Magneto’s helmet, unassuming at a glance, held the remarkable ability to completely block psychic intrusions.
Kathoom had always been curious about what material this helmet was made from, and how it worked.
Now that he had it in his hands, he could hand it over to Bruce to study, maybe even incorporate a similar function into the Batsuit.
After stowing the helmet, Kathoom’s attention was drawn to two other items.
The first was a stone tablet.
Shaped like a diamond and covered in ancient hieroglyphics, the top of the tablet bore a drawing of an eye.
Kathoom didn’t recognize it immediately, but after a moment, he recalled what it was.
The Tablet of Life.
The tablet belonged to a Marvel villain named Silvermane.
He’d used it to unlock the secret to regaining his youth, even kidnapping Dr. Curt Connors and creating a youth serum from its contents.
Dr. Connors, of course, was the classic Spider-Man villain known as the Lizard.
A tablet that could restore youth was obviously invaluable; Kingpin probably hadn’t been able to decode it, which was why it ended up abandoned here in his vault.
Kathoom had no qualms about pocketing it. Now, the tablet was his.
If he could ever translate its contents, perhaps he’d test it out on that old professor at Hogwarts.
After securing the tablet, the last item that caught his attention was an egg.
The egg was massive, even larger than Kathoom himself. Remembering Kingpin’s herd of dinosaurs, Kathoom suspected it might be a dinosaur egg.
Though why it was in a vault, he couldn’t say.
Operating under his rule of better safe than sorry, Kathoom decided to take the egg as well.
Later, he could ask Hagrid to try hatching it, just to see what would emerge. If it really was just an ordinary dinosaur, he could always gift it to Hagrid.
After all, the big guy had always wanted a dragon, and a dinosaur was technically close enough.
But just as Kathoom tucked the dinosaur egg into his feathers, Bruce finally had to say something.
It was one thing for the owl to stash odd knick-knacks in his feathers, but now this egg—plainly larger than him—was somehow fitting in there?
“Kathoom.”
Bruce hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “As far as I know, owls… it’s usually the female ones who incubate eggs. And this… isn’t an owl egg.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Kathoom frowned. “Of course, I know this isn’t an owl egg.”
“Then why are you—”
Bruce trailed off, holding back what he wanted to say.
He knew about the Feather Space Kathoom used, a non-detection expansion spell turning his feathers into a storage area.
But even so, whatever was put in there still technically stayed on Kathoom’s person; it didn’t go off to some other realm.
Bruce wanted to ask him, What exactly are you going to do if something actually hatches in there?
—
Meanwhile—
Hawkeye held his daughter’s body, his tears long since dried, but he hadn’t yet moved past his grief.
Regret flooded his heart. If he’d only come a little sooner, maybe this tragedy could have been avoided.
Logan knelt beside him, placing a silent hand on his shoulder.
After a long time, Hawkeye finally collected himself, wiping away his tears as he carried his daughter’s body out of the vault.
He knew he had to press on, however heavy his heart.
Bruce followed, turning to Kathoom. “Do you know who the killer is? Hawkeye won’t let this go without getting revenge for his daughter.”
“I can’t say for sure,” Kathoom answered, hovering above. “But I really hope it’s not Deathstroke.”
“Why?” Bruce pressed, “You’ve been dropping his name since earlier. Is he that terrifying?”
“Fearsome or not, that’s not the main issue—it’s his armor.”
“What’s wrong with his armor?” Bruce asked, frowning.
Kathoom pondered for a moment, then decided to tell Bruce the truth. “Deathstroke’s armor is crafted from Promethium.”
Promethium—the fifth metal in the DC Metal events.
It stands alongside the Dionesium, Electrum, Batmanium, and Nth Metal.
If Bruce were to somehow be exposed to all five metals, it would open a door to the Dark Multiverse, allowing Barbatos and his forces to directly enter their world.
The first assassin, Jason, had brought the Dionesium.
Now, if the second assassin brought another metal…
Kathoom couldn’t help but suspect that Barbatos was plotting something underhanded.
“Promethium…”
Bruce repeated the name, then asked, “What powers do these five metals have?”
The Dionesium granted resurrection, eternal life, and healing, but what about the others?
“It’s a bit hard to explain. Each metal has more than one ability.”
Kathoom gave Bruce a quick summary. It wasn’t entirely accurate, but it was easy to remember.
“Dionesium grants eternal life and healing, while Electrum keeps a person eternally youthful. One makes you live forever; the other keeps you young forever.”
“Nth Metal can counter magic and gravity—usually used in armor, it deflects magic and lets you fly.”
“Batmanium is the ideal spell-casting material, holding immense magical power.”
“And finally, Promethium is indestructible, capable of withstanding massive physical and energy attacks. It’s typically used in weapons and battle suits.”
After listing them, even Kathoom felt a bit awestruck.
Each of these metals was rare and precious on its own, yet combining all five together—with Batman, no less—would form a gateway to the Dark Universe, making it the universe’s most cursed artifact.
If he could help it, he wanted to keep Bruce as far from these metals as possible.
“Of course, there’s no need to worry too much,” Kathoom added with a laugh. “It might not even be Deathstroke coming for us this time, so we might not run into Promethium at all.”
“Don’t be so quick to dismiss it.” Bruce wasn’t buying it. “Always plan for the worst. Wasn’t that what you told me?”
Fair enough.
Kathoom had to admit that Bruce had grown a lot since then.
They followed Hawkeye out of the building and climbed into the Spider-Tank, heading back to Hammer Town.
What happened next was nothing short of tragic.
Hawkeye had left to rescue his daughter, only to return with her lifeless body. Overcome with grief, he still faced accusations and scorn from his ex-wife, Toya.
Devastated, Hawkeye led their group away from Hammer Town, setting off once more toward New Utopia.
The Spider-Tank sped on, bringing them to the old Mount Rushmore.
The faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln were carved into the mountain.
And now, there was a fifth face, far larger than the original four.
The face of the current president: Red Skull.
As they passed Mount Rushmore, Hawkeye’s blind eyes locked squarely onto Red Skull’s enormous visage.
A look of fierce resolve crossed his face.
Red Skull, you just wait.
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