Stark's plan was undeniably sound—the Metropolis* had indeed agreed to a truce with America.
Just as anticipated, Stark himself became the price of this war, ultimately claimed by the Creator of Metropolis.
Perhaps, from the moment Stark first met Reed, he had already foreseen this outcome.
That guy had never respected Stark.
All he ever wanted was to prove that he was the smartest person in the world.
Especially now, with Stark's brother dead, the only person left to stand in his way was Stark himself.
Moreover, they were obstacles to his vision of a perfect society—barriers that had to be removed.
The truce between America and Metropolis was announced nationwide in record time.
However, this announcement did not bring any immediate change to the current state of America.
The states conquered by the Sentinels* were still beyond America's reach.
And in the regions controlled by various resistance forces, America had no way of sending in troops.
At this point, they controlled only half of the country.
To make matters worse, a madman had stormed into the President's residence, demanding military intervention to suppress the chaos.
Naturally, the President heeded the advice and deployed troops to the states still under their control.
"The National Guard, which had been silent for so long, is finally making a move," Jessica remarked with a hint of relief as she observed the mobilization.
Their own resources were extremely limited.
Even securing New York City had required an overwhelming show of force.
As for the other cities, their conditions remained a mystery.
Perhaps only when the chaos finally settled would they get a clearer picture.
"Jessica, come give me a hand." Bruce's voice called from a distance.
"On my way," she responded, already guessing what Bruce needed help with.
It was probably just another heavy lifting task.
He treated her like the perfect crane operator.
"So, what's on the agenda today?" Jessica asked, glancing at the nearly completed Batwing in front of her.
The initial excitement she had felt when she first saw the aircraft had long since faded.
Back then, she had been thrilled at the idea of helping build a high-tech fighter jet.
The sheer thought of contributing to such a feat had been exhilarating.
Her mind had been filled with that sense of enthusiasm.
But after spending so much time working on it, the repetitive labor had begun to wear her down.
It was simply too tedious.
Still, seeing it gradually take shape did provide a sense of accomplishment.
"Just keep this steady," Bruce instructed, pointing to the two Gatling guns he had assembled on the ground.
Looking at the openings in the Batwing's wings, Jessica immediately understood what needed to be done.
Despite their massive weight, she handled them with ease, as if they were nothing more than simple toys.
"We're almost done." Bruce remained focused as he connected the weapons to the jet.
Jessica didn't mind—she wasn't feeling particularly exhausted anyway.
"By the way, I've got some good news for you." She recalled something she had seen earlier and was eager to share it with Bruce.
She had hoped he would ask about it himself, but he remained completely engrossed in his work.
"Can't you at least react a little?"
Bruce's complete lack of interest frustrated her. No normal person would be this indifferent.
"The U.S. government has finally sent its troops to quell the unrest. That's all," Bruce replied without even looking up, his hands unwavering as he worked on the connections.
"You already knew?" Jessica was surprised—she was sure Bruce hadn't checked the control panel today.
In the Batcave, the only sources of outside information were the control panel and a small radio at Aunt May's place.
The control panel had practically become Jessica's personal domain.
Hearing Bruce's response left her stunned.
"How did you know?" she asked, still holding the weapons firmly, ensuring there wasn't even the slightest movement.
Only after securing all the connections did Bruce finally slide out from under the wing using a maintenance board.
"Two days ago, you helped me leave the presidential residence." Bruce nodded at Jessica, signaling that she could let go now.
However, at that moment, Jessica seemed to have momentarily forgotten to release her grip.
She didn't know what expression to wear in response to such an earth-shattering revelation.
"So, the place I crashed through that day… was the President's…" Jessica trailed off because she had already found the answer in Bruce's eyes.
She had, in fact, assisted Bruce in breaking through the gates of the presidential residence.
Thinking about how Bruce always seemed to know the movements of the U.S. military, it wasn't hard to imagine what kind of things he had done.
"Please don't tell me… you went to have a chat with the President." Jessica swallowed hard. As someone who had recently been handling logistics for Batman, she was well aware of the interrogation methods he used.
They were brutal—methods so extreme that even former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had never gone that far.
And now, Bruce was saying that he had talked with the President.
Back when Bruce had told her to take direct control of the Batmobile, all she had seen was a ruin. There was nothing left to indicate what kind of place it had once been.
Bruce nodded.
To him, there was nothing unusual about meeting with the President—especially one who had, essentially, stumbled into office by sheer luck.
Under normal circumstances, the former Secretary of Energy would never have risen to that position in his lifetime.
Naturally, this made him highly protective of his newfound status. But it also meant that there were certain things he would simply let go of, choosing instead to focus on what he deemed more important.
As a result, this President had not prioritized domestic affairs.
He might have understood the principle of stabilizing internal matters before dealing with external threats, but by now, he no longer had any means to resolve the crisis.
The best Bruce could do was to ensure that the U.S. remained somewhat stable—for now.
"I want to know… what kind of condition the President is in now." Jessica, recalling the people Bruce had interrogated before, grew concerned about the President's state.
"Nothing too serious. He can still eat and drink. You should leave now." Bruce, noticing that Jessica hadn't moved, finally spoke up.
Only then did Jessica realize she was still gripping the Vulcan cannons mounted on the Batwing's wings. She quickly stepped back.
It was only at this moment that Bruce pressed the controller in his hand.
The twin Vulcan cannons immediately began to spin, but after a brief moment, Bruce disengaged his control, and they stabilized once again.
Then, armored mechanisms extended from the sides of the wings, retracting the cannons into hidden compartments.
Now, the Batwing looked far less intimidating—almost like a uniquely designed private jet.
Jessica still wanted to ask Bruce more about the President, but at that moment, an alarm blared throughout the Batcave.
Someone was here.
Jessica had no time for questions. She swiftly darted toward the control console.
But when she saw the figure that had arrived, she was utterly baffled.
Because standing there… was Miles.
Bruce, upon seeing Miles' tense expression, immediately had a bad feeling.
Notes:
The Metropolis: A superhuman nation built by Reed Richards, governed by advanced AI. The Dome was born from Reed's idea to save Earth while escaping the Negative Zone. He assembled a group he called the Children of Tomorrow and searched for an ideal location to construct the dome, ultimately settling in northern Germany due to its geography, scale, and natural resources. The Dome was later perfected by Dream Furman, the first person born within its accelerated-time structure.
Sentinel Rampage: Sentinels have gone rogue, slaughtering both mutants and humans. The U.S. government is powerless to stop them. Currently, they have taken control of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Kansas, and are advancing toward Colorado. See Ultimate X-Men for details.
(End of Chapter)
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