Chapter 63: New York's Psychiatric Hospital
"Captain Stacy, we've now confirmed the information Batman provided about Norman Osborn being the murderer of sublevel three and the Smythe family is accurate."
"Currently all Manhattan precinct holding cells are full. Should we transfer him directly to prison?"
In Manhattan precinct's captain's office, assistant Auggie proposed.
Captain George Stacy glared at his assistant.
"Are you joking? Did you forget what I said last night? Contact a psychiatrist to analyze his mental state!"
Auggie took a deep breath. He'd worked all night with almost no sleep, still had to work this Saturday, plus there were the criminal evidence records from last night's string of arrests to organize. His temper was quite explosive right now, but he still controlled his attitude.
"But Captain, we really have no spare holding cells. Dr. Octavius will be sent to the hospital soon to remove his tentacles—that'll free one cell. But Norman himself still occupies one."
"If prison won't work, I suggest sending him to a psychiatric hospital. A perfectly fine scientist billionaire suddenly became a mass murderer—I strongly suspect he has mental problems."
Confronted by assistant Auggie's slightly sharp tone, George Stacy instead slapped the desk.
"Good idea! I remember there's a psychiatric hospital in New York's northern suburbs managed by NYPD. Find their phone number somehow and send all those suspects with mental abnormalities there!"
"The northern suburbs psychiatric hospital... you mean Ravencroft Institute? That's indeed quite suitable for those mentally abnormal criminals." Assistant Auggie nodded. "Then we'll have the criminals squeeze together first. I'll arrange for psychiatrists to evaluate them one by one."
"I suspect half of those arrested last night need to go there. Until now, some still insist they encountered ghosts calling themselves Batman."
Under normal circumstances, an ordinary precinct might not hold even one criminal with mental problems in a year. So much so that Captain George Stacy and assistant Auggie hadn't thought in that direction initially.
Ravencroft Institute—nominally a psychiatric hospital, but actually more like a prison.
There were guards, psychiatrists, high walls, and armed sentries on patrol. It was a very suitable place to hold someone like Norman Osborn—who suddenly became a murderer, showed no discernible motive or psychology after being imprisoned, yet expressed immense regret.
Even Dr. Octavius, if not for SHIELD's issued documents rapidly completing legal procedures, could have been sent there too.
"By the way Captain, what about Kingpin? Theoretically he could also be held in Ravencroft Institute." Assistant Auggie was about to leave the captain's office when his steps suddenly halted and he turned to ask.
"Theoretically no, his mental state is very stable," Captain George said.
"What about practically?"
"Practically also no. I'm not making any bullshit subtext."
Captain George Stacy cursed, then slapped his forehead remembering something, calling back the departing Auggie again.
"Oh right, notify Norman and Kingpin's family or lawyers. The legal procedures that need progressing must progress. I don't want to be sued in turns by gang lords and business elites."
Assistant Auggie seemed to have expected this.
"I know, Captain. This matter's already being arranged. Kingpin has his own lawyer. Norman Osborn... you might not know, but yesterday Oscorp held another board meeting, successfully voting to kick Norman off the board."
"Those businessmen's brains are full of profits. After information about Norman being imprisoned spread, the board directly manufactured public opinion announcing Norman mentally disturbed and stripped all his powers—of course, including refusing to provide him a legal team."
"So I could only contact his only immediate family member, Harry Osborn."
Captain George nodded. Only after Auggie left did he mutter to himself:
"Squid-Man, Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin Norman, Kingpin, Hammerhead... just these few days, Batman's sent me so many talented individuals?"
"New York really needs to build a prison specifically for holding this type of exceptionally skilled super criminals."
...
"Peter, the precinct already contacted me. They're arranging psychiatrists to evaluate my father. They'll very likely transfer him to Ravencroft Institute."
Inside Osborn Manor's reception hall, Harry Osborn spoke to Batman with a gloomy face.
After Green Goblin Norman Osborn returned that night the precinct was bombed and was repelled by Batman, Batman had never come to remove the surveillance network installed at Osborn Manor.
Partly to monitor whether Green Goblin Norman would secretly return home, partly also to monitor Harry Osborn.
Currently Norman had been sent to the precinct. Batman's visit wasn't just as a friend seeing Harry—he also needed to remove the surveillance network.
But seeing Harry's current appearance, Batman decided to keep the surveillance network for a while longer.
Harry's physique had thinned considerably from days ago. His unexercised body plus sleepless nights made his face extremely pale. His hair was messier than a bird's nest. His clothes were still the same ones from their last meeting.
"Peter, can you understand how upset I was when I learned Oscorp had consecutive human experimentation and murder cases exposed, even the Smythe family brutally killed—this whole string of events?"
"One morning I woke up and saw Father lying in the hallway. I thought these matters troubled him. I tried comforting him."
"But now the truth's out—he was the mastermind behind everything."
Harry Osborn's fingers turned white from excessive force. His entire body trembled slightly.
"But he's also my only family."
"Peter, I really don't know what to do."
"Why does the person bearing all this have to be me? It's not fair!"
"The person bearing everything isn't just you," Batman silently responded in his mind.
That Christmas when he was eight, Bruce Wayne had also asked himself why he specifically had to bear the pain of losing both parents.
"Harry, listen. Do you remember Dr. Octavius? The one you introduced me to, the famous Doctor Octopus from recent news."
Batman sat beside Harry Osborn, maintaining some distance rather than directly embracing him to ease his pain. That wasn't what he was good at.
"Dr. Octavius underwent psychiatric evaluation and legal procedures. He was determined to be controlled by tentacles, having lost subjective behavioral capacity. Your father Mr. Norman's situation is similar."
"What we need to do now isn't collapse. We need to figure out what changes happened to Mr. Norman."
Batman's words seemed to give Harry some hope. He stared with bloodshot eyes—swollen from insomnia and secret crying—staggering over to Batman and gripping his shoulder.
"Peter, you must have a way, right? You're always so smart. Quick, tell me what to do?"
"Wait for his psychiatric evaluation report, Harry." Batman used a relatively calm tone to guide Harry, while simultaneously holding his breath—releasing some sedative gas from a specially made batarang like last time he visited Harry.
Simultaneously, inside Manhattan precinct's holding cell.
This holding cell had an electrified iron cage. Norman Osborn sat in the middle with a face full of regret, cooperating with the evaluating doctor asking questions through the bars.
Not until the evaluation doctor left and the precinct notified Norman of his impending transfer to Ravencroft Institute did the regret on Norman's face vanish, his mouth beginning to slowly curl upward.
"Powerful strength, collapsed will—who am I?"
"Oh, I'm the respected Lord Green Goblin!"
A voice not belonging to him rang again in Norman Osborn's ears.
He didn't act rashly, only silently flexing his body's muscles. Those bones, muscle tissues, and internal organs shattered when Batman swung him around and smashed him to the ground were also rapidly recovering.