Chapter Eighteen: The Eye in the Sky
Blake and his murderous company arrived back at the hotel, unaware of the soulless paid men-for-hire waiting with scopes on long rifles, their precision and accuracy was unmatched by all but the Goddess Diana.
Gunfire erupted before Bane arrived, the smell of gunpowder still heavy in the air.
Bane was called by one of the militants who had taken a bullet to the shoulder that the hotel parking lot had become a war zone.
Bane pulled the beastly vehicle to a halt and took cover. He pulled a pair of binoculars from an old leather case.
His magnified view caught a definitely dead Logano in the middle of the parking lot, even from the distance, anyone could see that Logano had died of near-complete exsanguination.
Bane saw shadows and could tell there were people taking cover behind a dented royal-blue set of dumpsters and a couple random shapes behind a bulky SUV and sleek Jaguar with ugly wheels.
One of the snipes fired at a face that darted around the dumpster and missed but made Selina give a shout.
"There's that feline bitch," Bane thought when he heard the grating pitch of Selina's voice.
As the remaining living armed people in the parking lot all regrouped and strategized, back at Jenifer's cozy home, Barsad focused his complete attention on the HD screen of the drone's real time recording.
He had asked Jenifer to keep Livia occupied so he could concentrate on being Bane's remote support. Barsad adjusted the mouthpiece of a wireless headset. His voice transmitted to a small, curved plastic apparatus nestled deep in Bane's ear.
While Barsad maneuvered the drone through the air, it's recording eye seeking Blake and the others, upstairs, Jenifer finally convinced Livia to soak in the bathtub with some relaxing lavender-vanilla bath salts.
Jenifer averted her eyes as Livia undressed and slipped into the hot water, letting out a deep breath as the water swallowed hurt and began urging warmth throughout her body.
Jenifer settled on the edge of the tub and soaked a washcloth before running an oblong bar of soap over it. She scrubbed Livia's back before speaking. "When I go to the store next, I'll pick you up some prenatal vitamins. Do you have a regular OBGYN or do you need help securing one?"
"I went last year for a pap, but I'm not attached to her," Livia said as she stared down at her cuticles.
As Jenifer helped Livia wash her hair and massage in a thick, luxurious conditioner, back in the hotel parking lot turned slaughterhouse in waiting, Bane listened as Barsad told him where Blake was crouched behind a classic Plymouth and moving at a snail's pace on his belly to where Bane was squatted behind the SUV.
From the screen, Blake looked exactly like the reptile he was, masquerading as a man throughout his life.
Bane dropped back silently into the cover of a thicket of blooming morning glory vines. He moved laterally and ended up coming up behind Blake.
Bane wanted to draw zero attention to the recently parked SUV and slipped his gun into his rear waistband and pulled out a small knife with a wickedly sharp blade.
Bane pounced on Blake in the manner of the true apex predator he was and buried the curved platinum blade deep into Blake's neck, severing his arterial and vascular intersection. Bane's hand was soon warm and wet with Blake's blood as his life drained from him and his body twitched under Bane's crushing weight.
Bane continued moving after he wiped his blade clean and stripped Blake's warm body of weapons. He had messaged one of the paid men perched in the tree of the kitty cat hiding behind the dumpster.
A bright series of flashes and loud bangs broke the air as the sniper in the tree hurled a set of flash grenades at the dented dumpsters.
Bane listened as Selina gave a final death cry and fell silent along with a cook from the hotel who had been caught outside at the wrong time on a designated break.
As Bane advanced closer towards the hotel in search of the juvenile masked rodent, back at Jenifer's home, Livia leaned back against the back of the tub and laid the washcloth over her eyes as Jenifer gave her some time to herself. She had a billion emails to answer and had to prepare a plausible story for when she was questioned about her missing patient.
Her email inbox didn't disappoint with the glut of messages about the missing patient. Jenifer felt some of her anxiety lessen as the general consensus was the patient wandered off, highlighting the not complete understanding effects of head injuries.
Jenifer scanned an article in the local paper about Barsad's sudden disappearance. He was still listed as a John Doe in the article and a description was listed as well as GCPD's phone number and missing persons extension.
She listened as the bathwater splashed, followed by the sound of the water draining. Jenifer looked up as Livia walked in while tying the bathrobe's belt into a big, looping bow.
"There's some pajamas in the second drawer, wear whatever you find comfortable," Jenifer said as she pointed at her dark dresser.
Livia rooted around for some comfortable clothes and disappeared back inside the bathroom to change. She sat back down on Jenifer's bed and reached for a gossip magazine on the nightstand. Livia lost herself in the glossy photos of celebrity cellulite and who was fucking who as Jenifer replied to some emails and set up some online bill pay.
As Livia chuckled at an article about a celebrity tiff, hours away in the hotel parking lot, Bane pivoted sharply on his heel and stumbled to the ground as a bullet tore a hot path into the meat and muscle of his right shoulder.
He wouldn't have had time to raise his gun before Nabokov's head exploded like a swollen, burst watermelon. Bits of brain, shiny white skull fragments and fleshy chunks rained over Bane from where he had awkwardly landed on the gravel ground.
As Bane brushed wet viscera from the front of his tactical vest, the tree where the sniper was still waiting, his finger on the trigger, was suddenly consumed in fire and a hailstorm of bullets as Batman came down from the sky in one of his flying contraptions and unleashed hellfire on the poor tree that committed the crime of growing.
The sniper that was nestled among the leaves, died a nearly instantaneous death as his body was consumed by a refined explosive that burned like the progeny of napalm and yellow cake uranium.
Bruce turned the muzzle of the loaded missile chamber at the other sniper that was trying to run for cover behind the other set of dumpsters. The set of dumpsters that the paid murderer was running to were dark green and designated for recyclables only.
The highly paid solider-of-fortune didn't make it.
Bruce cut down the man and nearly bisected his body in a spray of armor-piercing rounds. The man's soft flesh was no match and parted easily with each bullet's hot killing kiss.
Gordon watched the military display of force from Bruce who landed his rodent-jet in the middle of the parking lot.
Bruce was so focused on getting to Selina's side even though he knew she was gone that he didn't see anything else but the heavy smoke that surrounded the blue dumpsters. The illogical part of him hoped she had a pulse, and that Lucius Fox could build her whatever limbs had been blown off.
Bruce picked up the pace and was nearly sprinting to the dumpsters when he was suddenly tackled and knocked on the ground as Bane brought him to the ground and began delivering sharp kicks to his mid-section, back and head.
Bruce was able to knock Bane's feet out from him and got his own bearings and balance as Bane fell heavily to the ground.
The remaining injured paid militant and Gordon watched the two powerful men fight.
Bruce and Batman were two bull elephants battling for dominance on the Serengeti, only one could remain.
As Bane and Bruce roared as they met each physical blow with one of even more force, back in Jenifer's home, Barsad watched with awe at Bane's agility even with blood running down the back of his muscular triceps.
Upstairs, Livia and Jenifer chatted about a whole host of topics as Livia switched on the television and couldn't believe when she stumbled across one of her favorite films that was filmed nearby but was supposed to be some part of France.
As Livia fell into the well-memorized plotline and Jenifer added some prenatal vitamins to a virtual shopping cart from a big-box retailer, back at the hotel death match, Bruce was able to plunge a stiletto blade into Bane's injured shoulder.
Bane grunted and was filled with explosive rage as the blade penetrated the same wet hole the bullet had made as it pierced his muscular flesh.
Bane slid one hand over Bruce's and manipulated his thumb into a Jiu-jitsu hold and the other hand to the collar of his cowl. Bane yanked Bruce down by the neck of his bat costume and raised his knee to meet Bruce's nose.
Bruce's handsome face was soon bathed in blood as his nose shattered with the force of meeting Bane's knee.
Bruce dropped heavily to one knee as he reflexively brought one hand to the center of his face.
Bane capitalized on Bruce's human instincts and pulled the gun fluidly from the small of his back and soon had the end of the barrel pushed against Bruce's straight white teeth.
Bruce's undertaker would later have to use porcelain gaps for the open casket viewing.
"You've died for nothing, there is no honor here," Bane murmured before he pulled the trigger in rapid succession until the gun clicked empty.
As he killed the man bat, Gordon had begun to advance from the room towards Bane's turned back.
Gordon was stopped short by several fired rounds from the wounded sniper who had been clinging to consciousness nearby, his homemade tourniquet was beginning to fail, and he was losing blood fast.
The man who saved Bane's life died before the paramedics arrived and called for a coroner after turning off their lights and cutting the sirens.