Location: Budapest, Hungary
Date: August 31

"How could you miss a camera?" Barsad inquired of Sullivan in sick bay after latter had been examined following his run-in with Bane.

"It must've been running on an encrypted network," Sullivan offered the only excuse he could muster.

"This is extremely bad," Barsad opined as he paced in a manner evocative of his mentor.

"You're telling me. I'm lucky to be alive. Don't suppose I'm going to be for much longer."

"He'll calm down."

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah, just keep your distance for the time being until I can straighten this mess out."

"I can do that. How's Dublin for ya?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of your bunk."

"I'm not joking. Maybe it's time to cash in my chips."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"One way or another I'm through here, and I don't mind saying I'd like to leave with my head still attached."

"You're borrowing trouble, Sullivan."

"I take it you're going to lock me up and throw away the key to stop me from taking off. That duty fall to you, does it?"

"Would you stop it already?! No one's locking anyone up," Barsad assured.

"Do you take me for a complete wanker? We both know he's not exactly famous for his leniency."

"Things are different now. He's mellowed a bit. I'm sure you've noticed by now."

"I think it's safe to say he's reverted to his former self. Presenting Exhibit A," Sullivan gestured to the hand imprint around his neck.

"In his defense, you did piss him off royally."

"I don't see what the big deal is anyway. The Americans have already made you so what's it matter that they've got you on camera? I think they're more concerned that you tried to help blow up one of their major cities than ripping off some rich bloke across the pond."

"I'm not the problem, Kate is. She's a sitting duck thanks to your blunder."

"You might want to rethink that, mate."

"What's that mean?"

"You're the one that brought her here! If it weren't for you she would've never been on the bloody tape in the first place! Seems to me you two are passing the buck just a little."

"I'd lower your voice if I were you," warned Barsad.

"Piss on that! If I'm going to die I'm going to do it with a little dignity," Sullivan exclaimed.

"Keep up that attitude, and you might get your wish."

"He's the one who cut her loose. Why in Christ he did I'll never know."

"You once theorized he was in love with her. If you're right, there's your explanation."

"That doesn't make a lick of sense. Granted I'm no expert, but if I loved a lass I'd do everything I could to keep her with me."

"Even if it meant her having to give up all hope of a normal life? Because that's what it would entail for him."

"You know it never ceases to amaze me how people speak of normal life as if such a thing actually exists. Seriously, have you ever known anyone that had a normal life?"

"I did, once upon a time."

"No, you just had a different kind of life. Trust me, there is no normal. We all have things that make our lives peculiar in some way. Some of us are better than others at hiding what makes us strange, that's all."

"Be that as it may, a life on the run is no kind for a woman, especially an innocent one."

"You must've been of that opinion when you snatched her, which begs the million dollar question: Why did you?"

Barsad hesitated. He'd asked himself that very question at least a dozen times after the fact, and there was hardly a time when the answer was ever the same.

"She helped us when she had every reason not to. If she'd finished Bane off, she would have been totally justified. I wouldn't have liked it, but I would've understood it. But she didn't."

"I wonder why."

"She wanted to repay a debt."

"What debt?"

"Never mind."

"Come on, humor a soon-to-be corpse, would ya?"

"Give it a rest, will ya? You aren't going anywhere, and that includes the afterlife. I'm going to have the doc keep you here tonight for observation just to be on the safe side."

"And tomorrow?"

"Let's just take things one day at a time, all right?"

"Look, whatever happens I want to thank you for what you did. I wouldn't be breathing if it weren't for you. I owe ya one, mate."

"I realize it may be difficult, but I hope you won't judge him too harshly for this."

"You're right; it will be. I've never seen him like that with one of his own."

"Apparently you have a short memory."

"Okay, I have, but I never thought the day would come when I'd be on the receiving end of his fury. I tried so hard to do a bang-up job, but I still blew it in the end, didn't I?"

"You're human, you made a mistake. You went five years without one; I'd say that's a pretty good record."

"I'd hate to ask you this, but do you think you might plead my case? It's obvious he listens to you, and I rather enjoy living."

Barsad knew they'd both have better luck leaving that task to Kate, but since she was decidedly unavailable, he would speak on his friend's behalf if need be.

"Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

Ill at ease due to Barsad's avoidance of his question, Sullivan prepared for an all-night vigil with the hope that it would not be his last.


For a man who had spent nearly a third of his life in prison, Bane didn't think time could possibly pass any slower than it did in the recesses of the pit. He was proven wrong the night he'd received the disastrous news pertaining to the Spain affair.

Sullivan's oversight was maddening, but Bane could not exculpate himself from culpability in the fiasco. Although he had not said so aloud, he placed a preponderance of the blame squarely on his own shoulders. It was he who sent Katharine with Barsad and resultantly put her in harm's way when she was of no consequence to him. He would have given anything to turn back the hands of time to right his wrong, but all the wishing in the world would not change a thing. He was a man of action, and he had to do everything in his power to ensure her safety no matter the personal cost. He would bring the full force of his army down on Langley itself if it came down to it.

Who are you kidding? The video will be at every major media outlet before you board the plane.

As much as he hated it, he knew her fate regrettably rested solely in Alexei's hands rather than his own. The Russian had a knack for getting himself out of sticky situations, however the key word there was 'himself.' His life was not on the line therefore his incentive to succeed was not as compelling; if the double agent failed he would be no worse for wear. Katharine, on the other hand, would be rounded up like some vicious criminal, leaving Bane inconsolable in the process. The fact that she'd been an unwilling accessory to the embezzlement would matter naught to the overzealous FBI. They would resort to methods that bordered on torture to get what they wanted from her. He could see it all so clearly, like an incubus from which he could not awake. She would be apprehended, tried, convicted, and incarcerated all for a crime he alone had orchestrated.

He couldn't stomach the thought of it. He couldn't live with himself should that vile scenario become reality. He had to stop it somehow, even if it meant surrendering himself to the American authorities who would derive tremendous pride and joy from executing him.

His attention was then unceremoniously diverted by the door signal. He didn't have to look out the peephole to know who it was.

"I have no desire for your editorial, Barsad," Bane decreed before attempting to close the door faster than he'd opened it.

"That's not why I'm here."

"Why then?"

"We've got some things to figure out, and as they say, two heads are better than one."

"I prefer to be alone right now."

"I prefer that too but considering someone's life might depend on our actions, I feel the need to play a part in developing a contingency plan."

Realizing Barsad's intentions were good, Bane permitted him entry, and the two men settled themselves on the sofa and armchair respectively.

"This is a disaster," proclaimed Bane. "Damn Sullivan for this."

"If you want to blame someone, look no further. I brought her with us, which makes me sure as hell more at fault than he is."

"Yes, it does," Bane glowered. "But you are not expendable. Fortunately such is not the case with your little friend."

"I don't think you appreciate how important he is to our operation," Barsad chose his words carefully.

"Nonsense!" Bane retorted and rose from the chair in favor of pacing. "He has proven his incompetence and is relieved of his position effective immediately."

"He's afraid you're going to kill him," Barsad stated as his eyes followed Bane's every step.

"Considering all the trouble his idiocy has caused, I very well should. However, seeing as how you are so appalled by the idea I will spare the cretin. He will live out his days in Peña Dura where he will be incapable of causing any additional crises."

"You might reconsider after what I'm about to say. But before I do, I want to stress that it was all my doing, Sullivan was just following my orders."

"Dare I even ask?"

Barsad hoped for the best and prepared himself for the worst. Bane was already fit to be tied, and Barsad knew his disclosure had the capacity to push him over the edge. After a deep yet silent breath, he came clean.

"I never deactivated the GPS on Kate's phone. Her calls and whereabouts have been monitored this entire time under my direct supervision."

Bane seethed with contempt at the revelation.

"You deliberately disobeyed me?" he gazed down at Barsad while hovering over him.

"Yes," Barsad admitted, staring directly into his superior's eyes as he did so. "I didn't want to, but I couldn't go through with it. I just had a, I don't know, a hunch or something."

The very notion of disobedience made Bane want to snap a neck or two so it was needless to describe the drastic feelings the actuality spurred within him.

"At the very least, I have reason to dismiss you for such insubordination."

"You do, but in light of this recent quandary I think my defiance is a stroke of luck. It gives us an opportunity."

"What are you advocating?"

"I think you know the answer to that."

"You want to bring her back," Bane correctly deduced.

"If you want to keep her out of prison it may be our only recourse."

"I am waiting to phone Alexei. He is attempting to intercept the disk as we speak."

"And if he doesn't?"

"He will," Bane asserted icily.

His leader's tone made Barsad wonder which one of them he was trying to convince.

"She still needs to be alerted," insisted Barsad. "She's just a phone call away."

"You will not make a single move without my explicit approval."

Sensing his second was about to chime in with protest momentarily, Bane amended his instruction.

"I am deathly serious, Barsad. Do not let your rank go to your head. You have crossed me for the first and last time, haven't you?"

"Of course."

"Good, now get out."

Barsad quietly took his leave, and Bane resumed his rumination.

Though his lieutenant's recalcitrance was offensive, Bane could not rebuke him too harshly. Barsad was right—there could be a silver lining to his insolence. Thanks in part to his minor rebelliousness they would be able to determine Katharine's exact location and, if things got really hairy, extricate her from anywhere in the city by way of the tactical team still employed on the ground there. Obviously Bane did not want to resort to such extreme measures, but it was comforting to know that the option was there if push came to shove. Nevertheless, he hoped it would not come to that. For the time being, he was still pinning his hopes on the spy.

An hour later, he dialed the fateful number and endured the three longest rings of his life.

"Yes," Alexei answered.

"Do not keep me in suspense."

"You can breathe easy. The item in question is no longer a cause for concern."

"How do you know?"

"I suppose only time will tell. Keep your eye on the news."

"Indeed I will."

"And now I would like to discuss the matter of my compensation."

"I will give you nothing until I know with absolute certainty that the recording is no more."

"I never said it was destroyed. It still exists, but do not worry; it is in a safe place known only by me. However, that could change if you fail to cooperate."

Bane's blood boiled at the ultimatum. There he was under the racketeer's thumb twelve years after he had resigned from his service. He'd been under the impression that they had parted amicably, but Alexei's exigent attitude caused him to reconsider that belief.

"Are you attempting to blackmail me?"

"I'm simply holding you to your end of our negotiation."

"What do you want?"

"I want you in front of me at eight p.m. my time Monday."

"Why?"

"You said I could name my price and so I have. My chalet, Monday at eight, just you. Otherwise the deal is off."

Bane struggled to keep his temper in check. Alexei was again calling the shots for the time being. Whether he liked it or not was totally irrelevant.

"I'll be there," Bane agreed and hung up.


September 3

Predicting Barsad would have spent the whole weekend hounding him about his agreement to Alexei's proviso, Bane elected to keep the news under wraps until it was time to head out.

"He what?" Barsad asked alarmingly as Bane thrust his personal effects into a duffel bag in his quarters.

"You heard me."

"Yeah, but I sure as hell wish I hadn't. This whole thing reeks and so does he."

"I like it no more than you, but I do not have the luxury of a choice."

"Bullshit, let's just go get Kate and tell the Russian to get fucked."

"That is out of the question. I cannot have her likeness revealed to the world. She will never be safe if that happens."

"She will be if she's with us."

"I shall hear no more of it. I'm going, and that's final."

"You could be walking into a trap!"

"Do you honestly believe that possibility has not occurred to me?"

"So then why are you doing this?!"

"I will not repeat myself. Now if you would excuse me, I have a plane waiting," Bane reminded and exited his room with Barsad not far behind.

"At least let me come with you," he implored as he followed Bane down the corridor.

"Negative. If the situation proves problematic, I'll need you here to run things."

"All right," Barsad conceded with a pronounced sigh. "But what about Kate? For God's sake, at least let me warn her."

As much as he detested the idea of upsetting Katharine, Barsad's argument was a valid one. She had to be apprised of the potential danger.

"Very well, you may make the call. But be as general as you can, do not give any specifics."

"I'm already on it."

"If anything should go wrong, you're in charge."

"Be careful, brother," Barsad advised as they reached the outside of the compound.

With a nod of acknowledgement, Bane proceeded to the awaiting aircraft. Barsad looked on for several minutes until the vehicle rolled down the tarmac and propelled into the air. Once it was out of sight, the latter hustled inside to give Kate an obligatory heads-up.


Unable to concentrate on even the simple act of reading, an unmasked Bane finally gave up on The Great Gatsby around midway into the flight. The parallels between the novel and his life were few, but they did exist, namely that he, like the work's eponymous protagonist, was a man who would do anything for his beloved, though unlike the quixotic Mr. Gatsby, he had no winsome delusions about living happily ever after in the arms of his love. He would have to settle for keeping her safe. And he would do just that one way or another.

To say that Alexei had nerve—demanding private audience with him as if he was still one of his peons—was an understatement, but he had Bane over a proverbial barrel and he knew it. All Bane could hope for was that the price for Katharine's security would not be too steep.

As the jet came closer and closer to the destination, he could not abstain from wondering how things would have turned out had he followed his heart instead of his head and taken her to Budapest with him. He certainly would not have had to kowtow to the whims of his former employer, a man he was growing increasingly disdainful of by the minute.

It took him a few seconds to come to his senses, to realize that even if he had brought Katharine with him, the video would still have been an obstacle due to the possibility that she might one day change her mind and want to resume a normal life, a life without him. Still, her calming presence would have made his blight all the more bearable.

Barsad's absence was also glaring, as Bane would have felt far more secure with him by his side. For nearly ten years he'd hardly gone anywhere without his steady right hand, but the omission was necessitous, for he trusted no one to act in his stead other than his soon to be named successor. He couldn't help but grin as he pictured the bleeding heart American turning Ra's al Ghul's legacy into a global relief organization. Knowing Barsad as well he did, the notion was not as outlandish as it may have seemed.

Since his homecoming, Bane noticed that his thoughts of Talia had markedly diminished. The change would have been a boon had that obsession not been superseded by another. He discerned a definite trend that seemed to more or less define him. First it was Elena, then Talia, and finally Katharine. Together they formed the triumvirate that had governed his life from birth to present day.

Mother, daughter, wife.

Of course only one of those depictions was entirely accurate. As much as he viewed Talia as his own, she had not been. The same rang true for Katharine, but there were myriad differences between the two women, the first and foremost being their corporeal statuses. Talia was dead, there was nothing more he could do for her, but Katharine was alive and needed his help. He owed her that much. After all, if it had not been for him, she would never have landed in such a perilous predicament.

"Sir?" a voice interjected.

"Yes?"

"We'll be landing in ten minutes. Might want to put your seatbelt back on."

"Thank you, Malik," Bane said respectfully and buckled the safety device.

The Iraqi gave a curt nod and made his way back to his seat.

At only twenty-one years old, Malik al-Jahid was the League's youngest member. Bane had met him just three years earlier during one of his designated visits to the war-torn city of Mosul in northern Iraq. In the final years of his life, John Daggett had his grubby hands in everything, including the reconstruction efforts of that beleaguered nation in particular.

Many areas of Iraq had been virtually obliterated by the Americans during their war of attrition, first against the Ba'athist regime and later the insurgency that ensued long after Saddam Hussein's ousting. Both of Malik's parents were casualties of the eight-year conflict. His father had been killed in an airstrike by the invaders while at work at a steel factory on the outskirts of Fallujah, and his mother met a similar fate seven months later via shrapnel from a car bomb set by her fellow countrymen on a street in the same city. Neither of them were wrongdoers even by western standards, they'd purely been victims of circumstance. The personal tragedies left the then-teenager justifiably bitter, and in under a year he went from devout Muslim to staunch atheist. Abandoning the stringent concepts of God and country, the youth set out on his own, eventually making his way through each of the eighteen provinces that comprised Iraq. Malik was from a poor family, and his education had been very limited as a result. In his homeland, schooling was compulsory only until the sixth grade, and further traditional education required passing a national examination, which he had not. With his options severely restricted, he decided to attend a vocational school with the hopes of becoming a machinist. Following his mother's death, however, he lost all ambition and withdrew from the program altogether.

For two years he eked out a living as a petty larcenist, that is until he was caught stealing from a construction site owned by none other than the ubiquitous Daggett Industries. Luckily, a certain masked man happened to be on the premises that day, and when a band of Daggett's cronies attempted to humiliate and then summarily execute the lanky bandit, Bane stepped in and put a stop to the travesty. Being the only member of the group fluent in Arabic, he questioned the native, who was by that point beyond petrified. Under the believable ruse that he wanted to take care of the brazen thief personally, Bane escorted Malik from the site. Over the next week the two spent much time together, and despite his antisocial tendencies, Bane took a liking to the young man almost immediately. They shared several commonalities, including humble beginnings, childhood trauma, and religious abnegation. When it came time for him to leave Iraq, Bane chose to offer the aimless man a home in his brotherhood, and the recruit graciously accepted. Once he completed the training phase, Malik was inducted as a full-fledged member of the League of Shadows. His performance since his initiation was commendable, and Bane never once regretted his merciful intervention.

Shortly after his walk down memory lane, the plane touched down at the remote airstrip and settled into the hangar. The skeleton crew Bane had brought with him, which all in all totaled four, awaited his instruction.

"You men will wait here. If you do not receive a call from me by 22:00, you are to return to base at once. No matter what, there is to be no extraction mission. That is a direct order. In other words, pay no mind whatsoever to Barsad's imprudent commands where I am concerned."

The men nodded solemnly at the ominous mandate, and Bane boarded the SUV alone and drove onto the desolate road.


Arriving fifteen minutes early, Bane was swiftly ushered to Alexei's office by the same two stooges who'd done it the first time. Using only his peripheral vision, he sized up his prospective adversaries along the way. Both were shorter by approximately five inches. One was wiry, the other stout, but not to the degree of obesity. Although their guns were not visible, he knew they had to be armed. They would have been easier to neutralize had their weapons been out in the open, but being as skilled as he was, Bane did not foresee any problems overcoming them if things turned ugly. He could only hope that there was not additional backup waiting in the wings of the palatial property.

When the journey ended, the goons departed. To Bane's mild surprise, Alexei was already in the office.

"I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a very strong sense of déjà vu," the extortionist smirked.

"Here I am, just as you . . . requested."

"You're angry with me."

"What made you come to that conclusion?" Bane asked calculatingly.

"You radiate it. You are a conductor of rage. You have been since the day I met you, and I suspect your condition has significantly worsened since then."

"Surely you didn't summon me here to analyze me."

"No, I did not. Please have a seat," Alexei beckoned him to the nearest chair.

"Thank you, but I prefer to stand."

"Suit yourself," the antagonist reclined in his seat in a display of overt arrogance.

The stalling act annoyed Bane even more. It had been years since he'd been forced to endure such degradation, and he was more than tired of the mind games the Russian was playing. If only he knew where that wretched recording was hidden he could kill the worm, retrieve the disk, and escape into the night before the guards were any the wiser.

"Have a drink with me," Alexei insisted and began pouring vodka that was undoubtedly expensive into two crystal glasses.

"You know I don't drink."

"I've always wondered why not. Don't tell me you're an alcoholic."

"No."

"You know, if you'd indulge in the finer things once in a while you may find life a bit more pleasurable."

Bane had never taken a sip of alcohol in his entire life. Drinking was a vice, a weakness he did not need.

"I'm afraid I must decline."

"You were born in the wrong era. You would have made an excellent Spartan," he commented.

"If it isn't disagreeable to you, I'd like to get on with this."

"I'm merely trying to be hospitable."

"What is it that you want of me, Alexei?"

"It's very simple. I want to know who the woman in the video is and why you're willing to sell your soul to protect her."

"Forgive me, but I fail to see how that is any of your business."

"You made it my business the moment you demanded my help."

"Your issue is with me, no one else."

"What I did for you wasn't child's play. I had to promise our informant a fortune for that damn disk, a million dollars to be precise."

"You shall be reimbursed provided I am satisfied with the outcome of the situation. Have you heard from him since?"

"Oh, yes. He's had a very stressful weekend. The CIA has been on lockdown since their prize was plundered. They're performing polygraphs on every single employee from the director all the way down to the cleaning staff. Fortunately for us he's a trained liar. I shudder to think what would happen if he wasn't."

"Where is it now?"

"We will abide by the rules of quid pro quo. Tell me what I want to know, and I will do the same for you. Who is she?"

"She's someone who doesn't deserve to have her life ruined. She did not participate voluntarily. I forced her into it."

"You never struck me as a man who would force a woman to do anything she didn't want to. Was I wrong?"

"Evidently. Has she been identified?"

"No. Why do you care what happens to her?"

"I just told you, she's innocent."

"You were going to kill millions of innocent people. Why does one matter so much to you?"

Bane knew his inquisitor was not going to let up until he obtained the information he wanted. Delaying the inevitable was a pointless endeavor.

"Because I love her, that's why," he confessed with an unblinking glare.

Alexei thought he had seen and heard it all, but apparently he had been wrong. Many times he had tried to persuade Bane to partake in the pleasures that only the fairer sex was capable of granting, but each time he had refused. He knew Bane was understandably self-conscious because of his scars, but looking at him barefaced for only the second time, he was surprised to find that he was actually decent looking in spite of them. Maybe Bane had been simply holding out for Miss Right and had finally found her in the mystery woman on the disk. Whatever the case was, it was nice to know that the best security chief he'd ever had really was a human being.

"That's a damn good reason, my friend. And now for the pièce de résistance," Alexei announced before rising from his chair and strolling to a framed landscape painting that was hanging on the wall behind his desk. He then detached the piece of artwork to reveal an electronic safe, which he quickly opened and removed an object from. After he secured the cache and replaced its covering, he made his way to Bane.

"You saved my life in Yekaterinburg. I'd always hoped I would one day be able to return the deed in some way. And though this isn't exactly what I had in mind, I hope you will take it as a token of my esteem," Alexei said and handed Bane the sachet.

Bane pulled the item out of its sheath and was stunned by what he found.

It was a disk. But was it the disk or was Alexei trying to hoodwink him? There was only one way to find out.

"May I?" he asked.

"By all means," Alexei obliged and exchanged seats with his guest, who inserted his gift into the corresponding drive on the computer without delay.

As he gazed intently at the images on the screen, Bane was thoroughly elated. Alexei wasn't trying to pull a fast one; he had come through after all. There she was, his one and only love all dolled up in the dress, the loveliness of which paled in comparison to its wearer.

"How did you get this?" Bane inquired almost in awe.

"Air mail," Alexei responded.

"Ingenious."

The portion of the footage that had caused him a lifetime worth of grief was a scant twenty-eight seconds in duration, but that was more than enough time to irrevocably shatter Katharine's life had it remained in the CIA's possession. That last thought produced yet another worry in Bane.

"Is it even remotely possible that they made copies?"

"I doubt they would be going to such desperate lengths if they had."

Alexei's inference was logical and thus highly reassuring. Bane could have sat there and watched his favorite person go in and out of the suite all day, but he was on a tight schedule. Perhaps he would view it once or twice in the privacy of his billet before he crushed it into a hundred pieces.

"I must hand it to you, Alexei, I'm impressed. For a moment I thought this might be a trap."

"I had to come on strong. You would not have come otherwise."

Alexei was mistaken; Bane would have, but he felt no need to correct his beneficent host.

"That's quite a beauty you've got there," Alexei complimented. "Treating her like a princess, I trust."

"Unfortunately not. We are no longer in contact."

"She left you?"

"It's a long story I don't have time to tell."

"I'd like to hear it when you do have the time."

"And you will."

Bane was never very adept at expressing gratitude. He supposed the inadequacy was principally due to his lack of experience in giving thanks. Nonetheless, he gave it his best shot.

"Alexei, I cannot thank you enough for this. I will be forever grateful."

"So tell me . . . are we even?"

"For all time."

At that moment Bane scratched his plan of enlisting his friend's influence in order to acquire political asylum. There were only so many favors a man could ask for.

"I'll walk you out," Alexei offered.

"That won't be necessary."

"I will see you again?"

"You have my word."

"There's just one last question I would like to ask."

"What's that?"

"Will my repayment be in cash or check?"

"I'll bring the money to our next meeting."

"Watch yourself out there."

"And you, my friend," Bane replied and, in an anomalous show of appreciation, embraced his ally, who was somewhat taken aback by the unexpected gesture.

Once he was again in his vehicle, Bane first called Malik to inform him and the others that everything had gone according to plan. After that was taken care of, he did the same to Barsad, whose greeting went something like . . .

"Did he get the disk?"

"Affirmative. I have it with me. I'm returning to the runway now."

"I'd hate to rain on your parade, but we may have another problem."

"What is it?"

"I've been calling Kate since you left, and she hasn't answered."

"Perhaps she is busy."

"I thought that too until I had Sullivan look into it. Someone tried to hack into her phone last night."

"Who?"

"A guy named Miles Kennedy. Sullivan ran him, found out he works for GPD."

"Where is the phone now?"

"It was purposefully shut off minutes after the failed breach. We can't track it if it's not on."

Just when things were looking up, they had fallen apart in the blink of an eye. The truth was now painfully undeniable; expelling Katharine was the worst mistake he had ever made. In doing so he'd thrown her to the wolves. Now the predators were at her door, and he would not be there to save her from them as he had twice before. The pleasant life he so badly wanted for her would be forfeit, her innocence destroyed for all time, and he would be to blame for all of it. He was so distraught he could barely think straight. He had to get a hold of himself, not for his own sake but for Katharine's. If he faltered even slightly, she would pay the price for his failure.

"What was its most recent location?"

"Kennedy's house, some dump in the Narrows."

"Listen very carefully, it is imperative that you follow my directions to the letter. Call the tac team in Gotham and give them the rundown. Tell them to use any means necessary to find out everything this hacker knows. I'm on my way."

"Copy that."

After hanging up, Bane peeled rubber all the way to the plane. He would stop the wolves again. For Katharine he would kill them all.


Author's Note: My apologies for the longer wait on this one. Also, I'm not very familiar with Islamic naming customs so I simplified Malik's name for practical purposes. Please forgive any inaccuracy on my part.

Only four more chapters to go by my calculations. If I feel like I'm rushing things I'll extend it appropriately, my fixation be damned. Up next we will travel three days back in time to see just what has happened to Katharine. I'm still hoping to hear from some of the silent majority before I wrap it up and of course my faithful regulars who I adore :)