Follow the trail
High above the sea, at an altitude of 9,000 meters:
"We shouldn't have run away," Hasenstein said, staring out at the endless blue sky through the airplane window. His voice was low and tense.
"We had our base, everything we've built so far... We've grown into the strongest resistance force in the world. But now, after this retreat, what do we have left?"
"At least it saved your life, Hasenstein," replied his closest friend, Taq Khan, trying to reassure him.
"A base can be rebuilt if it's destroyed. Soldiers can be retrained if they're lost. But if you're gone, the entire organization would fall apart."
Hasenstein paused, thinking over Taq's words.
"But how did they even find us?" he asked, frustration creeping into his voice. "They've tracked down every one of our secret bases, even the underground ones. They've found facilities where we cut off all outside communication."
"There must be a traitor among us," Taq said quietly. "It's the only explanation. But there's no way they'll find us now. Only you, me, and a handful of others know the route this plane is taking. The two escort fighter jets beside us are manned by our most trusted pilots. Even the rest of the organization thinks we stayed behind to fight alongside them. There's absolutely no way anyone can track us now…"
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shattered the silence. One of the fighter jets exploded into a fiery ball. Bits of twisted metal fell from the sky, leaving a trail of flames as they plummeted down.
Everyone on the plane was frozen with shock.
In the next instant, Hasenstein's eyes widened as he looked out the window. Under the vast blue sky, a figure emerged from the fireball. The flying figure kept pace with their airplane. Its golden helmet glinted in the sunlight, and it gazed back at them with a cold, menacing look.
While Charlie Cooper controlled Iron Man to take down the first jet, his AI assistant, Friday, alerted him to another matter.
"Sir?" Friday said.
"What? I'm busy, Friday," Charlie responded.
"I know, sir, but you might want to know—there's a Bat-Signal shining outside our window on Thirteenth Street," Friday explained.
"Looking for Batman?" Charlie muttered.
It had been a while since the Bat-Signal had been used. Riverton had become a near-model city, a beacon of peace, where crime had mostly faded away. Even criminals from out of town would lay low when visiting. Batman's reputation had spread so widely that the city no longer needed the signal very often.
"I've activated the security cameras and connected to the FBI's reporting system," Friday said. "The team leader at the scene is Captain frost. Should I tell him Batman isn't available?"
"No need; Batman's on his way."
While Friday updated him, Charlie operated Iron Man to target the second escort jet, quickly taking it down. He then flew Iron Man beside the main airplane, activating the laser weapon on his wrist.
The laser cut through the blue sky like a burning sword, slicing a red-hot circle along the aircraft's fuselage. The cabin split into two, and the pressure difference sucked everything out—documents, laptops, cell phones, and even passengers who screamed as they were pulled out of the plane and into the sky.
With a long reach, Iron Man grabbed Hasenstein, pulling him from the chaos of bodies and debris flying into the air.
"Facial recognition complete. Target confirmed: Hasenstein."
Hasenstein, the once-powerful leader who had inspired countless followers, felt a chill run down his spine. Looking at the red and gold armor before him, he felt smaller and weaker than he ever had.
"So… this is God's judgment," he muttered under his breath.
"No, you're wrong. This has nothing to do with God…" Iron Man replied, his voice cold as he released his grip, letting Hasenstein be sucked into the fiery cyclone and fall into the vast void below.
"…I am your judge."
Charlie set Iron Man to autopilot, logging off and switching back to Batman mode as he returned to Riverton City.
In a short time, he arrived at the scene of the crime as Batman. A few FBI agents looked at him strangely but didn't comment. Captain Frost stepped forward, giving Batman a quick update.
"We all know that wasn't you, Batman," he said, a hint of sympathy in his voice. "You've brought a lot of change to Riverton, and we trust you. But our only witness is very shaken, so it might be best if you keep out of sight for now. We can show you her statement and answer any questions you have."
"No need," Batman replied, interrupting.
Charlie felt moved by their trust. This was a far cry from the way things worked in New York, where newspapers constantly criticized heroes like Spider-Man. But Riverton's law enforcement believed in him, despite how the witness described the attacker.
His helmet's lie detector confirmed Captain Frost's honesty. Even though the witness had given a convincing description, they didn't think Batman was the culprit.
Activating detective mode, Batman began scanning the crime scene. A nearby officer leaned toward his partner and whispered, "What's he doing?"
"Shh! Don't interrupt him," his partner replied. "He has his own way of investigating. Do you know what we call him?"
"Batman? The Dark Knight?"
"That's what most people call him. But here, we know him as 'The Inspector.' If you work with him long enough, you'll understand. His investigative skills are unbelievable—like Sherlock Holmes come to life."
Batman scanned the scene and activated the replay function, which showed the sequence of events leading up to the attack. A virtual reconstruction played before him. From the hair sample, the attacker seemed to be a huge, winged creature—a distorted, giant bat-like figure. Seen from a distance, it could easily have been mistaken for Batman.
The replay ended, showing the creature spreading its wings and flying away.
Detective mode then identified a weak magnetic trail left by the creature as it flew. Batman adjusted his eyepiece to track the signal.
"Any leads?" Captain Fost asked.
"I'm following a trail," Batman responded, launching his grappling hook.
"Thanks, Captain. I'll handle it from here and reach out if I need anything."
The fibers of the grappling line contracted, sending Batman up into the night sky. His cape unfolded mid-air, thrusters igniting as he soared after the magnetic trail through Riverton's darkened cityscape.