Chapter 20

"So," Bane began as he walked forward, his hulking frame blocking the light. "What could a estúpido reptil like you want with my Titan?" Waylon growled low and felt Madeline close behind him, holding on the ridges along his back for safety. Bane was about the same height as Waylon, only he stood up straight while Waylon was somewhat hunched over. Bane was broader too, the sheer size of his Titan pumped torso and biceps bulking him out to inhuman proportions, whereas Waylon was muscular all over. The electronic Titan pack strapped to Bane's back continuously supplied him with the toxic green substance that made him for formidable, yet, he had somehow retained a fraction of his superior intelligence. The guy was muscles and brain, a combination Waylon wasn't entirely comfortable going up against.

"Do you plan on using it for yourself? Someone of your intellect would have their brains mangled by a single drop so I wouldn't recommend it." Bane suggested, folding his arms over his enormous chest. Waylon didn't respond to that and growled again, but when noticed Bane's eyes switch from looking at him to glancing behind him, he felt his body go cold with dread.

"Ahh, so my sources were right." Bane said with a malicious grin of triumph. "The big bad crocodile has a pequeño novia. Felicitaciones!" Waylon didn't understand half of what Bane had just said, only that he had noticed Madeline and maybe congratulated him on it, so instead of formulating a verbal response he continued to growl.

Bane rolled his eyes and groaned with frustration.

"Fine, if you won't talk, maybe she will." Bane said signalling for one of his men to aim the gun on Madeline. Waylon was quick to step in the way of the line of fire and snap in the thug's direction. The thugs were momentarily startled but one on the other side of the room held his up too so Madeline was within shot of at least one of them.

"Would you kindly step out señorita?" Bane asked politely. "I would very much like an explanation for all of this." Waylon felt Madeline move out from behind him and tried to stop her but she managed to avoid his grip like a snake and stepped out in front. What was she doing? This was Bane they were dealing with. He was so jacked up on Titan or Venom or god knows what else that he was unpredictable, and that made him even more dangerous. Still, there was no controlling Madeline and all he could do was be ready to leap into action and save her from gunfire or Bane if need be.

"Ah, hermosa. Pleasure to meet you señorita. May I ask your name?" Bane said, being as charming as physically possible for someone of his personality and profession. Then again, if Waylon could be charming on occasion then why not Bane too.

"Gracias." Madeline answered, somewhat nervously but not as much as Waylon expected her to be. "Me ilamo Madeline." Waylon was a little confused, so much so that he actually managed to formulate words.

"You speak Mexican?" He asked quietly, but not quite enough for Bane to miss. Upon hearing his words Bane became very pissed off all of a sudden but Waylon didn't know exactly why.

"Spanish." Madeline corrected, the reason for Bane's expression became clear. "And yeah, I lived near the border remember? I picked up a bit from the ones who got through."

Madeline turned back to face Bane and Waylon felt a little bad for not knowing that bit of information about Madeline. Come to think of it, there was a lot about Madeline he didn't know. Her favourite colour, her middle name, her childhood pet?

"Would you kindly explain for me, Madeline, why you need my Titan?" Bane asked, still too charming to be comfortable with.

"I thought it was Joker's Titan?" Madeline corrected, completely unfazed and confident despite talking to a hulking mass of muscle and testosterone.

"Joker is muerto." Bane clarified.

"So it's up for grabs then." Madeline responded quickly. "And we happened to be here first so..."

"So..." Bane continued. "What do you need it for?"

"Not really any of your business is it?"

Bane chuckled and grinned, running his tongue over his teeth in an uncomfortably sexual way that seemed make Madeline shiver. Okay, that was not allowed.

"You got some mouth on you girl. Nobody ever teach you manners. You should respect me." Bane sneered, losing the charm and replacing it with Latin American intimidation. He stepped forward but Madeline didn't budge. She was holding her ground, and as much as Waylon wanted to shove her behind him and rip Bane's face off he didn't, and allowed her to stand as the bad ass chick he loved for a little bit longer. But if Bane tried anything, Waylon's reflexes would intervene.

Bane glared at Madeline with that same ugly grin on his face. He shook his head briefly, as if in disappointment or disbelief. He moved closer, leaning down until he was face to face with Madeline.

"Puta." He spat, and Madeline's face instantly twisted into a horrified and infuriated expression Waylon was glad he had never seen before. Jesus Christ she looked like she was going to murder someone. She didn't murder anyone, instead she practically committed suicide by punching Bane in the face with all her might.

Before Madeline could even complain about her now injured hand from punching walking muscle in the face Waylon shoved her behind him and growled. Okay, it was dumb of Madeline to punch Bane in the face, but god damn was it hot. He could hear Madeline gasping about her hand behind him, but she was also cursing because she knew she'd just gone and waved a red cape in front of a bull. Oddly enough though, Bane didn't get angry or attack them. Instead, after a moment, he laughed loud and heartily, his deep voice booming all around them. It was a bit unexpected, but ten times more worrying. Was he going to suddenly snap?

"I like this niña. She's feisty like Caipora." Bane said, cracking his neck from side to side and taking a step forwards. He rolled his shoulders forwards and stretched his arms, ready for a fight. He wiped the blood from his nose and Waylon was actually quite amazed and proud that Madeline had managed to make the hulking freak bleed, even if it meant he now had to fight said freak. It wouldn't be the first time he'd fought Bane. The last time he'd gotten into a fight with the big guy was a few months after he moved to Gotham, when he was more human looking. He'd been having a bad day... A really bad day and gone a little crazy in a Gotham shopping centre, tearing up the place for no real apparent reason that he couldn't remember. All he knew was that he was angry.

Then, after Batman and Robin had shown up to beat him into submission, out of nowhere came this strange man dressed in black with a Mexican wrestle mask. He was no wear near as bulky as he was now since he was using Venom instead of Titan. He jacked up right then and there but Waylon had been too angry to pay any attention and just gone in to punch the weirdo in the face. To his surprise, the human looking weirdo grabbed his arm, yanked it down and back, breaking it with ease. Then when Waylon had stupidly gone in to try again, Bane had broken the other arm, following it up with a remark about Waylon being 'too ugly to hit' before kicking him through a window. He'd woken up in Blackgate, but promptly escaped soon after and retreated into the sewers. As all his broken bones and gashes did, they grew back stronger and more mutated. He spent what felt like years but was probably only a few months living in the sewers, eating rats and hunting workmen who came down to do repairs. He hadn't quite been in his right frame of mind during that time so the details were a little fuzzy, the only thing he remembered was that a guy in a Mexican wrestler mask had hurt him and he wanted revenge.

One day however, he got the scent on Bane in the sewers and went to find him. Instead he found Robin wearing a blindfold and tied up trying to fight someone who wasn't even there. Resisting the urge to kill the annoying little vigilante in training he instead did the smart thing and pressed for information. Before Robin could give an answer however, Bane attacked from behind and thumped Waylon hard in the back of the head. It didn't knock him out though, he'd become too strong for that, and perhaps a little smarter too since he made the quick and cleaver decision to destroy the device Bane used to inject himself with Venom, evening the odds. If he remembered correctly he'd said something quite witty and cool but damn if he remembered what it was. He did remember however, Bane breaking his arm again and them falling into the fast flowing water below. He didn't remember much about the rest of the fight, but he did know he'd lost that one too since he woke up with broken limbs somewhere in the sewers once more. He was yet to beat Bane in a fight. Perhaps today would be that day. He sure hoped so since Madeline's life was on the line as well.

"Last chance amigo. Leave now and I won't break every bone in your body." Bane warned, snapping Waylon out of his trip down memory lane. Waylon growled and stood his ground but he felt Madeline tug on his arm.

"I'm sorry, let's just go." Madeline pleaded, her knuckles turned purple from the punch.

"What did he call you?" Waylon asked, keeping his eyes on Bane. "What's a 'Puta'?"

"It doesn't matter." Madeline hissed, trying to make him leave. She was worried about him, that was sweet, but this conflict was a long time coming and would have happened without her punching Bane in the face. He knew Madeline thought she was going to be responsible for any injury Waylon received from fighting Bane, not that he planned on getting any. But he had to do this, he wanted revenge. Besides, Madeline needed the money to help her family and they weren't going to have another opportunity to get $50,000 before tomorrow.

"What did he call you?" Waylon asked again, his tone almost threatening. He didn't want to be threatening towards Madeline but he needed to know whatever it was Bane called her so he could use it to get angry and therefore, be more formidable. Bane was stronger now, so he had to be stronger as well. The only way to achieve that was to lose control just a little bit. As much as he hated losing control, it was the only way this was going to work. Damn Riddler, he'd said there would be no trouble. Madeline was reluctant to respond but she did finally oblige.

"'Puta' is Spanish for 'whore'." Madeline admitted sheepishly, and like Waylon expected it to, his blood boiled with rage and his pupils became slits. Bane looked to be excited about this increase in ferocity and chuckled as cracked his knuckles.

"A rematch then. Perhaps the third time will be the charm." Bane coaxed as he signalled for his men to lower their guns and take a step back. This was going to be one on one. Good. Waylon didn't have the time or the patience for bullets.

He growled loud and deep as he crouched low, putting his hands on the floor for more momentum when he charged. Bane pressed the button his belt for the Titan to pump into his veins and flexed as his blood turned green with the stuff.

"Once I'm through with you I'll deal with your little puta over there." Bane threatened, pointing at Madeline who was retreating as far into the corner as she could go. "Maybe I'll take her home with me, show her what a real man's pene feels like with a long night of largo, duro y apasionado coito." Waylon had no clue what that meant but judging by Madeline's look of horror and repulsion it was something bad so without further adieu he charged forward, snapping his jaws with the intention of ripping Bane to pieces once and for all.

Madeline was backed up into a corner and had no clue what she was going to do. The exit was blocked off by Bane's men and she couldn't leave without Waylon who was in the middle of fighting said giant muscular asshole. Bane had started off so charming too, then he'd gone and called her a whore so she'd punched him, which was a stupid thing to do, and now Waylon was potentially going to get his limbs broken, or even get killed. She wanted to stay as far away from the thugs as possible due to her history with grabby henchmen, and backed up against the Titan container.

Waylon charged for Bane again and again, getting thrown off only to attack once more. He was snapping viciously at Bane, trying to get a chunk of flesh in his jaws and he slashed with each strike. Bane could only defend against the onslaught as Waylon attacked again and again, not giving Bane a chance to attack first. It was clear that the fight was not shaping up to be as easy as Bane had anticipated but that didn't mean it was any easier for Waylon. Bane landed a few punches here and there, knocking a tooth out at one point. But Waylon just kept taking them and charged again and again. He did however, seem to make an effort to get his arms free whenever Bane tried to get a hold of them, ripping them from his grasp and backing off to charge in again.

The clash of the two hulking creatures was the stuff you might find in Greek legend. Each punch, snap, roar of anger and thump as one hit the ground was loud and terrifying. Their hands locked and they pushed against one another, trying to force the other down. Bane was physically bigger but Waylon was pushing with all his might and not going down. While most of Bane's strength was in his upper body and arms, Waylon had much stronger legs and was more well rounded with muscle. They were evenly matched, both formidable opponents, but with their hands locked Waylon had a bit of an advantage and pressed his claws into the back of Bane's hands.

Bane roared and began to push Waylon down, buckling him onto one knee. But before he could make another move, Waylon was quick to let go of Bane's hands and swing his legs around, knocking Bane off his feet and pouncing on top of him. With a growl and a loud snap, Waylon gripped a chunk of flesh in his jaws, crushing Bane's shoulder with all the force he could muster. Bane let out a yell and ripped Waylon from him, teeth dragging across his muscle as he threw the crocodile across the room and into the wall. Madeline gasped as the loud thud of Waylon hitting the wall was followed by a crack. Thankfully, it was the cracking of the wall and not Waylon's back.

Waylon was quick to charge again, resuming his onslaught of snapping and slashing while Madeline tried to figure out what she could do. She felt inside her jacket and her hand rested on the small gun she had smuggled in with her. She hadn't intended on using it and they'd originally thought this plan would go off without interruption but she'd brought it just in case. She couldn't exactly use it thought, not with Waylon fighting Bane at least, and she wasn't a good shot either.

The sound of bone cracking made her ears bleed and she spun around to see Waylon's arm snap as Bane twisted it backwards. Waylon roared swung at Bane, slashing across his face and tearing the Mexican wrestle mask. Bane let go of Waylon's arm and grabbed him by the neck instead, lifting him into the air before slamming him down head first into the ground. Madeline tensed up and couldn't bring herself to breath. This was brutal, nothing like she'd ever seen before. Waylon was still conscious and tried to get up but Bane lifted him off the ground, held him in the air and threw him with all his might into the wall.

When Waylon hit the floor he grunted and tried to stand but couldn't get up. Bane, who had decided the fight was over, turned his attention to Madeline. Madeline reached for her gun and aimed it at the approaching monster. She gritted her teeth. How dare he do that to Waylon. He had to pay for that. But as much as she wanted to open fire on Bane she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. Her hands started to shake and the gun did too, rattling in her hand as Bane laughed.

"Hand over the Titan little girl." Bane ordered, getting closer. Madeline didn't know what to do. She couldn't let him have the Titan, not after all of this, but it wasn't like she could stop him taking it, unless...

Madeline quickly shoved against the container with all her strength and it began to fall, hitting the ground and dislodging the lid, the contents flooding out and down the drain.

"NO!" Bane screamed, but it was too late, the last of the Titan disappeared down into the gutter, now the only remaining bit of it was the syringe and bottle in Madeline's hand. Bane fixed his eyes on it and glared at Madeline with eyes burning like hellfire.

"Give it to me!" He ordered, stalking forward. Before he could get to Madeline however, he was yanked back and thrown across the room. Waylon was up on his feet but his arm was still broken. He glanced back at Madeline and she gave him a relived smile. Waylon gritted his teeth and growled as he swung his broken arm from side to side before throwing it out and snapping it back into place. He grunted and then shook of the pain before charging towards Bane, who was getting onto his feet, and slammed him against the wall. He grabbed Bane by the head and shoved his face into the ground, breaking Bane's nose.

Madeline looked around for some way to help. Bane's men had moved to help their boss so no one had eyes on her, now was her chance. She glanced down at the grates just wide enough to fit a person inside, stretching across the whole floor. An idea came to her and while she was sure no one was looking she snuck inside.

It was cramped and loud under the grates, all the noises above reverberating off the walls and pestering her ears. She could hear every footstep and every loud slam against the ground. She quickly crawled on her hands and knees, regretting the leather pants for their lack of flexibility. She followed the grates and took a right turn that lead her through a covered part of the system that was uncomfortably hot. The sound of either Bane or Waylon getting their faced smashed against the ground could be heard above her head and she squeaked when the loud sound echoed around her. She felt like she was going to get crushed by one of them.

Undeterred from helping, she scurried onwards and took another right which brought her out to the middle of the room where Bane and Waylon were in another wrestle. They're hands were locked and Bane was pushing Waylon down once more, only this time he was in a better stance and prepared for Waylon's little trick. Waylon pushed back as best he could but he wasn't as strong as Bane, and he couldn't get free to try and fight his way. Madeline crawled directly under them and glanced up. She couldn't help but admire the sight of two muscular guys fighting, even if it was to the death. And oddly enough Waylon had really cute ass from this angle.

Putting her female fantasies aside Madeline produced the gun and aimed it at Bane. She had to get him somewhere vital, somewhere that would make him loose all strength and give Waylon a chance to finish him off. Madeline silently prayed Waylon wasn't going to rip Bane's head off, she didn't want blood on her new clothes. She tried to aim at Bane's head but it was too smaller target and moved too much. His muscles looked strong enough to bounce a bullet off of so his heart was a no go, and besides, his arm was blocking the shot.

"You will lose this fight and I shall break your back in two." Bane spat, pushing Waylon down onto his knee. "And I shall make you watch as I crush your precious little novia!" Waylon growled, a more savage growl than Madeline was used to hearing. He was getting angrier, which would help his cause a little, but it also made him dumber and Bane seemed like he had some brains stored away in that tiny head of his. Waylon needed help now.

Madeline aimed the gun and looked for a place to shoot, then as she lowered her sights she had a devious and evil idea and aimed the gun as best she could in Bane's direction. She waited for her chance, holding the gun steady on her target and praying she didn't miss. Once she fired there was no second chance. They were both steady in position. It was now or never.

Madeline pulled the trigger and while she did not hit her mark, she did hit something and it made Bane flinch. That was all Waylon needed and he pushed back against Bane, knocking him to the ground, leaping on top of him and punching his face repeatedly with scaly fists that cut as well as bruised. Bane shoved Waylon back and staggered to his feet, bleeding profusely from his leg. Madeline had nicked an artery and the bleeding wouldn't stop. She crawled out of the grate and hurried over to Waylon who was ready to attack again, but Bane's men had formed a circle around their boss.

"You're going to bleed out boss. We have to get you to a medic." One of the men said, and as much as Bane looked like he wanted to throttle them for stopping the fight, he agreed.

"I will kill you next time crocodile!" Bane threatened as he hurried away, using his mask to try and stop the bleeding. Waylon looked like he wanted to go after them but he stayed put next to Madeline, and then Madeline saw why. He was covered in dark purple bruises that looked worse in comparison to his green skin. His eyes were normal again but he looked exhausted, and once Bane was out of the room for a good few seconds Waylon fell to his hands and knees and panted like a dog that had just been chasing a car for miles.

"Oh my god. Babe are you okay?" Madeline asked, looking around for something that would help. There was nothing there of course but still she looked.

"Na, I'm fine." Waylon panted, breathing between words. "Just need a second." He shook his head as if to try and fix his vision. All the blows to the head had probably given him a concussion or something. Madeline didn't know if his brain healed as fast as his body did, or if it healed with the same side effect.

"That was a great shot. Didn't know you had a gun." Waylon said, getting to his feet despite Madeline's attempts to keep him down.

"It was a shit shot." Madeline admitted. "I wasn't aiming for his artery."

"Then what were you aiming for?" Waylon asked, rubbing his eyes. Yep, he had a concussion.

"His balls." Madeline said plainly, and Waylon laughed. The laugher must have hurt however, because then he cringed and groaned, clutching his head some more.

"Not surprised you missed." Waylon said as he hissed in a breath of air. "It's a small target." Madeline giggled and Waylon gave her as best a smile as he could manage considering his pain scale.

"I guess someone who has that size muscles must be seriously compensating for something."

Waylon lumbered over to the empty container of Titan and grumbled to himself.

"Well there goes fifty grand." He said dismally, kicking the container to the side.

"You said Riddler needed a sample at the very least." Madeline reminded, waving the syringe and bottle in the air. "We still have that."

"Oh, I forgot about that." Waylon grumbled, staggering a little. He shook his head but it was clear it wasn't helping.

"Maybe you should sit down for a bit." Madeline suggested, looking for someone remotely comfortable for him to sit on, but again, no such look.

"Not here." Waylon complained, staggering to the stairs. "We'll go take this stuff to Riddler first, then I can pass out."

Hope that was an acceptable fight scene. Try reading it in a sultry voice and it becomes a really weird yaoi but anyway... They have the Titan, pissed off Bane and don't forget about that Modelling contract. Tune in next time for an update and please leave a comment