AN: Hello and welcome! I am so happy to bring you a new chapter of Hammer of the Bat. I've been working on this chapter for a long time and it is oh so satisfying to finally post it. I hope you all are staying safe and that you enjoy the next part of Nora's adventure!
As always, eternal thanks to my lovely beta annbe11. If anyone is interested in a great Aladdin fanfic focusing on a young Aladdin and Jasmine trying to survive the mean streets of Agrabah, please check out her story Of Rats and Royals. It deserves so much love!
Chapter 8 – Stay Strong and Hit Stuff
The first thing Nora felt was pain. A dull throbbing in her head. She felt like there was a dragon Grimm raging and stomping around her skull, demanding to be released. Her eyes clenched at the pain and she lifted her arm. It took a few moments for the limb to follow her commands, but eventually Nora managed to raise a hand to rub at her aching head. She felt cold metal underneath her and could hear the sound of distant alarms.
After a struggle, Nora managed to crack her eyes open. The shadows swam before her vision before coming together into murky pictures. She blinked a few more times before the world focused enough that she could make out her surroundings. She was in a dark elevator shaft, lit only by tiny emergency bulbs as the top of the shaft stretched up into infinity.
"How'd I get here…?" Nora croaked to the empty elevator shaft. Her closest memories were… hazy. She remembered rescuing the doctors with Batman and then they went down the elevator. She heard the name of a person called 'Scarecrow' and then…
Then what?
Nora's eyes had sharpened enough that she could look up the shaft and actually notice a few details. The chief one being that there was an elevator door hanging open about three stories above her.
Just like that, everything came rushing back to her. Finding Jim's body, Batman bursting into flames, her… her family burning to death all over again. And right at the very end of it was…
"Ren!" Nora gasped, digging her fingers into the metal beneath her as she tried to push herself into a sitting position. She needed to get out of here. She needed to find Batman so they could stop the Joker. Ren needed her at home.
With substantial effort, Nora managed to rise to her hands and knees. Despite the amount of pain she was in, she couldn't feel anything broken and her Aura was already working to heal the damage. Magnhild was missing, though. She must have dropped it while… while everything was going on. She hissed a breath out through her teeth as she forcibly shut out the images so she could focus on planning her next move.
Step one: find a weapon.
Step two: find Batman.
The directions in her head sounded like they had come from Ren's voice. Even though she knew there was no one nearby, Nora nodded in agreement and pushed herself to her feet.
She would make it through this night. She would win and she would get back to Ren.
Whatever it took.
Nora stood in the bare hallway, silently staring at the dead man. She blinked once. Twice. Still, the image stayed the same. The slumped position of the body was the same. The stab wound and defensive wounds were the same. Even the blood pools had been completely undisturbed since the last time she had seen them.
But this man was not Jim Gordon.
He was an Arkham guard and not the Police Commissioner. Nora blinked once again before staring at the concrete floor, trying to reconcile what she had seen before with what she was seeing before her right now. She looked away from the dead man down the hallway where she had fled before.
"So… was none of it real?" she asked aloud. No one answered her, but honestly, she couldn't say how she would react if somebody had.
She had climbed out of the elevator shaft to the floor that she and Batman had both arrived at, but all she had found so far were bodies. No Magnhild. No Batman. And now no Jim. The thought that Jim might still be alive gave her a renewed sense of purpose. She just had to find Batman and then all of them could get out of this together. Giving one last sad look to the dead man, Nora began her search.
For what felt like forever, her attempts were fruitless. No matter which way she turned, all she saw were more abandoned hallways with only the occasional body to keep her company. The most useful thing she had managed to find thus far was a metal IV stand that made for a passable, if somewhat clumsy, weapon.
Fatigue began to settle over her as she walked, but she felt more aware and awake after she stopped to stick an abandoned thumbtack into a light socket. Of the numerous benefits of her Semblance, one of them was being able to give herself a jump-start if needed.
After some more wandering, Nora was just beginning to consider trying her luck on another floor when the ground suddenly gave a violent shake. She stopped in place before the ground shook again, but this time was accompanied by the faint sound of a crash echoing from down the hall. Without hesitation, she took off running down the hall, hoping that Batman was involved with whatever was making those sounds. Nora followed the sounds to a stairwell leading down. She vaulted over the railing and began her descent, her improvised weapon occasionally knocking against the walls. She rushed down the steps until she reached a slightly ajar door at the very bottom of the stairwell.
Nora kicked the door of its hinges to find herself in a long maintenance hallway. The crashing sounds were louder than ever and she sprinted toward them. She came to one last door and slammed it open, finally finding the source of the commotion.
She was on the upper level of some kind of boiler room. Brick and mortar support columns rose to the ceiling from between half a dozen great iron ovens. In the center of the room on the lower floor, Batman was fighting for his life. His opponent was massive, an absolute mountain of muscle and mean even bigger than those mutated inmates the Joker had thrown at them earlier. He wore a wrestling mask as well as a large backpack with multiple tubes sticking into various parts of his body. Nora momentarily thought that this giant could probably go toe to toe with an Atlas Paladin if he wanted to.
Batman was doing his best to dodge around the giant's strikes, but he was a moment too slow on one dodge and a tree-sized arm clipped him on his injured side. He was sent rolling head over heels into one of the support pillars with a loud thwack. The giant was instantly on him, charging forward and raising both fists to bring them crashing down atop the Dark Knight.
Nora had to do something.
She took a running start and kicked off the safety railing to send herself flying at the monster of a man. She clutched her IV stand in both hands and cocked it back, ready to swing.
"Get away from him!"
The giant spun in her direction, his eyes widening in surprise just in time to catch Nora's full-strength swing right across the face. The giant grunted in pain as he was sent staggering away, almost collapsing to his knees as Nora landed on the floor of the boiler room. Her temporary weapon had been bent almost double and Nora sighed before tossing it aside. Giving a smile to Batman, she held out a hand that he took without hesitation. Batman nodded to her then reached behind his back and pulled Magnhild out in its carry form before handing it to her. She grinned happily and took her weapon from him, giving it an affectionate pat before spinning it into a warhammer.
"What's the plan?" she hissed.
"Bane is incredibly strong, but he relies on a chemical called Venom to fuel his strength," Batman answered in a low voice. "It's injected into his body through those tubes. I can distract him while you get on his back and pull those out."
"Roger," Nora said with a nod.
By now, the giant was pushing himself upright, turning to look in their direction with angry eyes that glowed a sickly green.
"You'd better run along, chiquita," growled the giant. "My business is with the Bat, but I'll happily break you as well."
"Not a chance, big guy," Nora said.
"So be it!" roared Bane before he charged, closing in on them like a malicious rock slide. Batman grabbed a batarang from his belt and flung it at the colossal man, hitting him in the side of the head and dazing him. But he still kept coming.
"Move!" yelled Batman, throwing himself out of Bane's path. Nora did the same, leaping to the side but keeping her eyes on the giant. Bane ran right past them and collided headfirst with one of the brick support columns, sending cracks all throughout its structure.
With a look of determination on her face, Nora charged at the dazed giant and leapt onto his back. Bracing her feet against Bane's shoulder and Venom-suppling backpack, she wound one of the tubes around her arm and pulled, putting her whole body into the effort and yanking it out. Nora gritted her teeth and strained harder even as the tube continually pumped glowing green chemicals into Bane's body. Finally, she felt the tube's connection give. The tube sprang out of Bane's arm with a loud hiss of escaping chemicals. Bane, finally becoming more coherent, roared in anger before slamming backward against the support, catching Nora between the bricks and Bane's considerable bulk. Her Aura absorbed the impact, but it was still enough to drive the breath from her lungs. She dropped to the floor, trying to remember how to breathe, when Bane spun around with a backhand and sent Nora tumbling across the floor.
"Nora!" she heard Batman yell. Her head stopped spinning a few moments after the rest of her did and she pushed herself to her feet. She shook her head glanced over at Batman.
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine," she said. Already, she could feel her balance coming back and things were much easier now that she could breathe again. She had lost her grip on Magnhild, but she didn't have time to search for it. Bane was charging toward Batman, rearing an arm back to try crushing him once again.
Nora lips curled up to bare her gritted teeth. She would not allow this living bulldozer to hurt her new friend.
She dashed across the room and managed to get between Batman and Bane just as the colossal inmate attacked. She caught his boulder-sized fist with both hands, gasping involuntarily as the force of the attack shot down her spine and into her legs. Her knees trembled and she swore her feet made small craters in the floor, but nevertheless she stayed standing. She grinned at the stunned Bane, already feeling the primal joy of combat rushing through her.
Behind her, Batman flipped away before hurling a batarang at Bane. Nora watched the metal projectile slice through the air before severing the villain's second Venom tube. Green chemicals sprayed from the severed hose as Bane yelled in anguish, recoiling away from Nora. Now that she thought about it, it seemed like the giant had become… maybe a little less gigantic? As she stared at the rogue hose flopping around, she turned over her shoulder to give Batman an incredulous stare.
"You throw those things at people?!" she asked, laying another confusion on top of the growing pile of confusions associated with this man who dressed up like a bat. Batman didn't acknowledge her question as he reached to his belt and pulled out another batarang, this one looking a little bulkier than his normal ones.
"Catch," he said simply before throwing it at her. Nora had time to blink in surprise before she lifted her hand and caught it on instinct.
As soon as her fingers wrapped around the batarang, a surge of electricity coursed through her. The batarang sparked and spat, bolts of lightning playing across her hand and up her arm. Nora's limbs trembled and jittered, but a smile broke out on her face. When the batarang had finally used up its charge, Nora tossed it back in Batman's direction and turned toward Bane, little bolts of energy crackling in her eyes. Bane had recovered from the loss of more Venom and now he had turned toward Nora and Batman, looking beyond enraged.
"Time to knock you down to size!" Nora said with a cackle before she dashed toward him. The massive man barely had the chance to let out a confused gasp before Nora was right in front of him. A crushingly-strong punch to the gut followed immediately after. Bane bent over at the waist, all of his breath leaving him in a great big whoosh.
There was the rustle of a cape before Batman vaulted over her, his good hand braced against Nora's unyielding shoulder before kicking Bane hard across the face. The giant was sent reeling and spinning in place. Not hesitating for a moment, Nora twisted around to Bane's back and wrapped her arms around his midsection. Her reach wasn't long enough to completely encircle him, but she grabbed fistfuls of his pants' waist to make sure she had a good grip. With a roar of exertion, Nora heaved back. Bane's feet left the ground and he fell backwards as Nora suplexed him straight through one of the brick columns. Nora let out a low oof when her back landed on the floor. Bane's landing wasn't nearly as graceful, rolling tail over teakettle until he slammed into one of the boilers and fell to the ground in a heap. There was a hiss of escaping Venom, courtesy of the final tube being torn out of Bane's backpack in the process.
To Nora's surprise, however, Bane groaned and started pushing himself off the floor.
"Nora! Here!" she heard Batman yell. She turned and saw him toss Magnhild toward her. She jumped forward, grabbing the hammer out of the air before lifting it above her head. As she descended, Bane seemed to be getting a little less dizzy. He shook his head and looked up as he climbed to his knees.
BONG!
The room seemed to shudder when Nora slammed Magnhild down on the back of Bane's head, sending his face crashing straight into the floor and making him go limp once again. Nora breathed hard as she stared down at the giant, keeping her hammer up and ready in case he had any ideas about moving again. As the seconds passed and Bane did not move, Nora let out a sigh of relief.
"And stay down!" she snapped.
Obligingly, he continued to stay down.
Nora lowered her hammer and retracted it to its carry form before hooking it at her back. She was so glad for that whole ordeal to be over. She looked over to check on Batman and he gave her a nod, making her smile in relief.
Suddenly, the whole room started shaking. One of the brick columns, the one that Bane had slammed Nora into, cracked and shattered under the strain of holding up the ceiling. The pipes rattled above them before breaking loose from their housings and falling to the floor as chunks of cement also fell from the old and rotting ceiling.
"Oh man, this is bad!" Nora said, jumping back as a chunk of concrete the size of her head crashed to the floor.
"Nora, grab onto me!" ordered Batman, pulling his grapnel gun off of his belt. Nora immediately dashed over and wrapped her arms tight around Batman as he fired his grapnel into the air, aiming for a small rusted ladder in one corner of the ceiling. The hook grabbed hold of the ladder and the two of them shot through the air just before a sizable block of the ceiling collapsed on the spot where they were. Batman collided with the ladder and awkwardly gripped it with his legs as he reset his grapnel one-handed.
"Climb!" he ordered.
And so, Nora did. She scrambled up his back and climbed the ladder as quick as she could. Clouds of concrete dust began flowing up the hole after them. Nora coughed hard, but kept her focus on scaling the ladder and trusted Batman to be right behind her. A metal manhole cover lay across the top of the ladder, stopping her progress. Nora pushed up on the cover and shoved it to the side, breathing in that crisp night air of the outside. She put her hands on the ladder again and started pulling herself out when a shadow fell over her. She snapped her head upward, ready for another fight, when the shadow stretched out a hand and spoke to her.
"Are you okay, Nora?"
"Jim!" Nora cried out, leaping up from the hole before seizing the policeman in a hug and lifting him off the ground. "I was so worried about you! Are you okay? Did she hurt you? Do you still have all your fingers? Got anything to eat?"
Jim seemed confused by the rapid-fire questions Nora was throwing at him, but he slowly wrapped an arm around her and gave her a pat on the back all the same.
"Don't worry about me, kid. I'm fine. Years on the force have made me tough."
Nora gave him one more squeeze before setting him back on the ground. Batman had climbed out of the manhole after her and was kneeling on the grass while adjusting his sling.
"Are you okay?" Nora asked.
"I'll be okay," Batman said with a nod. "Where's Quinn?"
"Quinn?" Nora asked. "You found her?"
"He did," Jim said, resting his hands on his hips. "Knocked her out and pulled me out of trouble. Looks like she got away, though. Ran off while Bane was throwing you two around."
Batman nodded in acceptance while Nora just felt annoyed. That crazy clown lady had slipped away yet again.
"We need to get you off the island, Jim," said Batman. "It's not safe here."
"I'm not some rookie, Batman. I can handle myself," Jim protested.
"Says the man who's spend most of the last few hours being kidnapped," Nora muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, I don't need any lip from you, missy," Jim said, pointing a finger at Nora.
She was just about to respond when the wall of the building suddenly exploded outward, sending all three of them tumbling to the ground. Nora's vision spun and she shook her head before looking at what made the explosion.
The massive shape of Bane lumbered through the remains of the wall, seeming to barely be staying on his feet. His eyes still showed nothing but rage.
"No…" he growled, shaking his head. "We're not… done yet…"
Batman leapt to his feet and tried to ready a batarang before Bane surged forward with a speed that was at odds with his immense size. His hand that was easily as large as a truck tire wrapped around Batman's neck and jerked him into the air. Nora snarled as she shoved herself up and lunged at Bane.
"Let go of him!" she yelled. Before she could collide with him, Bane's other arm snapped up and grabbed her throat before slamming her hard into the ground. Nora's Aura flared and died as the crushing force broke her protection. She struggled against the hand holding her down, trying to pull forth even a drop of Aura that would let her break from this hold. But it was no use. Bane continued to grind her into the dirt no matter what she did. She'd already used the charge she had gotten from Batman and now was scrambling to think of a way out of this.
"I will break you! Both of you!" Bane roared, glaring at Batman and Nora in turn. "First you! Then the Bruja!"
"No, Bane!" snarled Batman, pressing a button on his utility belt multiple times. "This time I break you!"
In the distance, Nora heard the roar of an engine. She blinked in surprise before there came the sound of screeching tires and Batman's tank vehicle came screaming around the corner of the manor. It sped right toward them, it's headlights fully illuminating Bane. Batman managed to loosen Bane's grip just enough that he could kick off of the giant's arm and somersault away. Nora struggled against Bane's meaty hand. Seeing Batman's car getting closer and closer, Nora yelled in frustration before kicking the side of Bane's knee. He gasped in pain, but more importantly his attention lapsed just enough for her to finally pry herself out of his grasp.
Just before she could become some gross stain on Batman's tires, however, the car… jumped? It made no sense, but somehow the car gave a hop off of the flat ground, slamming head-on into Bane while passing completely over Nora. Bane and the car both went flying through the air before they came crashing down into the bay and sunk beneath the waves.
There was a long silence while Nora's heart tried to remember how to beat. She sucked in a big lungful of air while her fingers twitched slightly. A shadow fell over her and she glanced up to see Batman extending a hand down to her. She took it and let the Dark Knight pull her up.
"And why exactly were you calling me reckless?" Nora asked, giving him a glare as she brushed dirt off her jacket and skirt.
"I decided to take a page out of your book and hit the problem really hard," he responded.
Nora took another calming breath before looking at the bay, where bubbles were still rising to the surface. "I thought you were the one who said 'no killing', though."
"I know Bane's capabilities. He'll live."
Nora just nodded before feeling a hand on her shoulder. Jim was looking at her with concern on his bruised face.
"You alright, Nora?"
After a bit of consideration, she gave a nod. "I'll be okay."
Even as she said that, Nora had the distinct feeling that things were about to get a lot worse before they got better.
Nora shivered and rubbed her arms vigorously, trying to ward off the sudden chill that had blown in from the bay. A boat with the letters GCPD on it was pulled up to the small dock and Jim was looking hesitant to step aboard.
"You sure you don't want me to stay?" he asked again, looking back at Batman.
"Not tonight, Gordon," Batman said with a shake of his head. "I need you in Gotham to keep order if the news of Joker's breakout hits the media. I'll have Robin contact you when you get there."
"Who's Robin?" Nora asked while Jim sighed in resignation.
"Alright. Just make sure you break that clown's nose for me," he said as if Nora hadn't spoken. Jim climbed into the boat before turning around and offering her a hand. "Nora, you should come too."
Nora blinked, not really comprehending the statement.
"What? No. I'm staying."
"Nora, you're just a kid," Jim said. "This asylum is one of the dangerous places in the city. You can't stay here."
"I am staying here!" Nora said with a stomp of her foot. The board cracked under her boot heel, but she ignored it. "I made a deal with Batman. He's gonna help me find my friends after I help him stop Joker. I'm a Huntress, Jim! I can't just run away when there's trouble!"
"Nora…" Jim said in irritation. He turned his attention to Batman. "You aren't just going to let her stay, are you?"
Nora turned to Batman as well, scrunching her face up in an expression of defiance. He looked at her and for a moment her and Batman had a long, silent staredown.
Without breaking eye contact, the Dark Knight concluded, "I need her help, Jim."
Jim made some sort of noise that managed to be both surprised and annoyed while Nora had an excited smile on her face. She crossed her arms and gave Jim the smuggest look she could muster. After a moment, he just shook his head.
"You and the kids... Fine. Alright. It's not like I can really stop either of you anyway." He shot a withering glare at Batman and jabbed a finger toward his face. "You better keep her safe, alright? I want to see the both of you at the end of the night."
"I'll look out for her, Gordon," Batman said with a nod.
"We'll look out for each other, you mean," amended Nora.
Gordon seemed to accept that statement and gave a signal to the man at the controls of the boat. Moments later, the motor was on and they were heading out to sea. Nora gave a wave to the departing commissioner before looking back at the taciturn Batman.
"So," she said, rubbing at her cold arms again, "what's the plan?"
Batman stared at nothing, narrowing his eyes in consideration — or at least something that might have been consideration — before turning on his heal and walking back up the dock.
"Follow me," he said. "There's a place I need to show you."
