Then they realized that there was actually a lot more to tell about the Flash Universe, it was just that Thomas and Martha also chose to hide a part of it and said, "In the universe we come from, after that movie ended, we still entered that alley, except the killer's target was our children, which is you, and they succeeded."
The story of the Flash actually isn't that long, but what's most poignant is that besides Thomas becoming Batman, Martha turned into Joker, a transformation none of the Batmen present could imagine they had gone through.
After hearing all this, Doomsday Batman felt that what he had experienced in that world wasn't much of anything anymore. He said, "Superman, Superman just went crazy all of a sudden, maybe he had been deceiving me all along, so I injected myself with the Doomsday Virus..."
As expected, Thomas and Martha fiercely reprimanded him. Martha vividly recalled when Bruce was just a child, she said, "I remember telling you when you first argued with a friend and refused to eat, not to punish yourself for the mistakes of others!"
"I thought I had to stop him..."
"You know you never thought about stopping him, you just wanted to go down with him, or let him see what you're made of, so-called 'like father, like son,'" Thomas pointed out directly, "You just wanted him to regret his actions, so you took the most extreme action, with the intention to hurt both others and yourself."
"But he won't regret it. If he chose to deceive and betray you, it proves that he never really cared about you in the first place. Otherwise, the moment he saw your pain, he would have come clean to you. If he truly cared about you, a lot of things wouldn't have happened from the start."
Doomsday Batman was silent, clearly still resisting everything, forcing Thomas and Martha to huddle together and whisper, "Are they really friends? Why do I feel that his condition is a bit like when I thought you were dead?"
"Hard to say, I've had the feeling that Bruce and Clark were getting too close before..."
"So what do we do now? If he's really trapped by emotions, it's going to be troublesome. It sounds like the Superman from his universe is beyond saving..."
"I think definitely a Universe Batman died, leaving only Superman. Do you think there's a chance to bring that Superman over..."
"But that might be difficult..."
"Listen, Thomas, my son has been hurt! And we can't let him live the rest of his life in regret!"
"Alright, but we need a long-term plan..."
After their murmured conversation, they returned to their seats and immediately changed their tone. Thomas said, "There's a saying, 'He who hesitates is lost.' Now that things have turned out like this, maybe you could spend more time with your family."
"That's right, Bruce, I think you all can do that, at least we're still here."
Then came Mechanical Batman, who, before he spoke, glanced at Alfred who had been standing behind them listening all along.
In his narrative, aside from the beginning where he mentioned wanting to back up Alfred's consciousness, he referred to the renegade artificial intelligence as a monster pretending to be Alfred, indicating that this was the consensus he had reached with the other Batmen.
Martha and Thomas looked towards Alfred, who after thinking about it seriously said, "I believe my backup consciousness wouldn't choose to stay there, but I also don't think it would rashly choose death."
Alfred bowed his head slightly and said, "I am quite old now, not like those young lads who, out of spite from a quarrel, hurt themselves to teach the other a lesson. I would consider more about how to change the other's mind and reach an agreement as much as possible."
"So if I chose not to stay in the container to avoid enabling the young master, then I probably wouldn't seek death either, but instead, try to find a way to escape the container and hide."
"Because if I chose death, the day the real me dies, the young master opening the container would face a double blow. He might break down, and that is unpredictable. But if I could show myself after that and comfort him, then he would learn a lesson without being too heartbroken."
"But that container..."
Alfred chuckled and bowed his head, "I am a graduate of a prestigious university, young master. If I knew you had this intention, how could I not have prepared in advance?"
Mechanical Batman was at a loss for words. He knew if Alfred truly planned ahead, he would never have noticed, since Alfred took care of everything in his life; a butler like that could easily keep secrets from his master.
"Are you saying there's a chance that Alfred's consciousness might still be alive..." Mechanical Batman sounded hesitant but also hopeful, "Maybe if I look carefully in the corners of the electronic devices, I might be able to find it."
"I believe that's likely," Alfred said. "But it's more likely hidden in a place you access every day, yet is the last place you'd expect. Regardless, you should be able to bring it back."
Mechanical Batman nodded and took his seat, while Alfred moved to the back. He opened his phone, which had a text from Thomas saying, "Really? Alfred, can he really find it?"
"Why can't we make one for him if he doesn't find it? After all, we are all Alfreds."
"You're a genius, Alfred."
"Thank you for the compliment, sir."
In the end, only the Green Lantern Batman was left, but he actually didn't want to stay for a tea party at all; he just wanted to leave as soon as possible. He didn't understand why so many powerful individuals insisted on sitting around and playing house.
Unfortunately, his Lantern Furnace had been damaged when it hit his helmet and had already been picked up by the Primary Universe Batman. Now his ring was still without energy, leaving him completely unable to leave.
However, he chose to say nothing; he didn't want to hear any judgments. Gordon wasn't up for it before, and now Martha and Thomas weren't either. It should have been him, endowed with great power, passing judgment upon them.
Thomas and Martha both noticed his silence, but contrary to Green Lantern Batman's expectations, neither of them demanded an immediate explanation with high emotions. Martha simply smiled at him and said, "It's okay, I know you must have gone through a lot of unpleasant things, and there are many mistakes you don't want to share with others. We are all like that."
"If you ever want to talk about it, we are here," Thomas said. "Always here waiting for you."
Green Lantern Batman turned his head away, saying nothing, as if the current bustle had nothing to do with him. However, everyone's attention soon shifted to the Batmonster Vehicle, and this shift made him feel an inexplicable emptiness.
"Buddy, I have to say, your look is quite cool, but can you tell me why you turned into this?" Thomas said, clearly puzzled.
"This was no accident," the Batmonster Vehicle replied. "It all started with a sudden inspiration one day to develop a plan for a super-electronic society..."
The tone of the Batmonster Vehicle was relaxed; out of all the Batmen present, it was by far the liveliest, lacking the inherent stiffness and rigidity of an electronic lifeform, almost not seeming like Batman at all.
"That's right, they chose to join forces to overthrow my rule, destroyed most of the base stations, and shot down the satellites. So I transferred my remaining consciousness to this vehicle to escape quickly."
Martha hugged the vehicle's hood, stroking the eyes of the Batmonster Vehicle and saying, "Oh my, poor thing, this wasn't your fault. Of course, it's understandable that they didn't want to live like that, but you did what you had to do."
"Yes, I think so too, so what I'm considering now is whether I should change the paint job. Maybe a floral-themed paint job would be a good vacation choice. I could take you all on vacation. How about the beaches at Brude Haven?"
"That would be awesome," Nightwing said. "Maybe we could convert your huge trunk into seats so we can fit more people."
"Where will we put our camping gear, then?" Red Robin questioned, adding, "At the very least we need to keep the suspension rack underneath, because we have to bring over that big tent, or there won't be enough room for all of us."
"Martha and I will drive," Thomas said. "We are well past the age for joyrides in such a large off-road vehicle, which would give Martha a terrible headache."
"Yes, we will take responsibility for all the camping gear, and you all can cheer as much as you like in this vehicle."
The Robins immediately cheered, clearly becoming more childlike as their lives became increasingly idle.
Then they discussed a lot about the vacation in Brude Haven and learned that the Wayne Family actually owned an entire vacation lodge there, built halfway up the seaside mountain in Brude Haven, in the best estate for a holiday retreat.
Under the Robins' clamoring, Thomas and Martha finally agreed; they would spend a long vacation there, yet they still wouldn't compromise on studying—it must continue.
By now, younger members like Red Hood and Red Robin were already back in school, both attending university but in different cities; Red Robin at Metropolitan University and Red Hood at Gotham University, one studying science and the other the arts.
Nightwing was not averse to studying. With the Wayne Family's connections, enrolling him in graduate studies at either university wouldn't be hard, but he neither loved literature nor scientific research, finding it a headache to even look at research materials.
In the end, with coordination by Batman and concessions from Thomas and Martha, Nightwing's work was transferred to Gotham's police system—but not the fieldwork division. He ended up doing evidence collection, behavioral analysis, and providing specialist support with the New Jersey National Guard stationed in Gotham, working nine to five every day.
The good news, though, was that Barbara Gordon was also working in the same unit, in the adjacent division for network communications and satellite signal support; the job was actually referred by an aunt from the Kane family, with Martha undoubtedly having a hand in it.
So why did they feel progressively idle when some had schools to attend and others had jobs? Mainly because everyone in Whole Gotham was idling too; those who didn't like fighting had left, while those who did had no battles to fight. The process of building a city was always monotonous, and no matter how busy one was, it was never as consuming as simultaneously creating crimes and chasing after them. It was only natural to feel idle.
But soon enough, Thomas and Martha inevitably steered the conversation back to their own areas of expertise.
"A vacation is a time for relaxation, but it won't be the main theme. I believe you all still have quite some time here; have you thought about what you want to do?" Thomas asked, smiling as he sliced the bread.
"I think we shouldn't push the kids too hard," Martha said with a smile. "A vacation requires some preparation time. Perhaps the younger ones can go back for a week of refresher courses first, don't you think? Little Bruce."
"I'm not that young; I'm in high school now."
"Then have you considered which university you want to apply for?"