Chapter 27

After colliding, Batman and Bane recoiled from each other then charged again. Bane moved a bit quicker and punched Batman across the face. While Batman didn't feel any pain, he felt the impact. The strike provided the definitive proof for Batman that the new armor would only protect him so much; Batman already knew that, but the confirmation helped plan a better strategy. Batman spun around and kicked Bane in the face, sending him stumbling back. Batman rushed Bane and dropkicked him in the chest. Bane stumbled again but caught his footing and smiled a bit.

Despite Batman's new armor, which Bane deduced Batman had just put on tonight, Batman was as skilled and as focused as Bane knew he had to be to bear this mantle. Batman wasn't relying on the armor, totally. It was just a tool. There was a plan; Batman always had a plan. Bane just didn't know what it was yet.

The thought of that excited him more than anything.

Bane rushed at Batman, throwing his shoulder into Batman's core. They both fell to the ground, punching each other all the while.

Bennet was parked in alley across the street from the marina, observing the scene. Moments later, Batwoman, Ghost-Wing, and Jaguar landed behind Bennet.

"So far, I can't see any kind of bomb," Bennet kept his eyes focused on the marina.

"You really are used to this, aren't you?" Batwoman asked.

"Tights and capes. You better get used to it if you wanna be any good at this life. Just less capes these days."

Batwoman squatted down, studying this scene. "What're you thinking?"

"I'm guessing they've gotta have some sort of submarine," Bennet explained. "Too many dock workers considering most of Gotham is evacuated. Given the size of the signal, Bane's threat, and the fact that no one's ever seen the damn thing, that's the only way they could get any kind of decent sized bomb to Gotham undetected."

Jaguar leaned over. "The second we start fighting, Bane's gonna know."

"Unless we make sure he doesn't."

"Meaning?" Ghost-Wing asked.

"We'll have to go radio silent for a few minutes," Bennet explained. "I can jam and loop a signal, making Bane think everything's fine while we deal with this."

"Ya know, Batman's wrong," Batwoman declared. "You're not at all related to drying paint."

Bennet just groaned.

Batwoman giggled. "Oracle, you get all that?"

"Every word," Tiana replied. "Do what you have to. We'll handle our side. Just get back in touch when you can."

"Roger that." Batwoman looked at Bennet. "We're good."

Bennet pulled an orb-like device from his jacket pocket. "Ready?"

Batwoman looked at Jaguar and Ghost-Wing. They nodded. Batwoman looked back at Bennet, "Let's get this party started!"

Bennet drew a gun from his jacket holster then pressed a button on the orb. Immediately, the disguised Scourge members grabbed their ears in pain. Taking that as a clear signal, Batwoman, Ghost-Wing, and Jaguar rushed from the alley and began attacking the Scourge. Within minutes, they had rendered all of the Scourge at the Marina unconscious. As Ghost-Wing tied them up, Bennet approached.

"How'd you do that?" Jaguar asked Bennet.

"This thing was developed years ago as a way to quickly subdue enemies comlinks," Bennet answered, putting the orb device in his pocket. "Sends out a nasty reverb that temporarily incapacitates them."

"Nice!"

"I can't take the credit. This is about a… fourth-generation design. The original was based on one of Amanda Waller's ideas."

"Amanda Waller!" Jaguar said in surprise. "Wow!"

"Yeah," Bennet replied. "Used to be my boss."

Jaguar's eyes widened. "You worked with Amanda Waller?! She's a legend!"

Bennet paused. "Yeah. Yeah, she is."

Batwoman cleared her throat. "So, uh… where's the sub?"

Bennet retrieved his phone from his pocket and scanned the area. They walked to the edge of a pier, Ghost-Wing joining them, and stopped. Bennet pointed, "Down there. It's gotta be a decent size sub to carry a bomb that strong."

"We'll find out." Batwoman looked at Bennet, "Mind staying topside? Looking out for us?"

"Sure. I mean… I wasn't goin' down there." Bennet pointed at his suit, "I didn't bring any swim trunks."

"Oh, I get you. I usually prefer a bikini when jumping in the water. The body underneath this suit is amazing!"

Bennet just glared at her. "You're as bad as Batman."

"I taught him well!" Batwoman smirked. "Watch our backs, Bennet."

"Right," Bennet nodded.

Each activating their own underwater breathing tools, Batwoman, Ghost-Wing, and Jaguar dove into the water, finding the submarine was only a couple of dozen feet below the surface. They swam beneath it, finding a cargo door. Batwoman hacked the door and opened it.

Closing the door behind them, they all got onto a platform and shook the water off. "Well!" Batwoman smiled. "Glad I remembered to leave the diving settings on this suit."

"You think of everything," Jaguar smiled.

"You'd be surprised the things I don't think through. You should've seen me when I was pregnant the first time."

"Yeah, but… ya know. That can be scary."

"Still is."

Jaguar smiled. "You're a great mom."

Batwoman smiled wider. "You have no idea what a relief it is to hear that. I don't care how many times I hear it."

Ghost-Wing observed them, "Are you two… best friends now or something?"

"Can't be," Jaguar smiled. "Her real two best friends would kill me. Well, three with Ember."

"Oh, stop!" Batwoman giggled.

Ghost-Wing just stared at Jaguar and Batwoman in shock. He almost couldn't fathom how much things seemed to have changed in the past few days. They left the cargo room and entered a main hallway, scanning the area.

"I don't think anyone else is here," Jaguar informed. "Can't smell anyone, besides us. Just metal and chemicals. That's probably the bomb."

"So, where is the bomb?" Ghost-Wing asked.

Batwoman activated the scanners in her mask. After a few moments of scanning, her eyes widened. "Uh-oh! Ohhhhhhhh, this ain't good."

"What?" Jaguar asked, nervously.

"The bomb isn't on the sub; it is the sub!"

"WHAT?!"

"There's a lot of circuitry running to a central point but…" Batwoman explained, "…almost every square foot of this boat has some kind detonation capability."

Ghost-Wing looked around, "That… means…"

"Bomb this size… half the city will get leveled, easy."

"Oh, God…" Jaguar breathed out.

Batwoman thought for a moment. "I might be able to disarm it, but we gotta get this thing out to sea. About 8 to 10 miles out and it should negate the blast radius and any possible fallout."

"What about 15 miles?" Ghost-Wing asked.

"It'll be safe, for sure."

Ghost-Wing thought for a moment then exhaled. "I'll do it."

Jaguar looked at Ghost-Wing in shock. "Oh, like hell you will!"

"I have to," Ghost-Wing said, sadly. "It's the only way… to set things right."

"You're not…"

"I have to. If… I'd been smarter… worked with Batman… maybe we all could've figured all this out sooner. This… I have to do this. It's only right."

Jaguar gritted her teeth, fighting back tears. She was angry at him but never enough for it to come to this. But given his stance and his voice, Jaguar knew that Ghost-Wing was completely serious about sacrificing himself.

Ghost-Wing made his choice. Maybe this was it. And maybe it should be. He disappointed everyone and he had no one to blame but himself. He just wanted to take one chance to set it all right. Even if it meant his death.

Batwoman stared at Ghost-Wing and could tell how serious he was.

She just disagreed with the plan, wholeheartedly.

Batwoman drew back and delivered a solid, powerful slap across Ghost-Wing's helmet.

Jaguar gasped at the strike.

Ghost-Wing lurched back against the wall. He looked at Batwoman, in shock.

"If you think getting yourself killed will make her want you back," Batwoman motioned toward Jaguar, "or make your grandpa stop being mad at you, you're a bigger dumbass than I thought. Try just apologizing, actually apologizing, and make attempts to do better, ya moron!"

"How did that hurt me?!" Ghost-Wing asked. "My helmet…!"

"Please! I figured out how hard to hit that thing five seconds after I saw you."

"Damn!" Jaguar whispered.

"Listen, moron!" Batwoman pointed at her backpack, "What do you think this is? A fashion accessory? I have the old armor in here. I can drive the sub out and get clear before it detonates. Maybe even defuse it."

"The armor won't protect you if the bomb goes off," Ghost-Wing informed.

"Thank you, Sherlock. Care to tell me what color the sky is now?"

Jaguar had to stop herself from laughing. "I had no idea I'd have to fight laughing like this."

"I have that effect," Batwoman smiled. She looked back at Ghost-Wing, "Look, I know the bomb could go off if Bane decides to hit the button. Maybe the armor can give me a shot to survive it. But first things first, getting it clear of the city and defusing it."

Jaguar held her smile. "That really is a good plan."

"I have those sometimes. You guys can go. I can handle this."

Ghost-Wing just stared at Batwoman. "You're serious."

"Gotham's my town, too," Batwoman reminded. "No one's blowing it up while I can stop it."

Ghost-Wing silently studied Batwoman. "Maybe you guys aren't so bad."

Batwoman giggled a bit. "High praise from Caesar."

"Why does everyone say things like that when I say something nice?"

"Because we don't say nice stuff often?" Jaguar asked. "You have to hear it by now."

Ghost-Wing stood, stoically, for a moment. "If you're staying…" he stared at Batwoman. "…we're staying."

Jaguar jerked her head back.

Batwoman was taken aback, as well. "You don't have to…"

"I believe you can handle it," Ghost-Wing declared. "Just… if you're going to risk your life… it's only right that we do the same." He looked at Jaguar. "Unless you wanna go. I'm… sorry for speaking for both of us."

Jaguar smiled. "No, it's fine. This time only."

Batwoman smiled. "You guys are pretty cute together."

Ghost-Wing and Jaguar laughed a bit.

Batwoman activated her sensors again. "Okay. I think I know where the central core for the bomb is. If we can diffuse the bomb first, that would be best, and we'll handle the rest from there."

"Lead the way," Ghost-Wing requested.

Runner, Koutetsu, and Ember were forced into another area of the ship by Tremor and Killer Frost. This battle was vastly different from their previous encounters. Tremor's and Frost's attacks were more powerful and precise. While they did outnumber them, the Dark Knights realized that this fight was entirely to keep them occupied and to eliminate them. The hero trio jumped back from Frost and Tremor, glaring at them.

"Dammit!" Runner growled. "This is getting us nowhere!"

"Tell me about it!" Ember agreed, angrily.

Frost hurled a ball of ice at them, which they dodged, but the ball exploded into a small iceberg. The heroes landed safely, ducking behind cover, but were getting more frustrated at this battle.

Ember looked at the iceberg then growled, "Alright, she's working my nerves!"

"I think we need a new strategy," Koutetsu declared.

"Got one?" Runner asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Ember and I will deal with these two." Koutetsu looked at Runner, "You will go. Find another hub. Find Batman. We'll join you as soon as we can."

Runner stared at him in shock. "Are you…"

"Get goin', bro," Ember insisted. "Little Miss Snow Cone and the Whitebeard wannabe pissed off the wrong bitch and extremely handsome samurai. And they're gonna learn the hard way."

Runner hated the idea of leaving them alone. But relented, since they were right. "If you guys get yourselves killed, Doc's gonna kill me! So, ya know… don't die. For my sake."

Ember laughed. "Don't worry. If it dying disappoints the Doc, it ain't worth it."

"We'll be fine, my friend," Koutetsu readied his bokuto. "Trust me."

"That part's easy." Runner smiled. "With both of you."

Ember smiled a bit. "Thanks."

Koutetsu looked at Ember and Runner, "Ready?"

While Ember nodded, Runner replied, "Ready!"

Ember jumped up and unleashed a tide of fire at Frost and Tremor, and Runner headed for a nearby vent, swiftly disappearing within it.

Koutetsu waited until Runner was gone then looked at Ember, "That's good."

Ember cut off her flames.

Frost and Tremor emerged from their hiding spot and saw that Runner was no longer among them.

"Ohhh!" Tremor laughed, "Oh-ho-hooo! You let your little buddy run off. We're gonna do this together? Just the four of us? A little… tag team action."

"Relax, junior," Ember groaned. "You ain't my type."

"And me?" Frost asked.

Ember shrugged. "Eh. Not bad. Once upon a time, I'd ask for contact info. Now? You're irritating and I gotta kick your ass."

Frost laughed. "You've been pretty impressive, fire girl."

"If you weren't trying to kill me, I'd appreciate that," Ember fired back.

"If either of you wish to succeed," Koutetsu spoke up, "you will find us to be… a bit difficult to overcome."

"You two were barely holding us off when there were three of you!" Tremor laughed. "What makes you think you have a better chance now?"

Koutetsu and Ember looked at each other and smiled. They looked back at the Scourge elites.

"Because we like to be careful around our buddies…" Ember punched the inside of her fist, causing a flash of flame.

"When we are alone, however…" Koutetsu surged his chi. "…such notions as being careful… are not as necessary."

"You two wanna find out? C'mon over, babes… find out for yourself…"

Athanasia looked at the monitors of the battle, noting Batwing's and Runner's race to another hub.

"What are they attempting, Mistress?" a Scourge soldier asked.

"Perhaps to take over the ship," Athanasia answered. "Has there been any change in the systems?"

"None we can detect."

"Hm. Send more troops after Nightrunner and this new hero. And keep our main forces focused on Nightwing, Catwoman, and their ilk."

"Yes, ma'am," the Scourge soldiers replied.

"Where did Ghost-Wing, Jaguar, and the third one go?" Athanasia asked.

"They seemed to have fled the ship," another Scourge soldier replied. "We can't locate them."

Athanasia let her mind dwell on the situation. There were many possibilities but she didn't have evidence to make a definite decision. "Keep monitoring the ship's systems. If one thing is amiss, discover the reason."

"Yes, Mistress."

"What about Bane and Batman?" Ikram asked.

"That is my Beloved's fight, Father," Athanasia smiled. "That has nothing to do with us or our mission."

"Mistress!" a Scourge soldier said. "We have GCPD headquarters within range."

Athanasia held her grin. "Ready all weapons. Prepare to fire."

All the weapons and targeting systems of the Castellum were going green. Tiana could confirm that much.

Tiana sighed. With the Castellum being within firing range of GCPD headquarters, she knew she had to act. Tiana went ahead and began putting her plan into motion and started hacking the Castellum.

A/N: Did anyone find my One Piece reference? I've been on a kick of getting into that anime and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

So, different parts of that battle are entering different phases.

Can Batwoman and the others disable the bomb? Will Tiana be able to hack Bane's ship? How are the other heroes doing? Who will land the most definitive blow between Batman and Bane?

The battle continues...