The Dark Knight Rises: The Legend of Seto Kaiba
Chapter 0: Prologue
Dear Diary,
It's me, Mokuba, again. It's been a while since my last entry, I know. I've lost track of how long I've been away from Domino, my home. But ever since I left my brother so that I can find my own purpose in life, I feel as if I should've stayed home instead. My reason for this is despite that I may be traveling around the world, I still keep myself updated on what's going on back home. I've heard what happened... in Domino. What happened to Téa. To that DA, Marik. And of course, my brother, Seto. How all of Domino suffered from that... terrorist, that madman, who calls himself the Joker. How can someone so... evil exist in this world? This Joker was apparently not from Japan, or any other part of Asia, as far as anyone knows about him, if anything. On a somewhat related note, I think Hobson may have told Seto the story about that bandit in Burma, to compare with this Joker guy, just like he did with me when there was this high-school bully who gave me trouble for no reason other than to make me suffer.
But before I get too side-tracked, I just can't believe what I see and hear in the news. From what I've heard, Domino's White Knight was killed by none other than the Dark Knight during a heated confrontation over some killings. But I think, no, I know that's just the media's side of the whole story. Seto may not be the most well-adjusted person in the world, but he's no ruthless murderer. I'm betting that he must have made some proposal, for the city's sake.
I heard that there was a city-wide manhunt issued for Seto, or for rather his alter-ego, that was put into effect a little while ago. I just can't believe that he's on the run from the law, again. I hope that I could help my brother in any way I can. But I know that's impossible for me to do. At least for now. For now I can only hope that the Dark Knight rises. Rises from his fall to the darkness of "evil." Like what Hobson always said, "Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up."
Until next time.
Eight Years Ago...
In front of City Hall, Commissioner Yugi Mutou is seen giving an inspirational eulogy at the late District Attorney's funeral. "Marik Ishtar was a hero. Not the hero we deserved but the hero we needed. He was nothing less than a shining knight. I knew him. He was my friend. Sadly, it will be a very long time before someone inspires us the same way he did."
Mutou looks before the crowd of people, trying his best to maintain his composure. He knows that the city is not yet ready for the truth to be revealed. "I believed in Marik Ishtar." He removes himself quietly off the stage, in order for the funeral to continue onward.
Now...
In some remote region of the world, an unmarked jeep drives across a grassy field towards an unmapped air strip. Inside the vehicle are armed soldiers escorting unknown captives (all with bags covering their heads), among them an elderly scientist. A smug CIA veteran and multiple operatives await at the air strip, with a plane behind them. The jeep arrives and drops off its occupants. "Dr. Albert Zweinstein, I presume? I am with the CIA." said Vellian Crowler. One of the militia soldiers informs the agent, "The good doctor wasn't alone." Crowler curtly acknowledges this and said to the German scientist, "I'm afraid you aren't allowed to bring any friends on this plane, Doctor."
"They're not my friends." muttered Zweinstein, as he was escorted onto the plane. The same militia soldier said, "No worries, I will vouch for these men."
"But why would I want them on the plane as well?" asked Crowler. The soldier replied, "These men were after your prize! They work for the mercenary, the masked man known as..."
"Bane?" exclaimed Crowler, his interest piqued. "Get them on board, I'll call it in!" The CIA operative turned around and let his men know that there was a change in plan.
Mere minutes later, the plane begins to soar above the mountains. Unbuckling his seat belt, Crowler stands up, brandishing his handgun at the captive mercenaries. "The flight plan I just filed with my agency includes me, my men, and Dr. Zweinstein here! But only one of you guys!" Crowler nods at one of his men, who promptly opens the plane door, letting some of the strong winds blowing inside. "First guy to talk is allowed to stay on this plane!" loudly shouts the agent, so that his voice is heard despite the sound of the strong blowing winds. Crowler goes right up next to his fellow operative, who's holding onto one of the bagged mercenaries. The held captive is placed slightly outside the plane, with a gun firmly behind his head.
"WHO PAID YOU GUYS TO ABDUCT DR. ZWEINSTEIN?" demanded Crowler. The captive does not answer. "Silent treatment, eh?" remarked the agent, who fired a bullet into the man's head. The other operative lets go of the dead body, which plummets away from the plane. "Well, he didn't fly so well! Who wants to be next?" announced Crowler, pointing his gun at the rest of the bagged captives. He and the operative take another man and hold him precariously at the edge of the plane's opening. "TELL ME ABOUT BANE NOW! WHY DOES HE WEAR A MASK?" Like the man before, this one's not talking either.
"STRANGE! YOU GUYS ARE VERY LOYAL FOR A HIRED GUN!" stated Crowler, curious as to this peculiar situation.
"Or perhaps he's wondering why someone would shoot a man before throwing him out of a plane...?" remarked a rather strange, almost muffled voice from one of the remaining captives. Crowler and his colleague stop what they are doing and return the manhandled captive inside the plane. The plane door shut, Crowler replied, "At least one of you talks! Who are you?"
"It does not matter who we are, for what truly matters is our plan..." retorted the strange voice. Four armed men surround the figure in question, as Crowler slowly approaches him, reaching for the bag over his head. "But no one cared who I was until I put on the mask..." Crowler carefully removed the bag away from the man's head, revealing Bane. A large, strongly built man, in dark clothing, wearing a peculiar apparatus-like mask over his bald head. "If I took off that mask, would you die?" inquired Crowler.
"No, but it would be extremely painful."
"You're a big guy!"
"For you!"
"Was getting caught a part of your plan, Bane?"
"Of course! You see, Dr. Zweinstein here refused our offer in favor of yours, so we had to find out what he told you about us!"
"Nothing! I told them nothing!" fearfully plead the German doctor in his seat. Bane glanced at the doctor, a knowing look. Unbeknownst to the CIA plane pilots and most of the onboard passengers, troubles will soon arise, given that radar readings detect another vessel within the vicinity. "Well, I must congratulate you on getting caught, Bane!" sarcastically commented Crowler, "Now tell me, what is the next step of your so-called master plan?"
"Sir?" inquired one CIA operative, trying to inform his superior about something urgent.
"Crashing this plane!" announced the masked man standing up from his seat, breaking his restraints. "With no survivors!"
Suddenly, four armed men, all wearing high-altitude equipment, latch themselves in groups of two on both sides of the plane. Now in formation of their version of the skyhook operation, they promptly fire sub-machine guns at the windows, killing most of the armed militia. After the targets have been disposed of, Bane's retrieval team punctures the plane's exterior with skyhook cables. Amidst the confusion inside, Bane makes quick work on his would-be captors. Crowler is taken out by a single punch, and his limp body is forcefully thrown at one of the two remaining militia soldiers. Bane singles out the last soldier and steadies himself into position once the plane tilts, making the nose of the aircraft pointing downward.
The tail and wings of the CIA plane are immediately torn off by the weight of the much bigger and heavier vessel flying above, pulling at the lines of the metal hooks. Inside, the lone militia fumbles to reach his Ingram MAC-10 submachine gun, but by the time he aimed and fired, Bane had already ducked behind the passenger seat. The masked mercenary's men from above quickly fired a burst of bullets into the final soldier, killing him instantly. Bane and his men took advantage of their zero gravity-like environment and "swam" downwards to Zweinstein. Two of the outside retrieval team members do the same as they enter the plane.
One of Bane's men rips open a body bag, revealing a cadaver inside, whose likeness is remarkably a similar match to that of the German scientist. The same man unwraps a bundle of plastic, semi-transparent tubes on the corpse. He gives one end of the tube to Bane, who then applies the syringe-end on the elderly scientist's arm. Another one of Bane's soldiers pumps the blood from Zweinstein to the body, so that it gives the impression that the body left behind was that of the German physicist. Zweinstein cries out in pain and fear, wondering how he got into this current predicament. He weakly protests throughout the blood transfusion process. Once the blood transfusion was complete, Bane and his men begin to leave the CIA plane, with the good old doctor in tow. However, Bane singles out one of his men, a young man in his late twenties, and blocks his path.
"Not you I'm afraid! They'll be expecting ONE of us in the wreckage, my brother!" stated Bane.
The man, facing his impending death with dignity, replied to his superior. "So we started a fire then?"
"The fire rises." Bane nodded at his young friend, then turned to the rest of his men, who were now about to leave the plane via skyhook balloons. "The fire rises!" proudly proclaimed the soon-to-be dead mercenary. Zweinstein continued his cries as he was being held captive yet again, albeit more forcefully this time around. Bane, calm as ever, assured his hostage as he held strongly held him, "Please calm down, my good doctor! Now is not the time for fear! For you see, that will come later!"
The CIA plane suddenly plummets beneath Bane, Zweinstein, and the rest of the mercenary team as the mercenary plane flies off into the distance. Bane and his crew, along with their hostage, are then reeled in to safety within the confines of their aircraft vessel. "Where to now, Bane?" asked one of his men, after Dr. Zweinstein was sedated. "To Japan, my brother. The City of Domino."
Next chapter – Neo Domino City
As you can see, I have updated the status to include the very much talked about and anticipated prologue, modified of course. I hope you all enjoy. Furthermore...
Here were just some of my thoughts about how Mokuba would feel about leaving Domino, among other things, after I basically put him on a bus in my first story all those years ago. Having wrote this prologue, I could not include any details that would contradict those in Nolan's third film, although I'll do my best to make this fanfic not too close word for word, as I have done for the the past two in-canon stories (however, I can't make any promises...). This will likely be my last story, after I finish Monte Cristo Hakushaku, hopefully within the next 2 years from now. That is all I have to say on the matter. So feel free to leave a comment/review if you want.