Everyone in the command center was staring at Batman. None of them had ever heard him swear outright—not even Jessica, who'd spent the most time with him.
Bruce drew a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He really had lost control a moment ago.So what if he was Batman? Even Batman sometimes felt like cursing.
"Bats, you of all people should understand," Reed said, brow furrowed. "You've seen countless Earths—countless universes. Can't you accept this one hard fact?"
It was clear now that Batman flat-out rejected Reed's plan; he had no intention of destroying another Earth to save their own.
Captain America stepped to Bruce's side and rested a hand on his shoulder."You don't want to see that happen either, do you?" he asked earnestly.
"That's an entire civilization's worth of lives," Bruce said, locking eyes with Reed.
"And we're protecting ours," Reed replied, utterly unmoved. "To save the planet under my feet, I'll do anything."
Nick Fury came to stand beside Reed; the lines were being drawn.
Stark rose, gave Cap an apologetic glance, and joined Reed as well—they favored sacrificing the other Earth to preserve their own universe.
Thor didn't even think it over; he trusted Stark. In the Ultimates, Stark was the one he followed.
Cap started to say something to Stark, but Bruce held him back.
Bruce and Reed simply stared each other down while the others slowly gravitated to one side or the other.
Both the Howling Commandos and the Ultimates were splintering, choosing their positions.
Behind Reed stood Nick Fury, Stark, Thor, the Punisher Frank Castle, and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents—his supporters. Even Hercules stepped up; he'd rather obliterate another world than watch this one die.
With Bruce were Captain America, Hawkeye, Falcon (Sam Wilson), Stature (Cassie Lang), and both Spider-Women.
The only ones who didn't choose were the Fantastic Four. Susan and Ben looked on, already seeing the brutal fight ahead, and quietly left—they would not raise a fist against comrades, even if their universe vanished.
Reed actually smiled at the sight; numbers didn't matter to him—only saving his planet.He glanced at the countdown to the next incursion.
"Thirty-six hours until the universes collide again. If you don't want me to destroy that other Earth, then find another solution," he told Bruce. He doubted Bruce could; otherwise, Batman would've handed them a finished answer long ago.
Bruce said nothing and walked out.
Cap cast a long look at Stark and Thor—once his brothers-in-arms—sighed, and followed Bruce out of the command center.
"Let's hope we're right," Nick Fury murmured, watching them leave.
"We are right," Reed answered firmly. "To protect this world, any price is worth paying."
Down the corridor, Cap caught up to Bruce more than once, each time letting his hand drop. He wanted to ask if Batman had any other way—but Reed's certainty and Bruce's silence both screamed that there was none.
"What if we can't find a plan?" Jessica finally asked Bruce.
He stopped. He didn't know how to answer. Even as Bruce Wayne—Batman—he couldn't judge whether his choice was right or wrong.
"I don't know." It was the first time he'd said those words. He didn't know what to do, or what victory would even look like afterward.
"Is there truly no other way?" Cap asked, hoping for a miracle.
"I don't know."
The weight in Bruce's voice was enough; everyone felt his helplessness.
Cap stepped in front of him and patted his shoulder."At least we can say we didn't snuff out innocent lives arbitrarily, right?"
"Cap's right. If we lose, we lose—die together," Hawkeye said with an easy grin. His life had already been epic: teaming with gods, averting alien invasions, even avenging his family.
The others, instead of growing despondent, met one another's eyes and burst into laughter.
"Batman, we believe in you," Sam Wilson told him.
"If it weren't for you, that big brute would've sunk us to the bottom of the ocean long ago," Abigail chimed in—she'd left the Howling Commandos to stand with Bruce's group.
"How much worse can it get?" Cap added wryly.
Gwen stepped up to Bruce."Let's try to save the Earth beneath our feet—and if we can, the other one too," she said with a smile, extending her hand.
Bruce didn't move, so Jessica grabbed his hand, slapped it on top of Gwen's, and then added her own.
Watching this somewhat childish gesture, Captain America didn't say anything. He simply placed his hand on top as well. Those following behind Bruce did the same with cheerful smiles, adding their hands too.
"We won't lose."
It was Casey who spoke these words at that moment.
That single sentence seemed to jolt Bruce awake—it was like a light suddenly turned on in his mind. He felt as if a completely different path had just unfolded before him.
By now, everyone had raised their hands high.
Each one of them was filled with fighting spirit. Everyone was excited for the battle that lay ahead.
Even though they knew that losing meant a dead end.
"I understand now."Bruce nodded at them. Although the others were a bit confused, seeing the fighting spirit return to Batman lifted their spirits.
But Bruce's mind was still replaying what Casey had said earlier.
If we can't win, then at least figure out how not to lose.
This was the first time the Batcave had welcomed so many guests. No one could have imagined that Batman lived here and created all his strange and complex gadgets in this very place.
"Honestly, I never thought it would be here."No one had expected the Batcave to be located right beneath the old Kane Manor.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had explored Kane Manor in the past, but even they had no records of an underground bunker beneath the estate.
"We have thirty-five hours and forty minutes left."Bruce stood before the central control console. The largest screen displayed the current countdown timer, ticking down every second, pressing a palpable urgency upon everyone.
"Come on. Let's see if we can change the fate of this planet by some other means."Bruce's fingers flew over the control panel, pulling up all the data he had—everything related to mysterious powers.
This time, Bruce made no attempt to conceal his actions. With only thirty-six hours left, he had no intention of holding back. He had to try—had to gamble for even the slimmest chance of survival.
As Bruce issued one command after another, Captain America and the others were constantly on the move, working tirelessly across the globe.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was watching all of this unfold, but instead of trying to stop Bruce and his team, they provided whatever help they could.
Even though they stood on opposing sides, they still hoped to find a way to preserve both universes.
At the same time, Bruce was also discussing with the other versions of Batman locked within the mental prison of his mind. He wanted to understand how those darker Batmen had responded when faced with such events.
But the answer was always the same: they had done everything they could, but still failed to stop their universes from collapsing.
Perhaps it was because their worlds belonged to what was called the Dark Multiverse. Or maybe their destruction was simply the price to keep the so-called normal universes running.
"My Bruce once tried to use the Speed Force to change everything, but he still failed."The Flash shared the story of what had happened with Red Death in his world.
Even though Bruce already knew most of it, perhaps hearing it again from the Flash might offer some new insight.
"The Speed Force can indeed reverse time, and it can alter a universe's timeline. But more often than not, when we do change things, we end up with an even more broken world."The Flash's tone was one of helplessness. The Speed Force had already shattered all the laws of physics and achieved the impossible—
And yet, it couldn't guide their universe toward a better future.
"Have you ever tried racing toward the end of time—or back to its beginning?"Bruce suddenly asked this question. He wanted to know the answer.
The Flash shook his head. Though he'd thought about it before, about running to the end of time—
He never truly believed he could reach either the beginning or the end.
Bruce looked at the Flash, and an extremely bold idea took shape in his mind.
The Flash noticed the glint in Bruce's eyes and was taken aback.
"You're not thinking of…"Before he could finish his sentence, Bruce had already vanished before their eyes.
Because in that moment, Bruce had thought of a way they wouldn't lose.
Even if that method came at a high cost—To Bruce, as long as it meant saving everything, no price was too great.
Even if it meant sacrificing his own life.
As long as he could protect the others, that would be enough.
Everyone else in the Batcave looked at Bruce with surprise. They had rarely—if ever—seen him like this. Clearly, Batman had come up with a plan to resolve everything.
"What did you think of?"Jessica stepped forward, trying to find out what idea had occurred to Bruce.
Bruce looked at her and said,"I just thought of a way we wouldn't lose. I just haven't figured out how to win yet."
Jessica froze for a moment upon hearing this.What did he mean, a way not to lose?Isn't not losing the same as winning?
But Bruce didn't explain his words. Instead, he turned and walked toward the materials Captain America and the others had recovered.
Now, he was going to build something the Flash had once constructed.
The Cosmic Treadmill.
(End of Chapter)
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