A/N: Hey guys! I apologize for the lack of a new chapter yesterday but some stuff came long. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! If you would be kind enough to leave a review or share it with your friends, I would really appreciate it! If you want to join my starting community on Discord as well, you can by joining at /sjXkwfZAnh or just search TheRedNet.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER THREE: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Peter arrived on the rooftop of the lab. As usual, he would change to his normal clothes and enter the building. However, his spider sense started tingling, quickly giving him the message that his work was still not finished. What set him off the most is that he sensed that something vile had happened inside the lab… and it was not something he would usually deal with. Peter decided to sneak his way into the window and investigate what could have happened. Once he got inside, he was shocked to see the lab turned into such a mess. It was as if a bomb went off. Something was horribly, horribly wrong here….

"Man." Spider-Man whispered to himself. "What could have happened here?"

Suddenly, a huge clank was heard from the testing lab, making him jump in stance. He tilted his head and decided to carefully follow the source of the noise. Slowly, he walked down the hallway, where the walls were scratched and some lights were dangling from the ceiling.

"Okay, this is getting creepy." Spider-Man whispered.

He got to the end of the hallway, where there was a slightly opened door. It was bumped and covered in scratches, something must have tried to break in, and succeeded.

He gently opened it and heard something weird, almost close to…. Chewing? Spider-Man got inside the room, where the floor was covered in blood.

"What in the world!?" Spider-Man thought as his eyes widened.

The blood then trailed to behind one of the lab desks that was flipped over. He could see a shadow that was behind the desk, a figure of some sort chewing on something.

Spider-Man balled his fist as he went to see what it was, but what he saw was enough to nearly send him flying.

A giant bat-like creature was chewing on the dead body of Francine Langstorm, who was dead with her eyes wide open as she was facing him.

"Francine…" Spider-Man whispered.

The creature suddenly stopped and lifted its head up in surprise. It slowly turned its head around to face Spider-Man, making him take a step back. The creature then stood up as it was facing him, it was literally a giant bat with red eyes but human-like legs. It also had torn pants on with a nearly completely ripped lab coat over its upper body.

"What… the?" Spider-Man struggled to say.

The creature then released a giant shriek and lunged at Spider-Man, which was dodged as he jumped up and stuck to the ceiling. The creature clashed on another desk but quickly got up and went for the hero on the ceiling, Spider-Man dodged it once again as he quickly got a flask of chemicals with a web and threw it at the creature's face. The creature covered it's face in pain, giving Spider-Man the chance to kick it in the upper body, sending it crashing through the wall. The creature got up and snarled at Spider-Man, making the hero get in a stance once again. Suddenly he noticed something on the creature's lab coat that sent chills throughout his entire body and felt like his heart jumped to his throat, a name tag.

"Dr. Langstrom!?" Peter yelled.

The creature then shrieked once again, this time it was so loud that it felt like the windows. Spider-Man covered his ears as the windows actually did shatter, but because of the shriek, but because the creature jumped out of the building and started flying.

"Oh no, you don't!" Spider-Man said as he went after him.

The creature, or Dr. Langstrom was flying around the city as Spider-Man was trying to catch him. Once, Spider-Man got close enough, he zapped a web to his foot.

"Gotcha!" Spider-Man exclaimed.

Langstrom released another shriek as he looked back at Spider-Man hanging from his foot. Langstrom tried to shake him off but he kept on holding onto the web. He flew through several buildings and swerved in several objects, making Spider-Man crash into every obstacle that got in his way. His suit was starting to get damaged with all the debris and buildings Langstrom flew through.

"Crap! How can I stop him from causing more damage!? Wait, that's right! My electric web!" Spider-Man exclaimed.

Spider-Man then activated his electric web as he shot another one at his other foot. Langstrom then was getting electrified and was falling from a long distance as Spider-Man went to hold him in a sleeper hold. Unfortunately, the web didn't last too long as he soon started to regain strength and kept flying as Spider-Man was hanging from his back.

FEAST

Lots of people were at the event, both upper and lower class. All of them are gathering tonight for the first annual anniversary of FEAST. The party was not too big compared to other events in New York City, but Martin Li made sure not to spare no expense. Martin Li went up to the stage as the Press was at the very front of the stage while the rest of the guests were around the place and enjoying the evening. The Press then started taking pictures once Li came out and started to smile and wave to the cameras. Li got to the microphone as the press then settled down a bit to listen to what he had to say.

"Thank you, thank you all for coming." Li said on the microphone.

The crowd stopped what they were doing as Martin started in his speech.

We are here to celebrate FEAST's first annual anniversary, as well as a very important announcement. Before we start, there are some things I would like to say. These are rather difficult times we are all going through. Due to these recent events, people have lost their homes, their jobs, their families, mostly everything. I understand the struggle, I too have been through similar events while growing up and I certainly don't wish that upon anyone." Li stated.

The crowd remained silent as most of them looked down or nodded in approval.

"That is why I have decided to initiate the FEAST project, to show all of our fellow citizens that they are not alone. We are here to help people get back on their feet and try to acquire them with the skills necessary to get their lives back on track." Li continued. "Of course, none of this could have been possible without the help of our sponsors and volunteers alike. Therefore, it is an honor of mine to announce this very special news. Ladies and gentlemen, our newest founder to the FEAST Organization, Bruce Wayne."

The press then got back on its feet and started taking more pictures and clapping as Bruce Wayne made his way towards the stage. Wayne was a very handsome man for someone in their mid 40's, he was firm and bulky along with slick black hair with a bit of gray hair on the side. He went to shake Li's hand and took over the microphone.

"Thank you, thank you. Now, first of all, I would love to thank Martin Li, for inviting me tonight. After all, I am the newest sponsor so not being invited would be a bit of a jerk move." Bruce joked while earning a small chuckle from the crowd.

"Second, I would love to thank my beautiful wife, Selina Wayne, for joining me tonight. For without whom, I'd be only a mere man." Bruce said as he signaled to his wife standing at another side.

Selina smiled and waved nervously towards the crowd. Selina was a woman in her late 30s but still as ravishing as ever. She has short black hair along with tan skin and hazel eyes. She wore a fancy golden dress that revealed her entire backside up to her waist.

"Finally, I would love to express how much it means to me to be a part of this organization. I have to agree, these times we are going through are certainly not easy. Especially with our city's bad history with… freaks dressed as clowns." Bruce flinched as he finished the last statement.

"Which is why it is important that we all remain together. It is our unity and will to stand up to these conflicts that will allow us to see the light of day. It is up to our courage and will to make sure these issues are taken care of immediately. It is-" Bruce then felt someone walk behind him.

"Um, sorry, excuse me, coming through." A man said as he jokingly acted lost next to Bruce.

The crowd once again stood up and took pictures as the man was Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man. Bruce rolled his eyes at Tony's entrance for the event. Tony was a man in his early 40's with a styled goatee and combed over short hair.

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt! It's just all this talk about funding and sponsorship that got me thinking, why wasn't I invited?" Tony joked, making the audience chuckle a bit more.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this man needs no introduction, but knowing the egotistical maniac he is I'll give it anyway. My associate and co-founder of Wayne-Stark Enterprises, Tony Stark." Bruce presented.

"Thank you all. Now I was going to come in wearing one of my newest designs of my new Mark V suit and make a great dramatic entrance, but Li specifically put a sign outside that said: `No flying around the house.' "

The crowd chuckled at his joke, even Bruce smirked a little.

"Now, just like Bruce here, I also have been through mentally scarring events. Of course, who hasn't nowadays, right? The difference is he had the courage enough to help others do something about it and- oh who am I kidding, let's get the heartfelt speeches out of the way and answer some damn questions already!" Tony exclaimed.

The press started raising their hands as they all wanted to ask the duo some questions. Tony looked over at which one he wanted to answer first.

"Ah, let's see, let's see. Uh, you there! Unusually attractive brunette. Ask ahead!" Tony pointed at a woman dressed sharply in a suit. She was incredibly professional and carried herself as such. With black hair and steeled blue eyes, accompanied with a young ginger haired man carrying a camera.

"Mr. Stark! Lois Lane with the Daily Planet here! So, one thing that we've all been wondering, what exactly guided you to being able to fund these projects and resources to create this crazy equipment?" Lois asked.

"Well, you see, it's a funny story. When I was kidnapped by those assholes in Malaysia I- "Tony was interrupted as a sudden crash on glass was heard all around the building.

Langstrom and Spider-Man came crashing through the ceiling and into the food table. Langstrom got up as he started to acknowledge his entire surroundings and new environment. Women then started to scream in terror as people started to run away for their lives. Langstrom released another shriek while Tony and Bruce gasped at the sight.

"Uh, okay. Crazy bat thing in the building now, anyone wanna call the pest control?" Tony asked.

Bruce immediately went and ran for Selina as she covered her mouth in horror. Bruce got her under a table with a gentle tackle before the creature came.

"Selina! You have to stay here and don't move, okay?" Bruce exclaimed.

"Bruce… what the hell are you going to do!?" Selina asked worryingly.

"I-I don't know… but I have to do something!" Bruce assured.

Selina got his arm tightly, refusing to let him go.

"Are you insane!? Let Parker and Stark handle it!" She whispered.

Bruce looked down at her hands holding on to his arm and frowned, knowing how worried his wife was for him.

"I have to, Selina. I'm sorry." Bruce pulled her arm away and left.

"You better come back to me alive, Bruce Wayne…"

Unfortunately for her, Bruce just had to play the hero. Meanwhile, Spider-Man got up from the floor and webbed up Langstrom.

The creature very easily broke free and flew after him, making Spider-Man swing around the place and throw whatever he could find at Langstrom. Spider-Man went for a punch to his face but the creature dodged it and took a huge bite out of his shoulder, making the hero scream in pain as he was sent crashing into a pillar. Suddenly, Bruce went for a kick to the creature's face, which only seemed to catch him by surprise for a bit. The creature then swung his wing at Bruce, sending him flying back to a table.

"Bruce!" Spider-Man yelled.

Langstrom then went to fly towards Bruce but Spider-Man shot webs from both his hands onto his wings and prevented him from reaching Bruce. The creature turned around and yanked the webs to make Spider-Man lunge at him. Spider-Man took that as a chance and kicked his torso with enough speed and force to send him back onto a wall. Spider-Man then went on to helping Bruce up from the ground.

"Even after retiring, you just can't help but get a piece, can't you?" Spider-Man asked sarcastically.

"And you still have that immature sense of humor? Thought you would have grown up by now?" Bruce replied.

"Well, some things never change, don't they?" Spider-Man retorted.

The creature then got up as he snarled at the two. Both Peter and Bruce got in stance as the creature prepared to lunge at them and when it did, a sudden blast was shot at him, sending him to the side of the building. Spider-Man and Bruce looked up to see Iron Man hovering over next to them.

"Okay, that's enough out of bats taking over the night!" Iron Man exclaimed.

He creature shrieked at Iron Man as he went flying towards him. Tony dodged the attack as he grabbed him by the foot and swung him up in the air and went to uppercut him on the jaw and knee him in the gut. Finally, he grabbed the creature and threw him on to the floor.

"I got it from here. I'm just gonna take this thing out already, world has had enough of bats causing a worldwide terror." Tony said as he lunged straight to the creature with a large blast forming in his glove.

"No!" Spider-Man yelled as he shot a web that yanked Tony away and disrupted his attack.

Tony crashed into Spider-Man as both fell onto the ground. Iron Man got up and pulled Spider-Man by the collar.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, web head!?" Iron Man asked angrily.

Spider-Man pushed his hand away. "Don't kill him, that's Dr. Kirk Langstrom!"

Bruce widened his eyes in shock as Tony saw the creature getting up.

"Kirk!? What the hell happened to you!?" Tony exclaimed.

The creature shrieked again as he got into a defensive position against the three.

"Hold your horses, buddy, let's settle down." Tony said as his suit exposed his face. "It's me, Tony. You know, genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist? Apart from Wayne of course."

The creature then tilted his head in confusion, still not letting his stance go.

"Listen, I don't know what happened, but I'm sure there's still a part of you there. Let's just talk about it, okay?" Tony said as he approached him with his hands up.

The creature then settled down and lowered his defense as Tony approached him. Suddenly, a gunshot was heard as the creature shrieked in pain with a bullet hole on his chest. All three turned around and saw the police had arrived with guns pointed at Langstrom.

"Fire!" The officer yelled as the rest started firing.

"No! Don't shoot!" Spider-Man yelled.

It was too late; the creature was shrieking as he got back into his defensive stance.

"Oh, great!" Tony muttered as he got his helmet back.

Langstrom then grabbed Tony up in the air and threw him towards the cops. The cops quickly got out of the way as Tony crashed into the door and landed outside. Spider-Man and Bruce were going to help the injured officers as Langstrom then turned to see Jimmy with a camera hiding behind one of the tables as he quickly ducked his head back in.

"Oh, shit!" Jimmy whispered. "I think it saw me."

Suddenly their table was lifted and thrown to the side, revealing the creature standing in front of them. Jimmy gasped as the creature went to grab him with his feet, but Lois quickly pushed Jimmy out of the way.

"Jimmy! Watch out!" Lois yelled as she was caught in the creature's grasp.

Langstrom then started to fly up to the hole in the roof as he took Lois with him.

"Lois!" Jimmy yelled.

Spider-Man quickly went to shoot a web to catch Lois, but missed as the creature flew away. Suddenly, Tony came flying in and out of the same hole.

"I'm on it!" Iron Man exclaimed.

Spider-Man then shot a web at Iron Man's leg as he took him flying along as well. Bruce looked up the hole and saw them fly away, hoping they would be able to handle it. The creature was flying through Manhattan as Iron Man and Spider-Man were after him.

"Okay, we need to come up with a strategy." Spider-Man said as he swung next to Iron Man.

"Simple, just get the Batman kaiju to let her go, we catch her and knock him out. Easy." Iron Man replied.

"Uh, yeah. Except for the part that we're literally hundreds of feet up in the air!" Spider-Man exclaimed.

"Oh, calm down, web head. I got this!" Iron Man replied again

Tony used his rocket boosters to catch up to Langstrom and get a hold of him by the neck, making him let go of her. Lois screamed as she was falling down onto the city, until Spider-Man managed to swing by and catch her. Lois hung in to him as Spider-Man landed on the sidewalk of Manhattan and let her go.

"You alright?" Spider-Man asked.

"Yeah… thank you Spider-Man." Lois replied.

Spider-Man nodded as he jumped up and swung back to Tony's aid. They made it above Hudson River as Iron Man had activated a shock system in his suit that caused his whole armor to electrocute the creature, making it go unconscious.

"Well, I guess you got it covered now." Spider-Man said as he landed on one of the bridges.

"I told you I got this." Iron Man said as he got the creature down onto the bridge.

Both Peter and Tony were standing next to the creature on the ground as a light was soon shining upon them from the sky. Both of them looked up to see a SHIELD helicarrier hovering above them as it slowly got a few feet above the ground as a ramp was extended to reveal Phil Coulson walking out with a group of agents.

"Okay, now the whole gang's here. Who's down for shawarma? Just tried it yesterday and I loved it." Iron Man jokes.

"Settle down, Stark." Coulson said. "We got it from here."

The agents then then shackled the creature as they secured him in a containment capsule, taking him into the helicarrier.

"You two have some explaining to do." Coulson said with his hands on his hips.

"Oh, boy." Spider-Man muttered.

"What's this report I hear about a giant bat dangling Spider-Man all around the city and causing mass destruction on FEAST?" Coulson demanded.

"Well, you see- "Spider-Man said.

"Ah Ah! Me first." Tony raised his finger as he exposed his face again.

Spider-Man remained quiet as Tony then went on to do the talking.

"You see, Spidey here was just having a bit of trouble handling Dr. Langstrom over there." Tony pointed at the creature.

Coulson then widened his eyes in terror as he looked back at Langstrom in containment.

"That thing is Kirk Langstrom, the biologist!?" Phil exclaimed.

"Yes, don't ask why." Tony said. "He just came out of nowhere and started causing a ruckus."

"Actually, I believe Dr. Langstrom may have tested Formula 66 on himself…" Spider-Man said.

Both men then looked at him in a confusing manner.

"What is this Formula 66?" Coulson asked.

"This isn't Star Wars kid, no time for jokes, this is serious business." Tony said.

"Not Order 66, it's Formula 66." Spider-Man explained. "Dr. Langstrom has been working on a project that could rebuild human tissues and improve human disabilities along with Dr. Curt Connors, they never got too far into it.

"What makes you think that could have to do with this then?" Phil asked.

"Because I searched up their files, they discovered that if they could genetically enhance the human DNA along with that of a bat, lots of disabilities such as blindness, could be cured. Looks like he decided to test it on himself." Spider-Man half lied. "Dr. Langstrom was going deaf, so he researched into the bat's long distance hearing ability in hopes of being able to treat his hearing loss without having to depend on hearing aid.

"So, Kirk here was going deaf and decided to inject himself with some formula he made out of a bat? Why does that sound familiar?" Tony muttered.

"I see, what else can you tell me about the incident?" Phil asked.

"It's Dr. Francine Langstrom…. she's dead, he ate her…" Spider-Man said with fear in his voice.

"Oh, God." Phil said as he covered his mouth and turned around away from them. "This is even worse than I expected…"

Tony then put a hand on Spider-Man's shoulder in reassurance. "Sorry, kid…"

Phil called into his ear piece. "Coulson to base, I need medical assistance along with an investigation team on the Langstrom Laboratory, I need an immediate clear out ASAP."

Coulson then walked into the helicarrier as it flew off into the sky, leaving the heroes alone on the bridge.

"Wow, not even a thank you." Tony said. "These SHIELD jerks sure are full of themselves, am I right?"

"And you're not?" Spider-Man asked sarcastically.

"Hey, to be fair, I at least have manners." Tony retorted by pointing at Spider-Man.

"Yeah, like letting that lady fall from the sky? Very kind of you." Spider-Man replied.

"Hey! I knew you would catch her so it doesn't count." Tony exclaimed. "Oh, shit! Gotta go now."

Tony then put his helmet back and flew away into the city while Spider-Man remained there.

"Well… guess I'll go now." He said to himself.

Tony was flying all around the city in search of Lois. He couldn't find her but then suddenly got the idea.

"JARVIS, I'm going to need you to run a face scan as I fly around in search of Lois Lane." Tony commanded in his helmet.

"Right away, sir." JARVIS replied as he ran a face scan.

A few seconds later, Tony's suit beeped as it detected Lois Lane just a bit far from him.

"Lois Lane detected at 65 degrees to your right." JARVIS said.

Tony looked into that direction and saw Lois walking around the sidewalk, trying to call for a taxi.

"Thanks, JARVIS." Tony thanked. "You're the best, after all, I created you."

Tony then landed in front of Lois, making her jump back a bit in surprise.

"Hi, need a lift?" Tony asked as he offered his arm.

"Um, no thank you." Lois rejected. "I think I had enough of being dragged through the sky for tonight."

"Aww come on, I won't drag you through the air. I'll carry you." Tony said.

"You let that thing drop me from the sky, you asshole!" Lois exclaimed while pointing her finger at him. "You didn't even try to catch me!"

"Hey. To be fair I was busy handling that creature. Besides, I knew Spider-Boy would be able to catch you." Tony said with his arms up.

A few people were staring at the duo arguing in the middle of Times Square.

"Look, I've had a rough night, okay?" Lois said while pinching the bridge of her nose. "I need to go back and check if my partner is alright."

"Well, let me take you then." Tony insisted.

"No, thank you. I prefer an old-fashioned car ride." Lois denied with her arms crossed.

"Okay, sure. Fair enough." Tony said. "JARVIS, send one of my rides to this location, Miss Lane here needs a lift."

"Sending one of your vehicles to your exact pinpoint." JARVIS replied.

Tony then deactivated his suit back into a briefcase as he was back to his normal attire and fixed his bow tie.

"Better?" Tony asked while extending his hand to her.

"...Better…" Lois replied while hesitantly taking his hand.

A few seconds later, a red Lamborghini arrived right in front of them as Tony took out his keys and opened the door for her.

"Madam?" He gestures to her seat.

Lois rolled her eyes as she went into the car and Tony started the car to make their way back to FEAST, where police has finally arrived and started the investigation. Jim Gordon looked all around for the place and taking in the mess that was caused.

"Terrific!" Gordon said to himself. "First the Batman, and now… a Man Bat? Just what else is next?"

"How about getting to the bottom of it and making a report?" A woman asked behind him.

It was Yuri Watanabe, New York's first female police captain. She was an Asian American woman with short black hair in her early 30s. Jim Gordon's favorite. Effectively a protege. He was impressed by her tenacity and dedication. This led to her becoming George Stacy's replacement, she was honored to do it. Without question, she was Jim's right hand.

"Working on it, so far we have only 3 injured. Thankfully, no casualties were involved." Gordon replied as the rest of the officers were working on the scene.

Martin Li was walking around the place and couldn't believe what had just happened. May then went out to try to support Li with the struggle he must be going through right now.

"Martin. I-I don't know what to-" May said until Li raised his hand.

"Please don't. I am not in the mood for the sympathy speech, May. So please, just save it." Li replied.

Spider-Man swung by and landed behind Yuri, making sure that she didn't know he was behind her.

"Well, then. If it isn't the return of Spider Cop?" Spider-Man jokes

Yuri couldn't help but smile at his wittiness, which never failed to amaze her.

"Shouldn't you be around and saving kittens from treetops?" Yuri joked back as she faced him.

"Well, I was going back to my Spider Lair but I couldn't help but stop by and say hello to my favorite police captain of all time." Spider-Man said. "Besides, you know me way better than that, I do much more than rescue kittens."

"Ha, fair enough." Yuri replied. "Care to explain?"

"Well, where do I start?" Spider-Man was about to explain, but then a voice called out to him.

"YOU!" Martin Li pointed at Spider-Man.

Spider-Man and Yuri stood there awkwardly as Li came barging angrily at them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?! Haven't you done enough damage already!?" Li asked angrily.

"Mr. Li, I was just trying to help." Spider-Man replied, lifting his hands up.

"Ha, help? What a joke! All you 'super heroes' do is make everything worse!" Li exclaimed. "All this is going to cost me! Now what will I do with the amount of people depending on me!?" Li exclaimed.

His whole tantrum was drawing attention from several police officers and investigators.

"Mr. Li…. Please." Spider-Man pleaded.

"I'll show you!" Martin yelled.

Martin then went to grab a glass bottle and was about to throw it at Spider-Man, until a hand grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"That's enough, Martin." Bruce said as he took away the bottle.

Bruce put a hand on his shoulder as Gordon came to try and ease the situation.

"How do you expect me to be calm when my life's work has just been destroyed!" Li exclaimed.

"Don't worry, my men and I are on the case, we'll get this mess cleaned up in no time." Gordon said.

"And I'll hire a construction and repair team to get started on rebuilding tomorrow morning, it's on me." Bruce assured. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? I'm sure you've been through enough."

Martin was about to leave, before giving Spider-Man a nasty look.

"Don't ever show your face here again!" Martin threatened as he exited the building. Spider-Man felt guilty as Yuri stood there, not sure of what to tell him.

"Yuri, I'm sorry… I gotta-" Spider-Man said.

"It's fine, don't worry. I understand, thank you, Spider-Man." Yuri thanked.

"Thanks." Spider-Man replied. "Commissioner Gordon. Mr. Wayne."

Spider-Man then leaped into the hole in the ceiling and swung away, leaving the three in the center.

"Are you alright, Mr. Wayne?" Gordon asked. "Witnesses report the creature attacked you."

"Eh, it's nothing, just trying to help." Bruce replied smugly.

"Interesting, considering the fact that thing could have killed you." Gordon raised his eyebrow.

Soon Tony came in his ride along with Lois. Lois wasted no time in trying to find Jimmy, who was sitting on one of the tables and leaning his head on his hand.

"Jimmy!" Lois exclaimed.

Jimmy turned back to see Lois running at him, making him smile widely.

"Lois, you're okay!" Jimmy replied as he went to hug her.

"Well, looks like I missed the whole after party." Tony joked.

"You didn't miss much, just an angry Martin Li." Bruce replied. "You're lucky you weren't here to have his anger thrown at you."

"Oh, please. Doesn't anybody know about thank you? They should try it once in a while?" Tony complained.

"Anyway, I have to go now. Selina's already worried and I have a kid to go back to." Bruce said.

"Yeah, yeah. Go handle your dad problems, I got this now. Trust me, I think I might get myself a lucky date tonight. Tell Alfred I said hi, will ya?" Tony said with his hands on his hips.

Bruce smirked as he walked away towards his wife, who wrapped an arm around his.

"You think he'll last longer this time?" Selina asked with a sly smile.

"Knowing him? Not a chance in Hell" Bruce replied.

Tony then approached Lois and Jimmy with a usual smug look, making Lois frown and cross her arms at him.

"Alright, I think we've all had a rough night. How about I take you out to dinner to make up for it? I promise, it won't be cheap." Tony offered.

"No, thank you, Mr. Stark." Lois denied with a smile. "My partner and I have some work to do."

Lois took Jimmy by the arm and walked away as he smiled awkwardly at Tony. The billionaire was a bit taken back, as No lady has ever told him no. He jumped in front of her and prevented her from leaving.

Oh, come on, I insist!" Tony offered again. "I'm sure Ron Weasley here can handle whatever it is you got going."

"Uh, first, his name is Jimmy Olsen. Second, learn to respect when a lady says no. Not everyone has the hots for a billionaire superhero." Lois replied as she walked away with Jimmy, leaving Tony a bit dumbfounded.

"Hard to get…" Tony said to himself. "I like it."

Bruce and Selina were driven back to the Wayne Manor, where Bruce got down before Selina and offered a hand to get her down.

"You can drop the gentleman act now, Bruce. We're not in public anymore." Selina said with a sly smile.

"Who said it was an act?" Bruce replied just as smug.

Selina just rolled her eyes and took her hand as Bruce paid the driver. Bruce and Selina walked into the front courtyard and made it to the door. Bruce opened the door for her and they headed upstairs to their room. Once they got there, they found Alfred standing next to a man who was rocking the sleeping toddler gently.

"Ahh, Master Bruce and Miss Selina!" Alfred exclaimed happily. "You have arrived!"

"Oh, hey there!" The man greeted. "Glad to see you guys!"

Bruce stood there firmly. "Nice to see you again, Clark."

Clark Kent, stood up as he gently handed the baby back to Alfred and went for a hug. He was a man the same height as Bruce, black hair with a twirl in the front and blue eyes along with round glasses and a casual jacket and pants.

"Selina! Come here and give an old friend a hug." Clark exclaimed.

"No need to ask me twice." Selina replied with a smile.

Both Selina and Clark shared a quick hug as Alfred walked to the door with the baby in his hand. Selina mouthed out the word to the two old friends before closing the door behind her.

"If you excuse me, I'll be taking Master Thomas to his room." Alfred said. "I shall leave you all to a friendly reunion."

"Actually, wait for me, Alfred." Selina replied. "I think these two would like to have a word alone."

Selina smiled at them as her and Alfred exited the room, leaving Bruce and Clark alone in the room.

"What brings you here?" Bruce asked in his typical monotone manner.

"What? Can't an old friend come and say hello?" Clark crossed his arms. "You rarely even call or visit us."

"Well, sorry, but I'm really busy with other things, including being a father." Bruce replied. "You would know the struggle, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to treat me like a complete stranger, you know?" Clark said. "I thought we were friends."

"We are." Bruce assured. "I am just not capable enough to handle this type of situation, you know that."

"You never were much of a people person." Clark chuckled. "Guess old habits die hard?"

"Indeed." Bruce said. "How are Diana and Claire?"

"They're doing good. Claire just started her first day into the crime fighting business." Clark smiled goofily.

"So, I've heard." Bruce smiled a bit. "Do you think she is prepared?"

"I know she is." Clark assured. "Plus, she's made a friend, Spider-Man! Isn't that nice

"You sound like a giddy parent who just put his kid through the first day of school." Bruce sort of joked. "Get over it, Clark, she's not a child anymore."

"Hey, I'm just happy my daughter is making a name for herself out there." Clark answered back.

"Hopefully, someday she can be twice the hero I ever was." Clark continued.

"I doubt it, but let's not lose our hopes into believing she will be a good hero." Bruce said.

"I know she will. After all, she is a member of the House of El." Clark smirked.

"Then that means you two still share the same weakness." Bruce joked.

"Very funny." Clark joked.

Then an awkward silence came along. Clark tugged on his collar and cleared his throat.

"You know… things haven't been the same since you left." Clark told him.

"I know." Bruce replied. "They've been better."

"Bruce… haven't you ever thought about coming back?" Clark asked.

Bruce Wayne was Batman and used to work alongside Clark as Superman. After the night his parents were murdered in front of him as a child, Bruce was never the same and swore and oath to himself. He swore that he would become something that would strike fear into the hearts of criminals and prevent the same from happening to someone ever again. Bats scared Bruce, and what better way to use that fear as his weapon for absolute justice.

Clark, on the other hand, was from a distant planet known as Krypton. The planet was dying and at the last minute, his parents, Jor and Lara El, sent their baby to a habitable planet for him. That planet was Earth, where his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, found and raised him as their own. Clark eventually started developing incredible abilities, such as super strength, speed, heat vision, ice breath, literally almost anything. Instead of wanting to strike fear, Clark looked to seek truth and Justice in the American way, by hoping to inspire people and make them believe that anything is possible. It felt like yesterday when Bruce decided to retire, and for lots of good reasons.

"No…" Bruce replied. "It's better that way. I can't let what happened that night happen again."

"Bruce… it wasn't your fault." Clark tried to approach him.

"No, Clark." Bruce made him stop. "I caused a lot of pain for lots of people. The ones who looked up to me, I let them down, and I can never repair that."

"You never even tried." Clark said.

"There is no point in fixing what is already broken." Bruce looked at the ground in self-hate.

"Well, I'll leave you to it, I got some work to do around the Fortress. Nice to see you, Bruce, and please, visit sometime. We miss you." Clark smiled before flying out the window.

Bruce just looked out the window, never getting why Clark tried so hard to hide the fact that he was like everyone else.

Antarctica

Superman was looking around the Fortress of Solitude to check what else was there to work on. The Fortress of Solitude was Superman's equivalent to Batman's Batcave, it was his own personal headquarters and preservation from his home planet Krypton. A place of solace, it was hidden in the perfect area away from civilization. It didn't only serve as a head-base, but also as a good place to study upcoming threats or any type of creatures out of this world, since the Krypton archives contained so much knowledge from other planets and galaxies studied by its finest scientists and historians. Suddenly, he hears a swish sound pass right behind him, making him smile a bit.

"What took you so long?" Superman asked as he turned around to face his daughter.

"Oh no!" Claire exclaimed. "Was I too slow? Too predictable?"

"Both." Clark replied.

"Aww man! I can never be as fast as you!" Claire complained.

"Don't be as fast as me. Try to set your own level and make sure you own it. Be your own person, don't worry about trying to be like me and mom." He said, grabbing his daughter's shoulders gently, smiling.

Claire smiled back. Suddenly, a sound was heard. Something so faint, a regular human ear wouldn't be able to hear it.

"Do you hear that?" Clark asked.

"Yeah… I do." Claire replied.

Both father and daughter flew out the Fortress and followed the sound. It was a heartbeat, and it was coming from the bottom of the ice. Clark and Claire were confused for a second as they wiped the ice, making him go in shock from what he saw. Under the ice was nothing more… than Captain America's shield.