The conference hall was massive. Two hundred seats. Every major industry represented.
On the screen: "Lanrea City Development Initiative - Government Tender"
The city was abandoned. Nuclear testing site from the 1980s. Evacuated decades ago. Now the government was opening it for private development.
Hospital. Wildlife sanctuary. Research facilities. Residential areas. Basically, whoever won this tender would own and rebuild an entire city.
Budget: 50 billion dollars.
Lex Luthor sat in the front row. LexCorp representative beside him. Papers organized. Calculating everything.
Tony Stark was three rows back. Relaxed. Confident. Stark Industries could build this in their sleep.
Justin Hammer was nervous. Hammer Industries was smaller. He kept checking his notes.
Norman Osborn sat alone. Osborn Industries. Always isolated. Always watching.
Oliver Queen was present too. Queen Consolidated. Environmental focus. Green tech.
And Bruce Wayne. Sitting with Poison Ivy beside him. Ivy was dressed professionally, but her eyes kept wandering to the empty land on the presentation screens.
"Look at it," Ivy whispered. "All that potential. I could make it into a garden."
"That's why we're here," Bruce said.
The government representative stood up.
"Thank you all for attending. This tender is open to all qualified bidders. The criteria are: technical feasibility, environmental impact, timeline, and budget allocation."
Lex raised his hand immediately. "LexCorp is prepared to submit a comprehensive proposal. Advanced infrastructure. State-of-the-art research facilities. Full redevelopment within five years."
Tony stood up. "Stark Industries can have it operational in three years. We'll incorporate renewable energy, AI integration, and cutting-edge medical technology."
Oliver Queen spoke next. "Queen Consolidated is committed to environmental restoration. The sanctuary will be self-sustaining. Zero carbon footprint."
Hammer fidgeted but said nothing.
Norman Osborn remained silent, observing.
Then Bruce raised his hand.
"Wayne Enterprises proposes a hybrid model," Bruce said, standing. "Hospital. Sanctuary. Research. Education. Mixed development. Sustainable growth. Environmental integration."
Ivy squeezed his hand under the table.
The government representative nodded. "Excellent. All proposals will be reviewed. Winners will be announced in thirty days."
The meeting ended, every company submitted the draft of City planning.
As people filed out, competitors passed each other. Nods. Smiles that weren't friendly.
This was going to be expensive. Ruthless.
Clark Kent was standing in the hallway with his camera crew.
He'd gotten word that Bruce Wayne would be attending. The Daily Planet always covered major tender announcements.
Bruce walked past him.
"Mr. Wayne!" Clark called out.
Bruce stopped and turned. "Yes?"
Clark extended his hand. "Clark Kent. Daily Planet. Can I ask you a few questions about the tender?"
Bruce shook his hand. Clark's grip was strong. Too strong for a reporter.
"Of course," Bruce said.
"What's Wayne Enterprises' primary goal for Lanrea City?" Clark asked, pulling out his notepad.
"Rehabilitation. The city's been abandoned for too long. As for jungle, we are preserving it, as make wild life sanctuary ," Bruce said.
"Some might say you're competing against giants. Lex Luthor. Tony Stark. Osborn Industries."
"Maybe. But Wayne industry can easily tackle them, these companies are solely focused on one type of industries, we have medical to tech industries and now construction, i think we are all rounder."
Clark wrote it down. "And the sanctuary? Wildlife protection? What is this wild life sanctuary, you talked about?"
" Wildlife sanctuary, for rare animals, i think Wayne industries are planning to open a wild life protection sanctuary here, The city can be functional and beautiful at the same time," Bruce said. "That's the goal."
Clark smiled slightly. "I think you'll do well, Mr. Wayne."
"Who are you voting for, Mr. Kent? And i heard Superman really love Metropolis, Illinois, , we have seen his sites, what do you think is he alien ?" Bruce asked.
Clark paused. "As a reporter, I'm impartial. Sir..and Superman is alien or not, nothing is certain yet, but he is doing good"
"
Bruce nodded but looked at Superman, his spider sense were alerting him again and again, dangerous feeling.
...
Next day..
Peter Parker was in his apartment when Bruce entered greetings Ben and may.
" Yes, mr max, Peter has been selected as Wayne industry scholarship, we are here for internship of Peter"
Peter who was back from collage looked at big cars standing outside his apartment, looks nervous.
"Peter, I need to meet you." As Peter and bruce walked towards Peter room.
Peter was nervous immediately. "Is something wrong? I"
"No. I just need to talk to you about something."
Peter sat. His hands were shaking slightly.
"I know what you are," Bruce said without preamble.
Peter's entire body went stiff. "What are you talking about, i didn't understand?"
"I know about spiderman, you fighting criminals."
"How could you—"
"Because I have my investigator, what do you think will happened to your uncle and aunt, if some villain you caught find out about your identity" Bruce said
.
"I am giving you choice, stop what are you doing, live normal life or." Bruce leaned back on chair looked outside.. "And I think you should join my team."
"Team? What team?"
"People like us. Enhanced. Changed. Trying to figure out what we are." Bruce pulled out a tablet. Vedio appeared. Deadpool. Poison Ivy. Catwoman. Sandman.
"These people... they're like me?" Peter asked.
"Different origins. Same situation. They work for me. They learn. They grow. They have purpose."
Peter stood up. "I can't. I don't even know what's happening to my body yet. I can't just join some... some organization."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm just a kid. I'm still in school. I have Aunt May. I have a life—"
"A life where you're hiding. Pretending. Afraid someone will discover you." Bruce stood up too. "That's not a life, Peter. That's a prison."
Peter turned away. "You don't know me."
"I am not saying stop your studies, I am just saying join our team and I will back your studies " Bruce walked closer. "I know that you're scared. And that's smart. This power is scary. It changes everything and i also know your parents death truth"
"What??"
" Check your photo and parents back in berifcase, the drive contain the super soldier serum experiment files, your parents were working for shield and died by hydra assassin '"
Peter sat back down. "This is insane."
"Yes. But it's also truth." Bruce sat across from him. "You can walk out of here and pretend this conversation didn't happen. Hide your powers. Eventually get caught. Or hurt someone by accident."
Peter was silent for a long time.
Peter stood up. He walked to the window and looked out at City. The lights. The buildings. Everything below.
"I'll join. Your team. Whatever this is." Peter's hands were still shaking."
Peter extended his hand. "Then I'm in."
Bruce shook it. "Welcome to the team."
Three days later, all five members were in the hideout.
Wade was cleaning his katanas. Selina was checking her grappling equipment. Ivy was studying botanical samples. Flint was sitting quietly, sand shifting slightly under his skin.
Peter walked in with Bruce.
"Everyone, meet Peter Parker. He's officially part of the team now," Bruce announced.
Wade looked up. "The kid from the competition?"
"Yes," Bruce said.
Selina smiled. "Welcome, kid"
Ivy extended a hand. Her skin was covered in thorns, but she was gentle when Peter shook it. "Good to meet you."
Flint just nodded. Sand swirled around his fingers.
"Peter, you know Deadpool and Catwoman. This is Poison Ivy and Sandman. They're your teammates now," Bruce said.
Peter looked at each of them. They looked back with varying degrees of interest.
"So... what now?" Peter asked.
" At first wear this braclet," Bruce said.
As time passes, Peter Parker life started to adjust in training and collage life, and today was his first mission :- recruitment of Dr octavious.
....
On other side, Wayne mansion
That same night, Thomas Wayne was in the library beneath Wayne Manor.
Bruce joined him, carrying another stack of Men of Letters texts.
"I found something," Thomas said, pointing at a leather-bound journal. "Protective magic. Wards. Seals. Shields. All documented here."
"What kind of protection?" Bruce asked.
"Different types. Protection against demons. Against curses. Against illness." Thomas turned the pages slowly. "And here—Healing Wards. Accelerated recovery. Reduced illness."
Bruce read over his shoulder. "These actually work?"
"According to Patrick's notes, yes. He tested them extensively."
Bruce sat down. "Can we create them? Without the Men of Letters infrastructure?"
Thomas looked at his son. "Why?"
"Because our team is strong. But we're not invulnerable. Healing wards could keep us alive longer."
Thomas considered it. "If we had the right materials. Herbs. Sigils. A proper circle for the ritual." He flipped through more pages. "And blood. The magic requires blood."
"We have that," Bruce said.
"It would take time to prepare. Days of work. Setting up the circles. Grinding the herbs. Drawing the sigils perfectly."
"How long?"
"A week. Maybe two."
"Let's start tomorrow," Bruce said.
The underground vault became a workspace.
Thomas and Bruce gathered materials from the bunker's stores. Dried herbs. Rare plants. Salt from the Dead Sea. Ash from sacred wood.
Pennyworth helped them set up a large circle on the stone floor. Chalk. Precise measurements. Geometric patterns that took six hours to complete.
In the center, they placed a stone altar.
Bruce studied the sigils. Ancient symbols. Each one had meaning. Protection. Healing. Vitality.
"We'll start with a simple ward," Thomas said. "Just protection. Shield against supernatural harm."
"What about healing?" Bruce asked.
"After we verify this works, we move to healing. One step at a time," Thomas said.
They prepared for three days.
Grinding herbs into powders. Drawing sigils on parchment. Memorizing the incantations in Latin.
On the fourth day, they were ready.
Bruce brought the first subject into the vault. An old dog. Stray. Sick. Missing fur. Dying.
". Father, can you really do it " Bruce said, looking at the animal.
Thomas assured him. " I can do it, in my teenager was best student in learning of magic spells, i remember these spells.."
They placed the dog in the center of the circle.
Thomas stood at the north point. Bruce stood at the south point. Pennyworth held the incantation text.
"Begin," Thomas said.
They chanted. Latin words. Old words. The kind of words that should only exist in dead languages.
The air changed. Bruce felt it immediately. Something shifted. The temperature dropped. The candles flickered.
The sigils on the ground began to glow. Faint at first. Then brighter.
Golden light. Just like the spider mark.
The old dog trembled. Then it relaxed.
The light intensified. It surrounded the animal. Wrapped around it. Penetrated it.
Then it faded.
Everything went quiet.
The dog stood up. It shook itself. Its fur was thicker. Its eyes were clearer. The sickness was gone.
It barked—a strong, healthy sound.
Thomas looked at Bruce. "It worked."
"You just healed a dying animal using ancient magic," Bruce said quietly.
"We did."
They tested on three more animals over the next week. Old ones. Sick ones. Injured ones.
Every ritual worked.
The magic was real.
The Men of Letters knowledge wasn't just history. It was functional. Powerful.
And now Bruce understood it.
Bruce sat with his father after the seventh successful ritual.
"We can apply these In mansion and outside mansions," thomas said while writing the data in his journal.