Chapter 64: Gamma Radiation
Brooklyn's industrial district, inside Parker Industries.
"Mr. Parker, after we sent out samples of your new material invention, the clients were extremely interested. We've received a total of fourteen orders."
After leaving the Osborn estate, Batman returned to Parker Industries. He now sat in his CEO office, listening to his assistant Alice's report.
"How long until the equipment I ordered arrives?" Batman asked.
"Two days at most, Mr. Parker," Alice said.
"Name this material 'shape-memory fabric.' The commercial name will be the more accessible 'memory fiber,'" Batman said. "The factory equipment can begin production immediately. This afternoon I'll submit the patent for memory fiber through the school."
"School?" Assistant Alice seemed momentarily stunned.
She'd only worked with Batman for two or three days. Her impression of him remained limited to a few labels: young, efficiency-driven, business elite.
Alice had assumed Batman was at least in his thirties, a polished professional shaped by years in the business world. Yet now she heard the word "school" come from his mouth.
Alice couldn't help asking, "Mr. Parker, you're... still in school?"
Batman maintained his Peter persona. Rather than keeping a perpetually stern expression, he responded with slight humor: "Yes. You must find it strange that a student could invent new materials, even have the capital to purchase this factory."
Alice nodded, looking curiously at this young man who appeared even younger than herself. Batman continued, "But if you knew I was a science student who frequently exchanged ideas with physicist Dr. Otto Octavius and billionaire Tony Stark, you'd understand this small achievement barely registers."
The new material invention derived from a simplified version of his Bat-cape's technology, but Batman used two globally recognized names as cover.
Sure enough, Alice's mouth fell open. Her mind conjured images of young Peter conversing casually with the world's top nuclear physicist and the world's richest man, new materials emerging from their discussions.
Most people worship strength—not necessarily physical power, but intelligence, wealth, and authority.
Alice was no exception. She looked at Batman with admiration. "That's truly remarkable, Mr. Parker."
Batman didn't pursue this topic further. He deliberately left gaps in his story, allowing Alice's imagination to fill them in, and shifted to a question of greater concern: "When will that batch of materials and equipment I ordered arrive?"
This time he wasn't asking about memory fiber, but the materials and equipment for creating his actual Bat-cape.
Batman's current cape was made from inferior materials. Norman Osborn had already torn it with a blade.
He had no intention of repairing it. Instead, he waited for the proper materials to create a true Bat-cape—one with bulletproof properties, heat signature masking, radar deflection, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, insulation, breathability, and capabilities far exceeding the so-called memory fiber.
He'd ordered these materials and equipment openly, listing the purchase reason as technical research and development.
Behind the scenes, Batman had purchased far more—high-performance textile fibers from around the world, specialty metals and alloys, electronic components, and various chemical materials.
These orders for creating his actual Batsuit were buried among hundreds of ordinary industrial orders. No one could determine Batman's true purpose from the massive amount of scattered orders and materials.
Even if a business competitor specifically intercepted and analyzed the orders, they'd only conclude that "Parker Industries is attempting to develop newer materials but lacks clear direction, buying a little of everything like a headless fly."
"Since the sellers are from around the world, delivery times will vary. Everything should arrive within a week," assistant Alice said.
"When they arrive, pile everything outside that warehouse I designated. I'll handle it myself," Batman continued his verbal misdirection. "Like Dr. Octavius, I prefer to conduct research alone."
Alice nodded in naive understanding. She'd heard vaguely that Dr. Octavius always conducted experimental research alone, never allowing others to interfere.
Apparently this young Mr. Parker was the same.
Batman didn't linger long at Parker Industries. This time he didn't ride his unmodified motorcycle. Instead, he took a taxi to the famous Wall Street in lower Manhattan.
Batman didn't deal directly with Wall Street's financial elites. Instead, he purchased a new vehicle for daily transportation nearby, parked it in a nearby garage, and sat in the back seat operating the miniature computer he'd deliberately brought.
He would communicate through heavily encrypted channels with a Wall Street financial intermediary to establish several trusts and register dozens of shell companies in the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and Bermuda.
Through layers of shell companies and trusts, Batman's ultimate goal was to purchase, in batches, the large and small parcels of land surrounding the abandoned City Hall subway station.
With Parker Industries and Dr. Octavius's nuclear fusion energy as two pathways for rapidly building a business empire, Batman was preparing in advance to construct his Batcave.
He wasn't just buying the City Hall subway station property. Batman also purchased land in Westchester County, a middle-to-upper-class community whose residents consisted mainly of retired professors, doctors, lawyers, and other middle-class professionals.
Purchasing City Hall property was for building the Batcave. Purchasing the Westchester County community was to relocate Aunt May.
He would thoroughly protect this elderly woman who, even after discovering that the soul inside Peter's body wasn't her nephew, still called him "good boy."
By the time Batman completed payment to the Wall Street financial intermediary through financial transactions that jumped through sixteen different transfers, darkness had fallen again.
Batman returned to the driver's seat. When passing City Hall station, he left the car on the roadside, then switched to the Batmobile parked in the abandoned subway station. Wearing his Batsuit, he headed straight for Oscorp.
Unlike Dr. Octavius being controlled by his tentacles, Batman had determined before sending Norman Osborn to the police that his madness had no connection to his armor.
The problem either stemmed from psychological issues after receiving the super-soldier serum enhancement—possibly even a new personality—or from the serum itself.
Night fell. Business genius Bruce Wayne disappeared, replaced by detective Batman.
This time Batman didn't rapidly sweep through Oscorp's sixty floors from top to bottom. Instead, he went directly to the twenty-fifth floor.
Before Oscorp's underground disaster erupted, Batman had twice seen a group of researchers on the twenty-fifth floor during late nights, either discussing something intensely or conducting computer simulations.
The floor was now empty. Batman temporarily didn't use his portable computer. Instead, he used the existing computers to search for serum-related information.
"All content related to the serum has been deleted."
Minutes later, Batman frowned slightly at the laboratory computer now stripped of all useful information.
This didn't stump him. Batman didn't even need to use his suit's portable computer. He directly wrote a data recovery program using the laboratory computer.
"Experiment log:"
"General Ross contacted Oscorp... America needs a new generation of 'strategic assets.' Captain America's legacy cannot remain merely a legend."
"We obtained partial fragmented data from Dr. Erskine's original formula, but we know nothing about the critical 'Vita-Rays.' We need a type of radiation to replace it."
"This is the key for Oscorp to reach the pinnacle of the defense industry. We must succeed."
"Experiment failed."
"Experiment failed." Multiple entries.
Information flashing on the computer screen didn't remain for more than a second. Peter's enhanced senses combined with Batman's analytical mind allowed him to rapidly review hundreds of pages of experimental data.
"Obtained new information: The Hulk, once captured by General Ross, mutated from gamma radiation. We can attempt to use gamma radiation to replace the 'Vita-Rays' used sixty years ago."
"Experiment failed." Multiple entries.
The page mentioning gamma radiation lingered before Batman's eyes for several seconds. He continued reviewing the content below.
"One successful case with laboratory mice."
"Experiment failed." Multiple entries.
"Attempting human experimentation with homeless subjects."
"Experiment failed. Test subjects experienced bodily mutations accompanied by personality fragmentation." Fifty entries.
The records stopped abruptly there. Norman Osborn's own human experimentation wasn't recorded at all.
"Personality fragmentation, gamma radiation, replicating Captain America's super-soldier serum..."
Batman committed these words to memory. An image naturally surfaced before his eyes—someone he'd seen on the wall of Otto's laboratory on his first day after crossing over, whose true identity he later learned:
Nuclear physicist Dr. Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk.
SHIELD's files contained information on the Hulk, explicitly mentioning he was an existence born from gamma radiation exposure.