human shape, he looked at Tony Stark and said, "You entrepreneurs are always so good at manipulating public opinion."
"Because we know exactly what these 'thinking-with-their-asses' politicians are most afraid of," Tony joked.
The arrival of Max Dillon allowed Tony to relax significantly. He was just about to take the opportunity to scan the All-Wave Projector—to see what level of technology was required to project a vortex to other worlds—when Reed Richards began to stir.
On the other side of the building, a hundred meters away from the projector, Reed Richards woke up. His first words to Susan Storm were:
"Susan, I think I'm one step closer to my dream."
"Take me to the All-Wave Projector."
Batman had only stepped into the yellow-green vortex with the Lizard once he was certain Tony Stark had entered the Baxter Building.
One second he was in the high-tech halls of the Baxter Building; the next, Batman had transitioned from the age of technology into a primordial world filled with ferns, cycads, and conifers.
The moment Batman's feet hit the ground, he and the Lizard were immediately ambushed.
A similar yellow-green vortex stood here. Surrounding the portal were over forty primitive warriors mounted on dinosaurs of various sizes. They began raining arrows, stones, and bolas down upon Batman.
Snap!
Batman didn't waste a single word on the primitives. He spun violently, his broad cape billowing out to deflect the incoming projectiles.
As he turned, countless Batarangs were unleashed with a technique so fast and precise that the primitives couldn't even track the movement. In a series of sharp thwips, the Batarangs embedded themselves into the shoulders or palms of the attackers.
"% ¥...!"
The primitives shouted in a language Batman couldn't understand. Seeing that their ranged weapons were useless, they slapped their dinosaur mounts and charged en masse.
Batman and the Lizard exchanged a look, and Batman gave a curt nod. One had come to save the young girl, Lunella; the other was searching for the source of the infrasound. Neither had time to play around with these primitives.
It didn't matter if the dinosaurs they rode were ten or even twenty meters tall.
Batman leaped onto the Lizard's back. Dr. Connors dropped to all fours; though his physical size was much smaller than the largest dinosaurs, he exploded with unparalleled power.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The earth trembled, rocks shattered, and dust billowed into the air.
Following his evolution, the Lizard displayed his raw strength and speed without hesitation. Like a super-heavy truck condensed into a fraction of the size, he roared forward, charging head-on into the dinosaur legion.
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