American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

192. New Clues.

"So, you've already dealt with Osborn and his criminal alliance?"

"They're taken care of, more or less. I left behind some things that will divert the attention of Red Skull and his crew."

Hearing this, old Barton narrowed his eyes slightly, seriously scrutinizing the man in front of him for the first time.

With over a decade of experience as a hero, old Barton prided himself on his ability to judge people. However, when he focused on Alex, he was surprised to find that he couldn't see through this young man at all.

Alex seemed to possess an extraordinary amount of experience and focus—traits not usually found in greenhorn heroes who haven't yet faced the harsh realities of life. He also knew how to keep a low profile, silently taking out several villains without alerting Red Skull—a feat that wasn't easy.

The most crucial aspect was that Alex always seemed to know exactly what he wanted. Although Hawkeye couldn't yet determine Alex's true intentions, he was sure that Alex had a clear goal and a plan that nothing could deter him from. This realization caused a sense of unease to rise within Barton—not because he feared Alex might do something bad, but rather because Alex was too calm, too "unfeeling." This gave Hawkeye an instinctive sense of repulsion.

Hawkeye was all too familiar with people like this. Alex gave him the same feeling he had when dealing with Nick Fury back in the day.

To deal with Doctor Doom's country, Latveria, funding other super-criminals, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury secretly organized a special team of heroes including Captain America, Spider-Man, and Wolverine.

Since S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't interfere with other countries' governments, Fury used lies to deceive these heroes into toppling the Latverian regime. Afterward, he erased the heroes' memories of the operation to cover up his terrifying actions.

Even if Fury had a thousand reasons to justify his actions, in reality, what he did was no different from the super-criminals he fought against.

It was like Ozymandias in 'Watchmen'—sacrificing some to save others. Such actions weren't about right or wrong, but they couldn't be considered the actions of a true "hero."

Staring at Alex for a long time, old Barton finally pushed aside the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind. The world was already bad enough. If he was powerless to change it, he had no right to stand on some moral high ground and judge Alex. Perhaps this world needed someone like Alex to rebuild it.

"So, Nefaria—did you handle that situation too? I guess I don't need to ask; if you took care of Osborn's criminal alliance, then those mobsters were probably nothing to you either."

Old Barton chuckled and continued, "So, did you get what you wanted?"

"I absorbed some energy, but it's far from enough to meet my needs. I'm thinking that only big players like Red Skull or Doom might have something that can satisfy me. But that's not the point. I found something that you need to see."

Alex answered indifferently, then changed the subject by pulling out a bat-shaped batarang from his pocket.

"I stumbled upon this by accident, and now I suspect that there might be more than just our group of travelers in this world. A few others from different worlds might have also snuck in here."

Hearing this, old Barton's expression grew serious. He took the batarang and examined it carefully, rubbing his fingers over it as if trying to discern its material.

Without interrupting Barton's actions, Alex continued speaking. "I received intelligence about this item earlier. There were rumors that three years ago, its owner showed up in Dr. Connors' territory. It was a man, and some people mistook him for a vampire."

"I think I've heard something like that before. Being able to identify that someone doesn't belong to this universe just from a piece of equipment... it seems you know this guy pretty well. Who is he?" Hawkeye asked, intrigued.

"Not 'one of us.' Most likely, he's a hero from another world. Without meeting him, I can't identify him for sure, which is what worries me the most," Alex replied calmly.

"Indeed. We don't know how they came to this world, which suggests there might be a passageway connecting two universes that we're unaware of. And it's very likely still open. If someone finds it, that could..."

"Have you heard of similar rumors before?" Alex inquired.

"Yeah," old Hawkeye recalled and began to explain.

"The info came from one of my employers. He heard about a 'hero' who specifically hunted lizardmen while passing through the Lizard's territory. That guy would eat the flesh of the lizardmen after killing them, his face covered in blood."

"Are... are you sure?"

Alex frowned. This clue didn't match any Batman he was familiar with. Could he have been mistaken, and this Batman wasn't a good person?

Or perhaps, this Batman had already died, and someone else had taken up his gear.

"In the Wasteland era, information is scarce and unreliable. Most of it is just hearsay, so I can't say for sure. But what I do know is that over the years, many people have claimed to be 'heroes,' and they have their own sanctuaries."

"Are you talking about the Avengers?" Alex guessed.

Hearing this, old Hawkeye fell silent, smiling as he gazed at Alex.

"Don't look at me like that. If I managed to find you, it means I have my own intelligence network. So, of course, I know there are still remnants of the Avengers on this wasteland."

At this point, Alex glanced at Barton. "I'm more curious—since you know about them, why haven't you sought them out?"

"No need. I'm an old remnant of the past. Baron Zemo knows of my existence. He left me alive on purpose back then. All these years, I've been under Zemo's surveillance. He just wants to see me fail. If I break free from his control and join the Avengers, it'll only cause trouble for those young people.

This world needs those kinds of young people. If we want to change everything that's happened here, we need to give them enough time to grow. As for an old guy like me, the only thing I can do is draw some unnecessary attention away from them or take out a few enemies if possible."

"You've really thought this through."

Alex shook his head with a smile.

"But you do have a point. If the owner of this batarang is still alive, they must have hidden very well all these years. If they've joined an organization, that possibility makes a lot of sense."

...…..

20 advanced chapters on p@treaon
For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
193. About Moonstone.
194. Don't Bother.
195. The Death of Moonstone.
196. Red Skull.
197. Heroes from Another Universe.