Much like the first time, it was Bane that charged first. He took even, measured steps, each one bringing the hulk closer and closer to Batman. The dark-clad man held his ground, watching his foe close the distance between them.

The moment Bane drew his right fist back and threw it, Batman darted to the left. Bane's fist slammed into the side of the spotlight, leaving a large dent in it as the sound of crumpling metal rang out.

Batman knew what was coming next and wasn't disappointed. Without hesitation, Bane swung his extended arm outward, attempting a backhand blow that Batman dodged, stepping out of its range.

"Reeaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Bane roared as his body twisted around to face the vigilante, even as he swung his other fist, an uppercut. Again, Batman backpedaled, avoiding the blow.

It was very reminiscent of their first fight and Batman was sure Bane was sensing this as well. However, trying to tire this man out by dodging would only go on for so long. Eventually, Bane would get wise to what he was doing, if he hadn't already. He could read the tension and frustration in the larger man's movements, so he wasn't in a cool mindset to begin with.

"Stay still, little man!" Bane bellowed as he threw his other fist again. While Batman sidestepped it, this time he wrapped his arms around Bane's, one at the forearm and the other at the bicep. Pivoting on his feet, Batman shoved his shoulder underneath Bane's arm while pressing his back right into the man's side. Pulling down on his arm, the vigilante leveraged his opponent's arm on his shoulder, lifting him off of the ground. With as much strength as he could muster, Batman threw Bane over his shoulder, sending the man flying a short distance away, where he landed face-first on the ground.

Backpedaling a couple steps, Batman then braced himself, right before he took off running. Timing it perfectly as Bane began to push himself up, turning his head to look at the dark-clad man, the vigilante leaped into the air at the last moment, leaning backwards as he extended a leg out. His flying kick nailed Bane in the face, snapping his head in the other direction as he unwillingly lunged away from the Dark Knight, collapsing back down to the ground.

The moment Batman landed on the ground, he bounced away, just in time too as Bane suddenly swiped an arm out, attempting to knock his feet out from underneath him. As the masked man began to scramble back onto his feet, Batman had a bat-shaped shuriken in hand. The last time he had used this weapon, Bane had caught it with ease. That, of course, had been because the distance between them allowed him to react.

Let's see how he took defending the shuriken up close and personal.

By the time Bane was back on his feet, Batman flung out his arm, throwing the projectile. Just as he expected, the bat-shaped shuriken collided with Bane's forehead, again causing his head to jerk backwards, and promptly stopping the man from lunging at him.

And there was an opening. Letting out a war cry, Batman threw himself at Bane, throwing a punch. His fist slammed right into Bane's exposed throat, which immediately caused the man's head to snap back, even as he gagged from the blow.

Drawing his fist back, Batman then jumped towards his foe, extending a foot out so that it landed right on Bane's leg, just above the knee. Raising up his other leg, bending it at the knee, the Dark Knight then sprung up off Bane's leg, ramming his knee into the man's face. Reaching the apex of his leap, Batman then shot both of his hands above his head, clasping them together. As he began to fall back down, he swung his hands down, delivering a jackhammer blow to the top of Bane's head.

The force of the blow dropped the masked man to the ground, Batman landing before him. For a moment, Bane didn't move. He could see his opponent just laying there. That was why he didn't immediately jump away, instead calmly backing away a couple paces.

And then the giant moved. It was slow, gingerly even, but slowly Bane began to push himself back up. "You've improved," the man grunted begrudgingly. "You are not the same man I fought before."

"I'm well-rested," the Dark Knight responded. "And you look slow. Jervis Tetch's machine exploding took a lot out of you."

"Perhaps it has," Bane admitted. "But I have enough strength to defeat you even like this."

And then Bane lunged at him. At first, Batman eyed the man's arms as one was drawn back, the other held in front of him. However, Bane leaned backwards at the last moment and lashed out with a foot. It was too late for the dark-clad man to avoid it, Batman taking the full brunt of the blow to the chest.

The force of the hit sent Batman flying backwards a few feet, the bottom of his boots skidding across the ground until he came to a stop. In an instant, Bane closed the distance between them, his giant fist slamming into the side of the vigilante's face, snapping his head to one side.

As spit flew out of his mouth, Batman couldn't help but notice that even in his haggard state, Bane was still as strong as ever. That wasn't even considering the strength his Venom gave him either.

However, Bane was never one to only throw one punch and he was forced to recover quickly. As expected, Bane was throwing his other fist at him, to which Batman immediately shot his arm up, blocking the punch and forcing it to fly just above his shoulder. On instinct, the vigilante threw a fist, one that rammed right into Bane's abdomen.

And did nothing. Damn it! Batman was stumbling right into how their first fight went. He had punched Bane in the same spot and it had been like hitting a wall. The next thing he knew, Bane's massive hands suddenly latched onto his shoulders, the hulk raising him up into the air. If it weren't for the wrestler's mask, Batman was certain he would have seen a fierce, twisted smirk on Bane's face.

Letting out a war cry, Bane then threw Batman down to the ground, his back and left shoulder taking the brunt of the crash as he cried out.

Zatanna was not a dog person. Sure, she could handle them when they were sleeping, but when they were awake, excited, and slobbering, she just couldn't deal.

Right now, she had a hand gripping tightly onto Cassandra's shoulder. Much like a dog owner holding a leash, she was doing the same thing to the girl. Unlike the Network, the two of them were sharing this building.

A lot of that had to do with Bruce's wish for a one-on-one fight. It was most certainly some macho man bullshit, but she couldn't deny him a rematch. Cassandra, on the other hand, could. She had tried, but all Bruce did was look her deep in the eyes, the two having a silent staring contest.

"I have to do this," he had said then.

"Why alone? Why does it only have to be you?" the girl had demanded. "Is it because you want revenge? Or is it to save this city?"

Zatanna suspected that neither choice had been the correct one. Oh yes, by beating Bane, Gotham would be saved and that was the result all of them wanted. For the magician, she could see there was something else afoot. She knew a slight of hand when she saw one and to her, Bruce had another motive. That he needed to prove he was still able to fight the worst of what Gotham could throw at him and get back up. To prove that he was still able to fight.

To prove he was truly back.

Needless to say, Cassandra lost their staring contest and gave in. Everyone—forever and ever—would always give into the man. He was stubborn, hard-headed, and had the annoying perchance of being right more times than not.

Which is why she was at the girl's side. If her words to the rest of the Network where any indication, she was on constant vigil for the first moment of weakness in Bruce. The first time he was in trouble, she would go swinging in and take on Bane, brutally if allowed.

Not that anyone could tell her not to be.

C'mon, Bruce, get up, she chanted in her head. Or else you're about to have your hands full with Bane and a furious teenage girl.

As rough as the landing had been, Batman wasn't completely helpless. In fact, he had a perfect view of what Bane was going to do next, even though he wasn't in the best position to counter it.

Rearing back on one leg, Bane raised the foot of the other one, then forced it downward. Eyes widening, Batman immediately rolled to a side, just barely avoiding the stomping foot as it smashed down on the ground where he had been laying. The cement crumbled from the blow, cracks spreading out in all directions.

This didn't faze Bane in the least. Undeterred, he spun his body to keep the Dark Knight in front of him. Fist raised, he threw it down. Continuing to roll, Batman avoided it, the punch slamming into the ground and breaking the ground much like his foot had.

Over and over, Batman rolled, Bane following him as he threw punch after punch like a jackhammer. Fist-sized holes formed right where the large man's blows landed. Getting tired of the world spinning around him, Batman finally stopped rolling, ending up on his side as one arm propped up his upper body.

Unfortunately, all of his rolling hadn't put any distance between him and Bane. The giant man loomed over him, legs bent at the knees so that he could better throw his cement-crushing punches. "Finished running away?" the man taunted.

Yeah, you could say he was. With a hand at his belt, Batman shoved it into the first pouch he could and got lucky. As Bane raised his fist and promptly began to throw it, the vigilante threw out his own arm, tossing a flashbang grenade right at his foe's head.

The moment the flashbang grenade struck Bane's face, it detonated, a blinding flash erupting as a deafening thunder rang out. Thanks to his cowl, Batman was largely saved the debilitating effects.

As for Bane, he took it all. No doubt his eyes were burning and his ears were ringing. Crying out, the large man stumbled backwards, hands clutching at his head, unsure whether to cover his ears and eyes, so his hands were constantly moving, clumsily gripping at his head.

Scrambling onto his feet, Batman remained crouched for a moment before he charged at Bane. Though he was wide open, he knew from experience that simply punching the man would not work. No, he had something else in mind and it all had to do with Bane's greatest weakness—that being his head.

Jumping up at the last moment, he leaned backwards as he threw up his legs. The back of his thighs landed on Bane's shoulders and the moment they did the vigilante squeezed his legs around the man's head.

Throwing his body backwards, he pulled Bane off his feet, swinging him downwards to the ground. Reaching out with one hand, Batman braced himself in a handstand even as he released his leg hold on his foe. This left Bane to crash headfirst into the ground, his body collapsing a moment later.

Flipping back onto his feet, Batman was just in time to see Bane pushing himself back up. Keeping a hand pressed to his face, he wildly swung an arm out, an attack that came nowhere near the Dark Knight. His balance thrown off, he stumbled a step, then two, then again swung the same arm harmlessly threw the air. "Where are you?!" the man demanded. "Come out and fight!"

Well, if that's what he wanted. Batman tensed himself, ready for another go when he spotted something. Hmm, that could be useful. He'd have to position himself, even time it perfectly, but he could deal Bane some serious damage.

Why the hell not?

Silently, Batman glided around Bane, circling him as the man continued to stumble and flail about. He would purposefully make a sound, actively strike his foot on the ground, which caused the giant to throw himself in his direction, though his wild punch or kick came nowhere near him. "Is this all you are?!" Bane roared as his frustration mounted. "I was wrong to respect you so!"

"Respect this." Again, Batman leaped at the man, wrapping his legs around his head again. Throwing himself backwards, he once more pressed a hand to the ground even as he swung Bane up and then down.

However, instead of throwing Bane to the ground like last time, he sent the man head first into the spotlight. His head smashed into the glass, causing it to shatter as his body followed him into the large signal light.

Half a heartbeat later, it exploded.

"Jesus!" Nightwing swore as a fireball exploded up into the air.

If he didn't know any better, he would've said Batman was toying with Bane this whole fight. He had been keeping the massive man at arm's length the entire fight, controlling every step, every punch, and every throw. Watching him throw Bane into the Bat Signal and causing it to explode was incredible.

This was completely different from the time he had fought Bane. Bane had been this insurmountable mountain and he had proven it. With ease, he had disposed of him and Huntress and Red Hood. Now though, the shoe was on the other foot.

At least, that's what he would have thought had the last few months not happened. Batman was playing this close to the vest, not taking too many chances against this guy. It was conservative and made sure a knockout blow could not be throw by either of them. Was tiring out Bane a viable strategy?

That's when a sound caught his ears. Looking up, Nightwing spotted a helicopter approaching, though it was one he easily recognized as the Channel 6 newscopter, its red and white painted sides standing out in the night's sky. It came to hover above the construction site, a spotlight turning on and angled right on the burning remains of the Bat Signal. This caused the entire roof to light up, including Batman as he stood staring at the raging fire, a dark cloud of smoke rising into the air.

"Well, Batman," Nightwing muttered. "I hope you enjoy being on TV. You're about to be on Prime Time."

Batman looked up at the newscopter as it lit up the roof. It shouldn't have been so surprising to have them arrive; annoying, but not entirely unexpected.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of metal screeching and protesting. Jerking his head back to the destroyed spotlight, he saw Bane slowly shoving himself out of the wreckage. The man was hurt, he could see it. Between Tetch's machine, the flashbang grenade, and now the spotlight explosion, Bane had taken more damage than he probably had his entire life.

Batman couldn't help the smugness he felt about that thought.

"I...have had...enough…" the masked man growled as he slowly turned to look at the vigilante, keeping one hand on the frame of the spotlight. The bottom part of his mask was torn off, revealing his mouth as blood leaked out of it. There were more burns on his body and rips in his pants. It was like he was barely held together. "I am finished...playing with you…"

"Going to use your Venom now?" Batman goaded him. "You should have used it at the beginning."

"Perhaps. It seems I've underestimate you." Bane then shoved himself from the debris, standing wobbly on his feet. Raising his right hand up, he moved it to the device on his left wrist, his fingers grabbing the knob. "That is a mistake I will not be repeating."

And then he turned the knob. Instantly, the machine turned out, Venom running down the tube from the device and up into his head. Bane bared his teeth as he groaned, his body spasming as it grew larger, bulking up. Large veins began to protrude from his skin, pulsating with every beat of his heart.

Finally, it was time for the main event.

Bane growled with every breath he took, sounding like a wild animal. A dangerous animal. Twisting his body, he grabbed the remains of the spotlight on either side of the metal frame and yanked it off the roof. Sparks shot out of the fractured base as Bane turned back to face the Dark Knight. He then ripped the spotlight in half.

"REEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Bane roared as he chunked half of the heavy scrap metal at Batman. Seeing it careening for his head, the dark-clad man dropped down, going into a crouched pose as the spotlight flew over his head.

Immediately, he saw the other half flying right for him. Diving to a side, the vigilante went into a roll seconds before the broken spotlight crashed right where he had been kneeling, bouncing off the ground as it went tumbling across the roof and out of sight.

Ending up on his feet while still keeping low, Batman had to jerk his head upward to see Bane in midair, having leaped perhaps moments after throwing the last remains of the spotlight at him. He had his fist drawn back as he began falling towards the vigilante.

Batman immediately sprung backwards, Bane's fist driving down where he had been standing, and burst through the cement. A large hole formed almost instantly, the hole growing bigger and bigger as the edges chipped off, cracks spreading out in all directions. Continuing to backpedal, Batman moved underneath the skeletal framework of the construction site, keeping his eyes focused on his opponent.

Pulling his fist up, Bane lunged towards the Dark Knight, taking one step over the hole he had made and not breaking his stride. Yanking his grapple gun out, Batman stuck his arm out to his side and fired the grapple claw at a random I-beam. He retracted the grapple the moment he could, flying up through the air just as Bane lashed out with a foot, stomping it right where he had been standing.

Reaching the I-beam, Batman hauled himself on top of it, finding himself to be two stories above Bane. "That's right! Run!" the large man roared as he turned to face him, head tilted back. "There is nowhere you can hide from me!"

As he looked down, Batman couldn't help but notice all of the construction equipment lying about. There were I-beams stacked on top of each other, pallets with boxes of nails and bolts, even a small cement mixer; that wasn't even including the discarded power tools left by the construction crew.

Seeing nothing he could use at the moment, the vigilante turned to his belt. Pulling out the cylindrical Concussion Detonator, he tossed it into the air, watching it fall down towards Bane. If there was anything in his arsenal that could produce a powerful punch, that would be it.

Bane immediately focused on the falling cylinder, watching and waiting until he shot a hand out and caught the Concussion Detonator in his hand. The size of his hand was so big that it completely surrounded the device in his grip.

Suddenly, Bane's hand jerked and the entire length of his arm trembled. "Is that all you can do?" the masked man growled as he rotated his hand, uncurling his fingers to revealed the shattered remains of the Concussion Detonator. "That was pitiful."

Well, that was disappointing. Unfortunately, Batman wasn't given a second chance to check the equipment in his belt. Reaching down and to a side, Bane's hand found the cement mixer next to him. The metal of the mixer crumpled beneath the man's fingers, creating a grip for him. With relative ease, he lifted the cement mixer single-handedly and threw it at the vigilante.

Leaping from his perch, Batman soared over the hurling mixer, which slammed into the horizontal I-beam he had been standing on, denting it as the mixer ricocheted off of it and vanished into the night. Descending, the Dark Knight landed on an I-beam one story down and opposite of the one he had been on.

Suddenly, a massive hand clamped down on the metal beam a short distance away. A second later and Bane hauled himself onto the I-beam, turning to face the vigilante. Instinctively, the dark-clad man backed away until the heel of his boot came into contact with a vertical I-beam a moment later.

Without hesitation, Bane lunged at him, throwing a punch for his head. Instantly, Batman ducked down, the fist barely passing over his head and rammed right into the vertical I-beam, the steel bending from the blow and causing the entire structure to shake and groan.

Seeing as he was at the juncture of four horizontal beams meeting at a vertical one, the vigilante had a couple options before him. Darting to his left, he jumped to the intersecting beam and moved down it, putting some distance between him and Bane.

Bane wasn't having any of that though as he jumped to the beam as well, pulling his already-extended arm across his body and then swinging it out. Batman had to yank himself backwards just to avoid the swing, feeling a strong wind pull on him as the massive appendage passed in front of his face.

However, instead of continuing to back away, Batman saw an opportunity to use his foe's momentum against him. Leaping up, Batman shot his hands up to the I-beam above his head, his fingers wrapping around the lower end. Pressing his legs together, he swung them upward, timing his double-legged kick perfectly as his feet slammed right into Bane's face, causing his head to snap backwards.

Batman grimace as the force of his feet meeting skull ran up his legs. That had been harder than expected. Well, since he was still clinging to the beam above, he continued to swing his legs upwards, wrapping one around the metal beam so that he could steady himself. As quickly as he could, he pulled himself onto the beam, looking down at Bane the moment he had his footing.

However, he wasn't done. Again, he jumped up to the I-beam above his head, swiftly climbing onto that as well. That put two stories between him and Bane again.

At least, that's what he had planned. Suddenly, the skeletal framework began to tremor, causing him to snap his eyes down. Bane had moved to the nearest vertical I-beam and had jumped upward, grabbing onto the intersecting horizontal I-beams. He had his feet braced on the vertical beam was scaling up the framework.

Alright, this was becoming too much. It was time to end this Venom-fueled strength. Pulling out a bat-shaped shuriken, Batman held his ground until Bane grabbed onto the beam he stood on. That's when he leaped into the air, going into a flip over his opponent's head as he soared into the open space of the framework.

As the world appeared upside down, his feet to the sky and head towards the ground, Batman threw his shuriken at Bane, aiming right for the Venom tube at the back of his head.

His aim was true. He watched as the projectile collided with the tube, pulling it along its flight path, stretching it—

Only for the tube to snap back, throwing the bat-shaped shuriken away. Batman's mouth dropped open at the sight even as he began to complete his flip, legs swinging downward as his head rose up. He landed on another I-beam—in fact, it was the one he had grappled to when he and Bane had rushed into the scaffolding. He was mindful not to step on the dented, damage part, though that was secondary at the moment.

What the hell had just happened? That shuriken of his should have severed the tube. Yet, it had acted just like a rubber band, stretching out before snapping back into place.

"You're probably asking yourself what just happened," Bane's voice called out. Returning his attention to the hulk, he found the man, still hanging to the I-beams, though he had one foot firmly planted on the vertical beam. He was twisting his body around so that he could look at the Dark Knight, looking very much like a gorilla. "And I shall answer you. I hadn't realized just what a liability my Venom tube was, not until Ra's al Ghul cut it during our last fight. So I had it reinforced, removing that as a weakness."

Damn it, Ra's, Batman growled inside of his head. Of course it would occur to the Demon's Head how to weaken Bane. Now that the tube couldn't be cut, that left yanking it out of the man's head the only option left and that wasn't going to be an easy feat. In fact, the dark-clad man was betting Bane had thought of that and reinforced it as well.

That was when Bane sprung off the beams he clung to, flying towards the vigilante. Immediately, he shot his hands into his belt, pulling out his electrified brass knuckles with them already firmly on his fingers. Balling his hands into fists, he slammed them together, a burst of electricity crackling about his knuckles from the collision, the electric bolts dancing across his fingers even as he pulled his fists apart.

A moment before Bane landed on top of him, Batman dove to one side, going into a roll down the I-beam, ending up on his feet just as Bane landed on top of the beam, the metal twisting around his feet from the force of the landing.

Pivoting on his feet, Bane swung his right fist, throwing it right for the vigilante's head. Darting in low, Batman threw his left fist up, uppercutting Bane's arm at the forearm. Immediately, the electricity from his brass knuckles shocked the man, causing the muscles to spasm as Bane's fist weakened, his fingers curling outward. He even heard a hiss come from the giants man's lips.

Without hesitating, Batman drove his other fist right into Bane's abdomen. Unlike the last time he had tried a gut shot, the electricity his brass knuckles delivered softened the muscles so it didn't feel like he was punching a wall. Immediately, Batman began slamming punch after punch into Bane's stomach, driving him back step after step after each blow.

That's when it happened. Having seen the opening he had created, the vigilante had thrown everything after it. That left him complacent until the moment Bane's hand suddenly clamped down on his arm, stopping him from throwing another punch. The force the giant man used on his arm was incredible, pain beginning to sear up and down his forearm. Unable to help himself, he hissed as he felt a pop in his arm, undoubtedly a fracture forming.

Suddenly, he was yanked right off the I-beam as Bane began to spin around in a circle, which spun the vigilante with him. The next thing he knew, Bane let go of him, sending the dark-clad man flying through the air at incredible speeds. The wind shrieked in his ears before his back collided with a vertical I-beam.

Pain exploded through his back as he cried out, ricocheting off of it as he went wildly tumbling through the air. Apparently he had hit it at an edge rather than its center; regardless, that didn't change the amount of pain he was feeling as fire raced through his back. His eyes were squeezed shut as he whipped around blindly. Forcing them open, he found he was heading right for another I-beam, a horizontal one this time. Twisting and turning his body as best as he could, he collided with the I-beam against his chest, his arms wrapping around the top of the beam as his legs dangled beneath him.

Damn it, that had been a rookie move. He should have been attacking other parts of Bane rather than focused on one place. He knew better than that. And speaking of which, he turned his head to look at his opponent, only to find the man had leaped into the air, flying towards his hanging form.

Gritting his teeth in spite of the throbbing he felt in his arm, back, and chest, Batman hauled his legs up, pressing his feet onto the side of the I-beam, and then pushed off of it, springing off of the beam. As he threw himself into the open shaft created by the framework, Bane landed right where he had been clinging to the beam, the metal crumpling beneath his heavy feet.

Beginning to fall through the air, Batman shot his hands to his belt, digging into two different pouches. The brass knuckles thankfully didn't get in his way as he dug in his belt. Pulling out bat-shaped shuriken with both hands, he immediately threw them at Bane.

By then, Bane had spun around and lunged off of the I-beam. The shuriken struck the masked man as flew, one at the juncture of his left shoulder and pectoral muscle and the other dead center of the right pectoral. The wing tips dug into the man's body, causing blood to spurt out.

Yet, this did not stop the man as he roared, dropping down onto the Dark Knight. Before he could even react, Bane thrust a hand out, slamming his palm right down onto the vigilante's chest, his thumb and index finger nearly wrapping around his throat. Instinctively, the vigilante grabbed onto Bane's arm, unable to dislodge it from its vice-like grip. The two men plummeted through the air, picking up speed until they crashed on the ground. A cloud of dust erupted around the two, covering them for only a brief moment.

The air in Batman's lungs was forced out of him upon landing, leaving him breathless as he gasped. Though the throbbing in his back had grown stronger, he was surprised to find it wasn't as bad as he thought. Even as he sucked in precious air, his mind was trying to figure out why. With one of his hands, he pressed down on the ground and realized it was much softer than he expected.

Of course, he had seen Bane shatter the cement over and over during their fight. No way would he have been able to do that if the rock was this soft. It occurred to him a moment later what was going on.

Zatanna. She must have used a spell to soften the cement to better cushion his crash. Even now he could feel the cement solidifying until it was completely solid. It was as if she were trying to help him without him finding out.

That thought was immediately ripped away when he felt himself be hauled right off the ground and held in the air, arms and legs dangling at below him and at his sides. That was when Bane rammed a fist right into his abdomen, leaving him breathless all over again.

"Do you not see it?" Bane said then, turning them to face the other direction even as he pulled his fist back again. "You are nothing against me—nothing. No matter how many times you fight me, the result will always be the same. I am your superior in every facet."

And then Bane threw his punch again, slamming it into Batman's face while simultaneously releasing him. Again, the vigilante was sent flying through the air, hurling through it until he began to fall, landing back on the ground seconds later. Of course, his body bounced off of the ground over and over until his momentum slowed down and he went into a roll. Coming to a stop, Batman laid there for a moment, trying to catch his breath even though he knew he couldn't afford to. He couldn't feel his electrified brass knuckles on his hands any more, most likely having fallen off during his tumble.

Slowly, he began to push himself up, coming to a stop when he realized Bane was right next to him. Forcing himself up, he found Bane's fist right in front of his face, an instant later ramming into the side of his head, knocking him back to the ground.

The giant man's hand then grabbed onto his shoulder, another wrapping around his neck. From sheer strength alone, Bane lifted him up into the air, holding him right in front of him. "You have nothing!" he proclaimed "Beg for mercy! SCREAM MY NAME!"

The very thought of doing what Bane demanded was disgusting and Batman wouldn't have any of it. "Go to hell," he growled back.

Bane's reaction was instant. Lifting the vigilante up higher, he then threw him back down to the ground, Batman crying out as the roof cracked from his impact. The hulk then raised a foot up, ready to stamp it down. Forcing himself, Batman rolled to a side, just before Bane dropped his foot, slamming down right where he had been laying and causing even more cracks to appear on the ground.

And then the man swung his back leg forward, landing a kick to the Dark Knight's side. The force of the blow lifted him right off the ground, sending him careening through the air until he crashed right into the broken stand the signal light had once stood on. It was basically a pipe with a jagged edge from where the spotlight had been ripped off, though fortunately the vigilante only collided with the side of the shaft rather than its jagged tip. Again, he grunted as he bounced off the piece of twisted metal, landing back down on the ground.

This was not going the way he thought it would. Batman's entire body hurt, throbbing and sore. He couldn't find the strength to push himself up again, instead lying on the ground, panting as he tried to recover from each blow.

Bane's feet suddenly stomped right next to him. The next thing he knew, the hulk's hands wrapped around a leg and the back of his neck, lifting him up into the air and holding him above the man's head. Batman found himself looking up into the sky, seeing the newscopter hovering overhead, its light beaming down on the two.

It was an all too familiar view.

"This will be the last time I fight you, Batman," Bane said beneath him, causing the vigilante to turn his head to look at the top of his head. Inadvertently, this gave him a good look at the device on the masked man's arm, the one that controlled his Venom feed. "Now I will break you and then I will rip your head from your shoulders and use it as a trophy!"

Like hell you will. Immediately, Batman reached to his belt, pulling out yet another shuriken. Throwing his arm up, he then swung it downward, twisting his body in Bane's hands so that he could drive the end of the bat-shaped shuriken right into the device.

Instantly, the shuriken tore into the device, a spurt of green Venom fluid shooting out. Electricity danced over the control, tickling at Bane's arm.

"Eh?" Bane grunted as he turned his head to look at device. As if on cue, Venom began rushing through the tube and right into his head, his muscles beginning to spasm and grow almost immediately.

"No!" Bane cried out as he released his hold on the vigilante. Immediately, Batman threw himself behind the man, landing crouched on his feet, cape falling behind him. In the meantime, Bane grabbed at the Venom control, trying to turn off the feed. "No, the Venom! Can't...stop it!"

That's when his body's reaction to the Venom went into overdrive. His arms stretched out to absurd lengths, muscles exploding to impossible sizes. His chest expanded outward, defining each and every muscle there. His neck thickened almost to the point where it looked as if Bane would suffocate from the thickness. Veins that had been pulsating earlier enlarged, practically protruding from his body.

Bane cringed inward then before lashing out with his arms, throwing them at his sides as he jerked his head backwards. His teeth were gnashed together, practically melding to each other as a strained groan ripped through his lips.

"Noooo! Heeeelp meeeee!" he cried out as he stumbled forward a step, then another, collapsing to one knee by the edge of the incomplete building. Staring at him for a moment, Batman then turned his head away, spotting a coil of chains right next to a vertical I-beam.

Well, well, maybe he could help.

"AaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Bane screamed as his body convulsed and grew another size. Striding away from him, Batman grabbed one end of the chain when he reached it and swung it around the I-beam. Luckily there was a hook attachment at the chain's end, which he hooked in one of the chain links. Giving a rough tug on it, he was satisfied that it would hold.

"You can't do this to me!" Bane bellowed then, once again throwing his head back, body simultaneously cringing on itself and expanding outward. "I am invincible!

"I AM BANE!"

By then, Batman had trudged back to the suffering man. Calmly, he wrapped the other end of the chain around Bane's Venom tube, hooking it together much like he had with the end around the I-beam. Satisfied with his work, he took a step back.

There was a part of him, angry and irate with the man before him. It wanted to say something, one last rejoinder full of snark and rage. Yet, he couldn't find it in himself to do it. It wasn't him.

So he reared back on one leg while he lifted up the other, then kicked out with it. His foot slammed into Bane's back, pushing him forward and out over the edge.

Bane fell off the building, tumbling wildly headfirst as the chain rushed down after him. The chain links slid out of its pile of coils, moving faster and faster with every second until the last coil was gone. Due to Bane's speed, the chain yanked hard on the I-beam, the metal beam not giving an inch.

Several stories down, the chain reached its full length. This caused Bane's head to snap back as his legs were flung beneath him and swung upwards. Due to the contradicting forces, Bane's falling momentum and the chain's sudden stop, the chain forcibly removed the Venom tube out of his head, taking with it bloody pieces of skin, muscle, and fragments of skull.

For a moment, Bane seemed to hover in mid-air, his back to the ground, his face to the sky. Then gravity set in and he resumed falling. He didn't reach the same velocity as he had after being kicked from the top and that's what saved him as he crashed down hard on a pile of building supplies. Pieces of wood shattered and splinted, ends of metal pipes bending upwards. A cloud of dust was thrown up into the air.

Standing at the edge of the building, Batman looked down at his fallen foe. He could see Bane lying there, a pool of Venom spreading outward from his body, and the man not so much as twitching. Moments went by before Batman came to the conclusion that his foe wouldn't be getting back up again. Whatever fight was left in Bane, it was gone now, draining out of him much like his Venom.

A breeze blew by then, causing Batman's cape to rise up and billow behind him. The light of the newscopter was firmly on him, though thankfully it wasn't in his eyes. Raising his head up, he looked out at the city's skyline.

At long last, this war was over.

A quick note: some, if not many, of you may recognized some aspects of this chapter. A lot was taken right from the BTAS episode Bane, particularly Bane's last words as he suffered a Venom overdose. Those are the same words from the episode, which I found rather fitting for the end. There are a couple other elements in the fight as well that came from that episode.

To Guest: Technically Batman is always recording thanks to the cameras in his mask. I'm certain the newscopter caught the rest