Chapter Thirty Five

Wayne Tower was in flames, his father's name had been cast below, and his city still remained in chaos. Damian Wayne heard thunder explode, as a streak of lightning flashed behind the column of slag that now sat as Wayne Tower. It was him, he was here. He had to be. It didn't matter anymore, the rain, the cold, the cries for help, none of it. Robin would get what he deserved. He would get vengeance for this attack on his father's memory. If it was within his power, Damian was going to destroy everything that Bane held dear. He would ruin every corner of Bane's pathetic life, given the opportunity, and it all started now.

"Everyone, stay alert," Nightwing's voice droned on.

"He's mine, Grayson." Damian aimed and fired his grapple gun at the top of what was left of Wayne Tower. Nightwing's warnings fell to the wind, only the high tension whirring of his gun pulling the metal cable filled his mind. As he sped through the air, he caught a glimpse of two shadows, silhouetted by the moon. There was a battle to be had after all, one within a ring of fire atop the skyscraper above.

Damian heard a high pitch airburst to his side, and looking back saw Jason Todd zooming up behind him. Funny enough, it was Grayson who was still hesitating in this split second. He must've known the time for action was now. Father would have thought so.

His line brought him just a few stories shy of his target, meaning he would have to rappel up the side of the smoldering building. As soon as he hooked the cord of his gun to the carabiner on his belt, Damian kicked his feet up perpendicular to Wayne Tower itself. Every motion against its superheated frame caused it to shift. Robin could even feel the wind from the altitude start to creak away at the unstable building as he began his ascension. It was nothing to him, he reminded himself as heat tore at his soles. He'd climbed mountains taller than this when he was a four year old, as was expected of the grandson to Ras al Ghul. He did not fail then, and he would not fail then.

Thunder boomed even closer, as lightning flashed ever closer to them all, but Damian only focused on his end goal. Step by burning step, each one harder than the last. The metal frame was actually losing its consistency, bending in unnatural spots and even Damians small steps were injuring it with unnecessary strain.

"People of Gotham!" Bane's voice boomed in Damian's ear. "Your city is burning."

It wasn't just his ear, Robin realized, the speech was now being broadcast all across Gotham. Every emergency broadcast system, radio transmitter, even the Bat Family's own ear pieces were broadcasting Bane's new manifesto. Damian pulled on his grapple cord even hard, lengthening his stride. 'Must. Go. Faster.'

"Your police have failed to keep you safe, and your heroes-" Damian saw him now, coming to the edge of the flames, but it wasn't just him. He was holding the figure from before across his arms. Just two more stories. Come on, Damian, just a bit more. "-your heroes have fallen."

At that moment, Bane lifted the second figure over his head and tossed her over the edge of the building. They fell too fast to react, but in a split second Damian recognized the attire. The black bat uniform, trimmed with red. It was Batwoman!

In a moment of agonizing indecision, Damian attempted to determine if there was enough time to glide down and catch her, or if he could even catch her. If he went down, her weight might take the both of them down if he didn't she would die, presuming she wasn't dead already.

There was another loud pop, as Robin caught a glimpse of blue moving through the night. In mid air, the shape somersaulted and caught Batwoman, crashing into a story of Wayne Tower far below. Dick's voice chimed in over Robin's earpiece.

"I got her, just keep going."

"Impressive.". Damian looked back to the rooftop, to see Bane's frame surrounded in flames. "Let's see if he can do it twice." There was a shine of metal, before all tension in Robin's cable snapped. His back gave in to weightlessness, as his feet flipped over him. There was a brief instance, as time seemed to freeze around Damian. There he was in the process of falling head over heels, staring at the mask of the devil in fire. He thought of his father. His friends. His family. Then his legs began to spin over him and the world resumed in free fall.

Wind rushed all around him as the world blurred in a spiral of night and fire. Grapple cord cut, Damian struggled to grip his glider cape to recover, but just couldn't manage to get his fingers around the needed finger holds. Without his tools, Damian used the only thing he had left. His instincts.

Robin held an arm out and hoped he'd grab onto something. The world blurred for just another moment, before abruptly stopping all at once. The was a physical crack, as Damian felt something tear in his right shoulder. His vision was still swirling, as whatever taken his hand hurled him into an abandoned story of the building. His body rolled, and off of muscle memory Robin unintentionally regained his footing. He looked back just in time to see the tails of a brown leather jacket ascend the building.

"You're welcome, kid." Mistake or not, Jason Todd had just saved Damian Wayne's life. "Just don't get used to it happening again." Even so, he was still Jason Todd, and had to be a jackass about it.

"Nightwing, my wire was cut, I'm on the fifty fifth floor. Where are you?"

"Forty nine, but Batwoman's in real bad shape and this building doesn't look like it's going to last much longer." Damian put his gloved hand against a nearby pillar, and prepared himself. Not taking too long to reflect, he threw his shoulder at the pillar with hard shove. There was a soft pop, as the thirteen year old regained control of his arm.

"Don't bother," Jason commented. "I'm two stories shy, and Bane didn't see my approach. I'm going to end him tonight." There was a shriek of static, as Robin caught a glimpse of a nearby stairway and took off. Bane wasn't going to escape.

"Both of you slow down, we already have one member down, don't try be-"

"What Grayson," Damian spat back, as he sprinted up the stairs. "Don't try to be what? Heroes? That's exactly what we are." Every step was a struggle, and even if his arm had been relocated, it was still very sore. The only reprieve these surroundings had granted was the small luxury of warmth in the storm, but even that was now becoming a concern towards the building's structural integrity.

"If you're here to fight, then fight. Get Kane out of here if you need to, but Jason and I are here to finish this. I'm not going to let you or anyone else stop me from becoming my father's legacy." Before nightwing could respond, Damian threw his comm from his ear, following the example of the Red Hood. He couldn't be distracted, not now.

Robin burst through the roof access door, and was nearly pushed back by the high altitude wind bracing against his entrance. He arrived just in time to see Jason get stomach kicked back to Robin's side of the building. He caught sight on Jason's pistols, having been knocked to the middle of the floor.

"It would appear the little bird has wings after all." Bane held his muscular arms wide, stray leather straps hanging from the heavy military pants he wore. Every step he made adjusting his stance seemed to shake the building.

Jason stood from his prowler position, side by side with Damian as they side stepped to match Bane's movement. Robin pulled the blade from its secure sheath, and stood ready. Fire raged around the arena Bane had no doubt created for this twisted game. While a worthy challenger to the future Batman, Damian knew he wasn't invincible.

"If I am to battle two of you, then perhaps I should make this more even." Before either Jason or Damian could stop him, Bane twisted a dial attached to his wrist. With it, a glowing green liquid pumped through tubes previously invisible to Damian. The serum began in Bane's spine, and then travelled through his apparatus to his calves and triceps. Veins bulged black from Bane's chest, shielded from the rain by only a single black tank top, now stretched to its limit. His legs also engorged themselves, gaining half the size they'd already been. The sheer growth had been double that for Bane's arms, as the tyrant gave out a vicious roar.

"Now then," he growled. "Which of you children would like to go first?"