Chapter 37: Optimal Batcave Location
"Kill me, give me the death penalty!"
In the police station detention room, Dr. Otto's tentacles were fixed to the wall corner. His head hung down, tears streaming as regret and remorse filled his emotions.
After being knocked unconscious by Batman, Dr. Otto woke to find himself already in the detention room.
After brief confusion, before Dr. Otto could feel joy at returning to normal, memories from his period of lost control flooded his brain like a tide.
Tentacles, laboratory, sewers, police, cables, Batman...
"Dr. Otto, we'll arrange New York's best surgeon to perform tentacle removal surgery. Before that, I think you need to understand what you did."
Officer Auggie stood outside the detention room, looking at the awakened Dr. Otto:
"Unauthorized removal of experimental equipment worth hundreds of millions from the laboratory, unauthorized tapping into New York's underground cables... and using electricity to kill a total of thirty-one officers."
Over half the dead officers were colleagues from Auggie's Major Crimes unit. The other portion was Brooklyn's Special Operations team that coordinated the operation.
Auggie's emotions were relatively stable, but mentioning thirty-one officers dying in the operation to arrest Dr. Otto, his voice still couldn't help trembling.
With a buzz, Dr. Otto's mind went blank. He instinctively looked down at his hands—these hands that had personally taken thirty-one lives, stained with blood.
Auggie watched the silent Dr. Otto, only feeling this world-class nuclear physicist was now just a pitiable yet hateful ordinary person:
"You can request a lawyer to defend you. You also have the right to remain silent, but every word you say will become court evidence."
"No," Dr. Otto's lowered head slowly lifted. He looked at Officer Auggie. "I refuse any form of defense... Direct death penalty. Let me pay with my life for those who died at my hands."
"That probably can't be as you wish." Auggie shook his head, turning to leave the detention room, instead summoning two other officers. "Watch him. Don't let him commit suicide."
Dr. Otto's tears streamed down. He couldn't accept that he—who'd devoted himself to developing fusion energy to change the world, to free the world from energy troubles, to prevent workers doing dangerous work for meager pay from abusing their wives and children...
He couldn't accept that he with such a beautiful vision had personally taken thirty-one lives before realizing his dream.
"If I hadn't been so impatient with experiments, if I'd listened to Peter, if I'd properly protected the tentacle chip..." Dr. Otto's heart felt like being cut by knives.
Meanwhile, in an office several rooms from Dr. Otto's detention cell, George Stacy was receiving an official with a lengthy, awkward prefix:
"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division... Why have I never heard of it? Wait a moment. I need to make a call to verify."
"Here's a document personally issued by the Secretary of Defense." Agent Phil Coulson seemed to have anticipated this chief's reaction, passing over a document.
George Stacy suspiciously accepted the document, carefully reading it through. After confirming it wasn't forged, he looked at Phil Coulson:
"So, Agent Phil, what can I do for you?"
Phil Coulson stared into Chief Stacy's eyes:
"According to materials I hold, Dr. Otto didn't subjectively intend to kill, but lost control because the chip controlling his tentacles was destroyed."
"And the reason his chip was destroyed was precisely the electric shock anesthetic bullets the police station used on him."
George Stacy stared back at Agent Phil unflinchingly:
"You mean the organization you represent wants to release Otto without charges?"
"No. I mean compared to life imprisonment or death penalty, we'll provide him a better opportunity to use his abilities, to save far more lives than he killed." Agent Phil said.
Chief Stacy said nothing.
"SHIELD will properly settle victims' families. Dr. Otto won't appear in public view again. We'll try to accommodate everyone's feelings." Agent Phil added.
"You really should change your name." George Stacy didn't continue discussing Dr. Otto, instead changing topics.
"We'll consider it."
Agent Phil's face showed a trace of smile. He walked from the office toward Dr. Otto's detention room.
...
"The 'Tesseract' is in the hands of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division—this secretly established multi-national organization."
On Manhattan streets, Batman no longer took taxis. Instead, he walked unhurriedly, stopping occasionally.
Tony Stark didn't know much about the "Tesseract." He only knew it was discovered by the eliminated terrorist organization "Hydra" and salvaged from the Arctic by Howard Stark after WWII ended.
"I must quickly establish a commercial empire, then establish a science team to participate in this organization's research on the 'Tesseract.'"
Batman didn't plan stealing or robbing. That would do him more harm than good.
For the long-term goal of returning to Gotham, Batman had to think long-term.
And the Batcave—a private area combining surveillance network, forensic analysis station, equipment workshop, armory, Batmobile bay, Batwing platform, medical station, training area... a series of functions—became a necessity.
Batman wasn't taking a taxi now precisely to conduct ground-level inspection of one of his chosen sites—City Hall Station, located in Brooklyn's central area.
This subway station, completed and preserved since 1904, had long ceased operations.
Even compared to many current subway stations, the abandoned City Hall Station could be called luxuriously nostalgic. Brass chandeliers, cut amethyst glass skylights, and bronze plaques made it resemble a small museum.
But Batman's gaze didn't linger on various gorgeous decorations. He cared more whether this place was sufficiently secret, with sufficient modification space.
"The subway station has only one level. I need to expand downward or laterally for sufficient space for the Batmobile, Batwing, and future large servers and generators placed here."
"I need to purchase surrounding land to ensure this place is sufficiently safe and secret, and construction noise won't raise anyone's suspicions."
Batman, deeply researched in engineering and having personally designed and built over fifty Batcaves of various sizes in Gotham, spent little time determining this abandoned City Hall Station would be among the optimal Batcave choices.