Chapter 252: The Ebony Blade
Venom Robin assumed Batman would protect him again this time. But Batman didn't. Instead, one hand reached backward, lifting Venom Robin out.
What even Banner and Octavius could conceive, Batman had naturally already considered:
"Robin, bringing you here today was precisely for this matter."
Dr. Banner's eyes brightened. Dr. Octavius's mechanical tentacles danced impatiently through air—turning to construct platforms. Professor Morbius rapidly went over helping.
Venom Robin watched with trepidation, pointing at Octavius while asking Batman:
"What's he doing?"
Dr. Octavius had already donned protective goggles. Hearing this, he turned toward Venom Robin, grinning:
"Constructing experimental platform."
Venom Robin's neck shrank. He'd originally assumed Octavius—merely possessing several mechanical tentacles—was North Brother Island's four scientists' easiest target. Never expected he'd now become most frightening.
"Tonight's weather is excellent. Morbius, help me assembling these prisms into focusing mirrors, adding one adjustable dial."
Dr. Octavius addressed Professor Morbius:
"We're attempting determining what differences exist between natural moonlight and Khonshu's moonlight affecting Robin. Also whether different moonlight intensities influence him..."
"Plus artificially simulated moonlight." Dr. Banner interjected during breaks.
Dr. Octavius nodded:
"Perfect—my fusion reactor can simulate sunlight. Through conversion, completely capable of simulating moonlight."
The three scientists immediately commenced work. Unfinished dinners were disregarded. They rapidly divided labor, bustling cooperatively.
"Don't worry." Batman noticed Venom Robin appearing slightly nervous, pressing his hand on Robin's shoulder reassuringly.
"What would I worry about?" Venom Robin pursed his lips, speaking against his heart.
Platform construction processes weren't complex. With four mechanical tentacles, Dr. Octavius alone equaled three-four people.
Previously when Batman required proton accelerators, Octavius had constructed them solo. Currently constructing one moonlight platform represented complete child's play for him.
Soon after Morbius finished assembling focusing mirrors, Octavius drove him aside. Even Dr. Banner couldn't assist whatsoever. Both stood aside watching Octavius's four tentacles flying simultaneously—resembling one tireless machine.
Venom Robin hugged his knees, hiding aside. After considerable silence, he spoke nothing.
Dr. Banner glanced at Batman, quietly gesturing toward Robin with eye contact while lowering his voice:
"Robin appears quite frightened."
"This represents necessary steps." Batman's voice remained low.
"Should I chat with him?" Dr. Banner asked.
Batman observed Banner, contemplating several seconds before slowly nodding.
Banner no longer hesitated. Walking to the dining table, he picked up his unfinished dinner, approaching Venom Robin's side and sitting buttocks-first on ground. While eating, he chatted sporadically with Robin.
Venom Robin: "Tasty?"
Dr. Banner: "Flavor's acceptable. You're certain not tasting?"
"I only like chocolate."
Batman and Morbius—relying on respective superhuman hearing—listened briefly, discovering they spoke completely unnutritious content. Both made eye contact, silently shaking heads.
"Professor Morbius, I've encountered a situation."
Batman ceased managing Robin, addressing Professor Morbius.
"Regarding what?" Professor Morbius opened his fang-filled mouth, speaking.
Batman extracted one paper from his utility belt. Drawn upon it was that Metropolitan Museum stone tablet fragment:
"This object. Can you identify its origins?"
Professor Morbius accepted the paper, frowning with gray-black face while scrutinizing carefully for considerable time:
"Yesterday I mentioned after becoming vampire, I specifically researched various nations' mythological legends... I'm guessing this stone tablet involves those mythologies?"
Batman nodded slightly.
"Let me think... Where did you obtain this stone tablet's information?" Professor Morbius asked. "Any critical leads?"
"Currently I understand this stone tablet is suspected 12th century product. Possibly knight tomb inscription rubbing. Currently online, the sole associated lead is one deceased-last-century British archaeologist." Batman said. "Possibly the Whitman family crest."
"12th century. British knight?" Like Batman, Professor Morbius immediately associated King Arthur. "What's that British archaeologist's name?"
Batman frowned, observing Professor Morbius:
"Ellis Whitman."
Professor Morbius continuously rotated the paper, observing that stone tablet fragment's shape from different angles:
"Matching your speculation—this thing genuinely originates from the Whitman family. I've seen the Whitman family crest in one ancient book. This thing appears being partial crest."
Batman remained impassive. These represented leads he'd already deduced. He hoped obtaining different answers from Professor Morbius.
Professor Morbius didn't disappoint Batman. He returned the paper to Batman, looking down at his claw-transformed hands:
"Merely the crest doesn't sufficiently constitute leads. But in that book, I also saw some other legends."
"Such as?" Batman pressed.
"Legendarily, the Whitman family crest's pattern origins trace to legendary wizard Merlin's forge when creating the Ebony Blade—residual traces remaining." Professor Morbius said.
This unmistakably represented information Batman and Robin—despite searching entire internet—hadn't located. Also again confirming Batman's previous words: not all problems could obtain answers through hacking methods.
"Ebony Blade?" Batman noticed this previously-unheard term.
Professor Morbius felt quite pleased his vampire-transformation period's hastily-read book contents could prove useful:
"Compared to brilliant, dazzling King Arthur's Sword in the Stone, the Ebony Blade remains completely unmentioned in most legends. It was Arthur's knight Sir Percy's weapon."
"After Sir Percy's death, this Ebony Blade was inherited, becoming the Whitman family's generationally-inherited weapon."
"The book only contained this content. That book was in one Queens sewer. When I became vampire, I stole it from New York Public Library without anyone discovering."
Batman turned toward not-far-away Dr. Banner awkwardly chatting with Venom Robin, rapidly connecting comprehensive collected leads series together mentally.
Judging solely from current leads, the Whitman family plus Ebony Blade bore zero connections to distant-Japan Yami Kaze Group, plus location-unknown Kingpin.
Solving this puzzle required someone infiltrating Yami Kaze Group conducting deeper investigations.
Previously Venom Robin wanted visiting Japan's Yokohama. But Batman had said another candidate existed for Japan.
Among everyone Batman had currently contacted, only Black Cat was most suitable.
---
Oscorp Tower. Abandoned shipyard. FEAST shelter. Catholic church. Roosevelt Island. Queens empty buildings. Rikers Island prison...
Hawkeye had spent one day shuttling through New York. While collecting Batman-related leads, he'd personally visited locations where people had witnessed Batman, investigating thoroughly.
Currently he sat cross-legged on one dilapidated apartment's bed, writing consecutive collected leads on paper, using pen connecting them together.
"Batman is obviously my mission objective." Hawkeye murmured.