The moment Tony Stark brought Bucky back from Washington, he notified every member of the Avengers.
Except for Falcon, who had returned to the U.S. Air Force to undergo a symbolic court-martial, Mockingbird, whose whereabouts were unknown, and Captain America, who had yet to return, all remaining members of the Avengers were present.
Werewolf by Night, Electro, Black Panther, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Iron Man, Batman, Ant-Man, and Wasp—nine people in total.
Besides the nine of them, Bucky sat in a chair with a blank gaze, entirely silent.
"As you can see, he is Bucky, the killer who murdered my parents," Tony Stark said.
He had already taken off the Mark armor and stood there expressionless, dressed in a black suit with a tie and glasses.
"How do you plan to handle this?" Hawkeye asked.
"I'm not a psychology expert. I need someone to help me confirm whether this guy is in a state of being brainwashed or controlled," Tony said.
"A professional?" Hawkeye asked again.
Tony nodded with a strictly businesslike demeanor, making it impossible to guess what he was truly thinking inside.
Werewolf by Night slouched in a corner without saying a word. His parents had also been murdered in the past, and his response back then had been to slaughter the killer's entire family, young and old.
To Werewolf by Night, Iron Man should just kill Bucky on the spot right now; pulling a stunt like this made him have no idea what they were actually trying to accomplish.
"I happen to know an expert-level PhD in psychology. According to schedule, she should arrive here in ten minutes at most," Batman spoke up suddenly.
In truth, Batman had already confirmed that Bucky was in a dazed, instruction-less state following his brainwashing.
Bucky could normally hear and see the sounds and images of the outside world, but when those inputs—including the words spoken by everyone—reached his brain, they simply failed to form meaningful information.
Only upon receiving designated trigger commands would Bucky revert to being that cold-blooded Hydra assassin.
However, Batman did not take it upon himself to voice the truth of the matter.
He could tell that although Tony Stark looked cold and expressionless on the surface, inside, his heart was churning violently with a surging intent to kill.
Tony was straining with all his might to suppress these emotions.
Only when a truly professional psychologist appeared and told Tony Stark, "Bucky was brainwashed, and everything he did was not of his own free will," could the urge in Tony's heart to kill him to avenge his parents finally subside.
Even though they were in the same room at Avengers Manor, Tony was doing his absolute best to avoid looking at Bucky.
Since Batman said the psychology PhD he invited would arrive in ten minutes, no one spoke during those ten minutes. Everyone remained silent, waiting for the doctor's arrival.
Bucky also sat silently in his chair, looking thoroughly dazed and at a loss.
In his awareness, having his shackles removed meant he was supposed to carry out a mission and kill someone. Since no mission had been assigned to him right now, he could only sit in place and wait silently.
Tony Stark had never felt ten minutes drag on for so long, as countless thoughts spun rapidly through his mind.
Finally, at the ninth minute, the clack-clack-clack of high heels stepping on the ground echoed from the garden pathway outside Avengers Manor.
A tall woman with black hair, wearing a black women's suit and a pencil skirt, pushed open the manor door.
When she clearly saw the room filled with people—either sitting or standing—wearing strange costumes, and when every single pair of eyes swiveled to lock onto her the moment she opened the door, she couldn't help but take a few steps back in shock.
She was visibly startled.
"Are... are you the Avengers?" Looking at their appearances, she already had an answer in her heart, but she still opened her mouth to ask.
"Yes," Ant-Man said.
"I'm sorry, I think I have the wrong place... The person I'm looking for isn't an Avenger." Standing by the door without entering, she looked back at the path behind her in astonishment and offered an apologetic look to the group.
"Who are you looking for?" Wasp's crisp voice sounded as she cast a curious glance toward Batman.
Was this woman the psychology PhD Batman had mentioned? Since he was the one who reached out to her, why did she act as if she didn't know Batman at all?
"The person I'm looking for is... I'm sorry, I don't know what you call him. Maybe a monster, or maybe the Hulk or something..." the woman stammered slightly.
"Oh, you're looking for Hulk." Wasp pointed a finger toward Batman. "You should ask him."
The Incredible Hulk was a member of the Justice League, not the Avengers. At this moment, Dr. Banner was busy over on South Brother Island and had not come to Avengers Manor.
"You are... Batman?" the woman asked, looking at Batman, whose appearance was no different from the footage shot by Eddie Brock during the Battle of Manhattan.
"I am Mr. Black," Batman said, looking at the woman. "You're in the right place, Ms. Betty Ross."
This woman was none other than Betty Ross—Dr. Banner's unforgettable ex-girlfriend, the daughter of General Ross (the Red Hulk), and herself a PhD in psychology.
As early as three or four months ago, when General Ross used military force to oversee the Osborn Corporation and Batman investigated the situation where Hulk was brought in, Batman had already made contact with Betty Ross.
All along, Betty Ross had been one of the backup plans Batman kept in secret to prevent the Hulk from going on a rampage.
"Mr. Black" was the codename Batman used when communicating with Betty Ross in secret.
"You're Mr. Black?"
The moment Betty heard that familiar name, her heart skipped a beat. For months, she had been keeping in intermittent contact with this mysterious individual because he claimed to be a close friend of Dr. Banner—the man she loved.
Though half-skeptical, out of her love for Bruce Banner, Betty was still unwilling to give up this single sliver of hope.
So much so that when the other party proposed meeting in person, she hadn't hesitated to resign from her job as a university professor and take a five-to-six-hour flight to get here.
God knows, before coming here, Betty had even prepared herself for the worst-case scenario. She just wanted to see Banner one last time—even if she were to die right after seeing him, she was willing.
However, learning now that Batman was the "Mr. Black" who had been communicating with her in secret made Betty let out an unexpected sigh of relief.
She had begun to believe that Batman truly was Dr. Banner's friend, rather than someone tricking her.
She had rewatched the video shot by Eddie Brock during the Battle of Manhattan countless times and knew that Batman and Hulk were comrades-in-arms.
"Banner isn't here. I assume you must need help with something since you set our meeting location here?"
Having dispelled her misgivings, Betty Ross offered the Avengers another apologetic smile. As her gaze swept over the crowd, her keen instincts as a PhD in psychology allowed her to sense that there was a place here where her expertise was needed.
"Correct," Batman said. "There is a man here who is suspected of being brainwashed and controlled. We need you to make an assessment."
--
Support me & read more advance & fast update chapter on my pa-treon:
pat reon .c-om/windkaze
(Just remove the hyphen - and space, to access Pa-treon normally.)