Khonshu seemed to have heard the world's greatest joke.
"A beast of the outer city? Hungry, weak, malleable... but it cannot bear the moonlight."
His voice held a hint of amusement, as if Batman were telling a very funny joke.
He chuckled a few times, his massive falcon skull swaying slightly with the motion. But when He saw Batman watching him expressionless, Khonshu stopped laughing.
"Is this truly what is in your mind?"
Batman nodded slightly. He would prepare plans for Khonshu, but that didn't mean he wanted them to be on opposite sides.
After all, judging by what Khonshu had said since His appearance, He stood, at least ostensibly, on the side of justice.
Batman didn't mind the world having one more superhero.
Batman did not wish to rely too heavily on the super-strength and protean abilities provided by Venom, nor could he allow Venom to reside within his body forever.
Otherwise, Batman could foresee that once he became accustomed to the immense power Venom provided, he would sooner or later develop a dependency, leading to a chain of disastrous consequences.
If he could use this opportunity to separate Venom from his body completely and have it bond with the moonlight to become an independent entity, it would solve the lingering problem of where Venom should go.
Whether finding a corpse or cloning a mindless body for Venom to inhabit, both options would trap Batman in an ethical dilemma.
Allowing Venom to possess another living human required considering too many issues regarding human nature, given that Venom could amplify the emotions within a person's heart.
Even with Daredevil, Batman had ruled him out as a potential host for this very reason.
Not to mention that Venom had long since been taken in by Batman as the only Robin in this world, calling Batman "Dad" at every turn. This added another layer of difficulty to selecting a host.
If Venom could combine with the moonlight and become independent, even though it would become Khonshu's agent, there was no other solution more suitable than this.
"An interesting idea. Much like you." Khonshu, holding His crescent staff, slowly approached Batman. "But it is impossible."
"Nothing is impossible; it simply requires some experimentation." Batman also walked slowly toward the Moon God Khonshu. "I have met too many guys who call themselves gods, and I have broken countless 'impossibilities'."
A deity and a mortal closed in on each other until the distance between them was less than two meters.
Both stopped speaking, locking eyes with one another.
For Batman, his silence was spent calculating a more detailed plan. For Khonshu, He was deeply considering the possibility of Batman's proposal.
"Show me the possibility."
After nearly a minute of silence, the Moon God Khonshu watched as Batman slightly spread one hand, gesturing for him to verify the idea.
"I cannot verify it here," Batman said, looking into Khonshu's hollow eye sockets. "Follow me."
The Batmobile had a passenger seat, though it was somewhat small compared to the driver's seat.
This was a spot Batman had reserved for "Venom Robin" when he previously built the Arkham Batmobile.
However, after Batman verified countless times that Venom could not, under any circumstances, separate from him and act alone, the small passenger seat became a dispensable feature.
But today, a deity sat in the passenger seat of the Batmobile.
Moon God Khonshu shrank his body to a height of only one and a half meters to sit upright in the Batmobile's passenger seat. The crescent staff, similarly shortened, was cradled in His arms, held firmly in place.
The atmosphere inside the Batmobile was silent and awkward.
They were currently speeding through the sewers of New York. The pitch-black walls outside the window gave Khonshu no desire to admire the view.
"Whither goest thou?"
When the scenery outside the window changed from sewers to the underwater depths of the East River, Khonshu finally couldn't help but ask.
Batman glanced at Khonshu.
"An island."
Khonshu understood immediately. Having observed Batman for so long, He naturally knew that two islands in New York belonged to Batman.
"North Brother Island?"
Construction on North Brother Island was not yet complete, whereas South Brother Island housed four scientists and a pile of experimental equipment.
Naturally, they were going to South Brother Island, but Khonshu still did not understand how Batman intended to demonstrate the possibility of combining Venom with moonlight.
Batman said nothing more, piloting the Batmobile at high speed along the riverbed. Upon nearing South Brother Island, the car burst out of the water with a splash, landing heavily on the ground.
With a loud thud, the Batmobile landed steadily and quickly shifted from underwater mode back to conventional mode.
The jolt of the landing didn't rattle Khonshu's bones apart; He remained sitting steadily in the passenger seat. Once the car stabilized, He immediately opened the door and squeezed out.
Bright white moonlight converged upon Khonshu, restoring His figure from less than one and a half meters back to his tall, slender form of over two meters.
He looked at Batman, showing absolutely no awareness that he was on someone else's turf. He extended a hand in a gesture of invitation, as if He were the owner of this island inviting Batman.
"Please."
Batman glanced at Khonshu again, ignored Him, and walked ahead on his own.
Bam!
The laboratory door opened, and Batman walked wordlessly into the spacious, brightly lit lab.
Four scientists, including Morbius, turned their gazes simultaneously. Dr. Otto spoke first to greet him.
"Bat..."
Dr. Otto's voice stuck in his throat. He saw the tall, slender figure with a falcon skull head and a crescent staff following Batman into the lab.
"...A new member?" Dr. Banner asked tentatively.
He had taken off his glasses, intending to exchange pleasantries with Batman, but upon seeing the Moon God Khonshu, who stood over two meters tall, he put his glasses back on.
Professor Connors touched his empty right sleeve, looking at Khonshu thoughtfully.
Morbius's attention was focused more on Khonshu's white suit.
None of the four scientists had specifically studied Egyptian mythology. Even with Moon God Khonshu standing blatantly in the laboratory, they didn't recognize Him instantly like Batman had.
In fact, they had already written Khonshu off as just another unlucky soul who had undergone a mutation.
"I am Khonshu."
Moon God Khonshu spoke slowly, scanning the four scientists in the lab who were observing Him with curiosity.
The honest and simple Dr. Banner nodded and was just about to step forward to shake hands when he heard this slender, bird-headed man continue:
"Khonshu is the Moon, and the Moon is Khonshu. I am the moonrise and moonset, the law of the tides, the unextinguished tick in the dark night."
"I measure time, guard the journey, and gaze upon sin."
"At Batman's invitation, I am here tonight."
The four scientists on South Brother Island looked at each other in blank dismay.
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