CHAPTER 46
"A Deal With The Devil"

Slade was never one for tight spaces, but when he found himself in a squeezed predicament with Pixie in his dark Sedan, he had suddenly become a little claustrophobic. In any other circumstances, he wouldn't mind the position they were in—just not now.

Harley Quinn had done this to them. How she found them, and how the encounter with the crazed woman ended up, was something to tell, and they were lucky to be alive.

She had found them waiting in Slade's car in an alley behind Bane's hideout. And the minute she came into view, Slade had no chance to react when Harley began swinging her giant mallet, just catching the large bullet's eye painted on its face.

Harley wielded the mallet with precision and strength. For such a thin looking girl, she was surprisingly strong. But if a person worked the right areas, then a human could do pretty much anything factoring in adapted abilities.

And yet, Harley was a lunatic in her own rite.

With every swing, she had grinned innately, going to town on the car. She had clubbed all the doors first trapping them inside, then she whacked the hood, depressed the roof, and finally slammed the truck shut. Whether she knew it or not, and he doubt she did, that was where Slade had all his gear and weapons stored for when he would need to storm Bane's hideout after Stephane Brown gave him the signal after Tim Drake was rescued.

But Harley didn't hesitate and she showed no mercy. The car didn't have a chance.

In the end, Pixie sat on Slade's lap in the driver's seat. It was the only place left uncrushed and untouched.

Harley had left them with a parting message before departing. "Nice seeing ya! Wouldn't wanna be ya!" However, she left two of Bane's bulky henchmen in her wake, both holding rifles. They were told not to shoot, but to watch them with an eagle's eye.

Pixie sat on Slade's lap, and despite the situation, she didn't seem perturbed in anyway. In fact, she actually appeared excited about the danger, and said, in humour: "Now, don't get any funny ideas down there."

Slade smirked. "Perish the thought, my dear," he said. "I'm a gentleman in every sense of the term." But he grunted under his breath. "However, if you would please, shift yourself to the right. I'm getting a little stiff. You're sitting on my…"

Pixie moved slightly and he breathed a sigh of relief. Despite his askance, he kept the real reason to himself—a gentleman never tells. He may have been older than her, but not that old. Now he could adjust himself in his seat a little.

"So, what should we do now? Just wait for someone to rescue us?"

"I'm not sure what else we can do? We're trapped in this car. And…" Slade looked around the inside of the Sedan. "Harley smashed nearly everything with a gun hub. Besides, if I made a move now, those two hombres would cut us down to ribbons. They're watching us very carefully."

Both of Bane's men that Harley had left behind starred at them with guns at the ready, one leaning against a wall of a near-by building on the left side of the car and the other sitting on an oil drum on the right.

"Then let's give them a show." Pixie kissed him. "I don't know what it is, Slade, but when I'm with you, I seem to lose all control."

"We're here to help Stephane Brown rescue Tim Drake," Slade said straightly. "But I don't think we're going to be any help to her right now. Even if she tries to call or text me, Harley broke my phone when she was trying to play whack-a-mole with my car." He looked at her and then kissed her. "But you drive this old man wild. I haven't felt this alive in years."

"You're not old, Slade, you're seasoned," she replied. "And from what I've seen, everything is in perfect working order."

They locked lips, not caring if Bane's men saw. Eyes closed.

Suddenly, there was a shout, and the man on the left side of the car came flying across the hood landing on the other side. Both looked to their right and then saw the other taken out by Batgirl, laid out on the ground, both men now unconscious. Batman, Red Hood, and Damian Wayne, still dressed in his Nightwing Junior costume, were with her.

Just then, Nightwing, wearing a black toque, leaned up against the driver's side of the car, and looked in through the broken, shattered window, startling Slade for a moment.

"Oh, hello Richard," he said causally. "Last I heard you were out of town on another escapade?"

Nightwing smiled at Pixie. "I don't think escapade would be the word I'd use, Slade," he said. "But here would be a perfect example. Hello, nice to finally meet you in person. I've heard so much about you." Nightwing extended a hand to Pixie and they shook. "Allow me to re-introduce myself, Nightwing/Dick Grayson. But I hear you already knew that."

Pixie cocked her head. "Well, Slade did hire me to spy on you when you lost your memories. He was concerned about you."
"That's nice," Nightwing said with a thin smile.

"I know how this looks, Richard, but I can explain."

Nightwing nodded, looking around the inside of the car. Pixie sat on Slade's lap. Slade's hand was also on Pixie's rear, whether he recalled it in the moment or not. "So, you weren't just kissing each other in the midst of two gun-toting Spanish thugs watching?"
Slade eyed him. He couldn't deny it. He had been caught red-handed. "Don't you dare, Richard. I can see the wheels in your mind working for a joke here. I know you."

Nightwing tapped his temple with a finger. "I may have had brain surgery, but it doesn't need to work very hard to formulate a joke here. For your sake, Slade, I'll keep it to myself." Suddenly, there was a click. Damian had taken a picture of the two of them with his cell phone through the smashed passenger side window. Slade protested, and Nightwing smiled. "Nice, I would like a copy of that."
"Done," Damian said.

"Richard…"

"Yes, Slade?"

"Would you mind getting us out of here? My butt is starting to fall asleep."

"Oh, sorry," Nightwing said, and stepped back.

Jason then came over with a crowbar, helmet off. Before he started to pry the door off, he reached in, and extended a hand. "Nice to meet you again, Pixie. We met in the hospital waiting room to see Dick. By the way, you look better in pink. Suits you better."
"I think so, too. Nice tuff of white in your hair, makes you look grown up."

"Um, thanks."

It didn't take much effort to pop the hinge off the door frame and soon Slade and Pixie were able to get out. Despite the look of the car, neither of them were injured. The only thing that seemed to be the worse for ware was Slade's ego. He signed in sympathy for his car which was now ready for the junk heap, it was too far gone.

"Worth more in scrap now," Damian remarked.

Slade eyed him. "Listen, you little punk! This car has been with me through thick and thin. She's one of a kind. Richard even helped tweak some of the features when I was training him. Now…" He snorted frustrated. "I want that picture of Pixie and I deleted."

"Done," Damian said without argument. Slade stood shocked. He knew normally Damian Wayne was more defiant. "Call it payback for helping Drake. We heard what you both did. Walking straight into Arkham Asylum to brake Professor Hugo Strange out the way you did, wow, you had balls. Drake can be a pain sometimes, but he's okay. Only now, here, we have to save his sorry ass again."

"Thanks, and you're welcome," was all Slade could say. Then: "What's with the outfit? What happened to Robin, the Boy Wonder?"

"Long story short," Nightwing stepped over, putting a hand on Damian's head. "I tried to clone myself, but only half of me came out." He smiled amusingly.

Damian swatted Grayson's hand away. "Is that a crack about my height, Grayson? One day, I'll be as tall as you. Bigger than! I'm only thirteen, lots of time for me to grow. You, on the other hand, are fully grown, and shorter than Todd—'the second prodigal son'. He made the universal signage of quote/unquote with his fingers when he said it. "Even Drake is a few millimetres taller than you."

"He's perfect in my book," Batgirl sounded over. "Besides, genetics plays a role. Except for you, Damian, everyone is adopted."

"If it was up to me, I'd keep him this size forever, easier to handle, so I can keep a parental leash on him," Batman said. "Sometimes having kids is a full time job and a pain." The way Bruce said that, no one knew if he was being serious or not. "Dick and Jason were a handful when they were Robin; Tim, not so much. But none have been as open lipped as you, Damian."

"Different people, different personalities, Bruce." Nightwing defended him. "But the little guy is fun to have around to play catch with."
"I'm not a dog!" Damian rebuked growly.

"Okay, enough of the banter," Batman said.

"Yes, time to get serious," Nightwing said. "Let's find a way in, rescue Tim and find Steph. I still can't believe she's back, good for her getting back on the horse. Time to finally end this episode in our lives. It started with my shooting, then we went through a series of challenges to get to Jake, and now we've come to the end of the road to battle the architect to all this. Bane wanted me dead to get back at Batman, so he hired KGBeast to assassinate me. But KGBeast got greedy and tried to have two paydays for the price of one making a side deal with Jake, pretending to kill me. Then Jake set up the whole amnesia thing in an attempt to destroy my life. Lucky for me, or I would be dead. KGBeast told us the entire story when we caught up to him just before getting here. He's sleeping off a sore neck at the moment after Bruce beat him to within an inch of his mechanical life, stomping on it. At another time, I would stop him. But not here, KGBeast deserved it. It's true what they say, some people can be a pain in the neck."

Slade rolled his eyes. "I was just waiting for a corny joke like that from you, Richard," he said.

Nightwing smiled, and then shrugged is shoulders with his arms out. "It's me, I'm back. Bad jokes and all."

"And a little heftier in the mid-section, I see? Too many burgers and beers?"

"Not my fault, I don't normally eat like that. I wasn't my usual conscientious self. Barbara's put me on a strict diet of salad, salad, and more salad. After I've lost another fifteen pounds, I can plant myself in the ground and grow roots."

Batgirl gave Nightwing a playful fist-punch to the arm.

"Nothing wrong with burgers and beer," Jason chimed in.

"You just abuse the privilege," Damian said.

"What was that?" Jason growled.

Dick smirked. "But, in all seriousness, I'm glad to be back to old myself again. And if I have to eat a garden of salad, then it's worth it to be with the people I most care about in the whole world." Nightwing smiled, and took Batgirl's hand. He gazed into her eyes. "And to experience a bright new future with the woman I love more than anyone else."

Slade looked at them both.

Then Jason elbowed Slade in the arm. "He proposed to her on the island when we were fighting Jake Handles," he said. "I'm going to be the ring bearer. I'm so happy that my little Dickiebird is finally tying the knot. Although, come to think of it, I know this girl who can tie a knot with a cheery stem with her tongue. It's so hot!"

Slade looked at him unamused. "Has anyone ever told you that saying inappropriate things may be considered a neurological illness? You may want to see a psychiatrist for that." He then walked away and congratulated Dick on his engagement.

Moments later, Arkells, who had opted to remain in the Batcave to monitor things for the mission, echoed on an open speaker on Batman's wrist comm. He told them that his satellite feed detected twenty additional heat-signatures inside the structure they were near, but it was undermined which of them were Bane, Tim, and Stephane Brown.

Slade was little disappointed that he could not meet the now renown Arkells he had heard things about, quickly given the run down about him, but he was thankful that Tim Drake's Future Self was at the helm when it was explained to him after hearing his voice.
"Understood," Batman said in response. He then turned to Damian. "You remain here and guard Slade and Pixie."

Damian looked stunned. "Why me? Is this for that snide retort I made earlier?"

"We're not defenceless, Bruce," Slade rebuked. "We can help."

"Do you have any weapons?" Batman asked in short.

Slade balled his fists. "I have these. Unfortunately, after what Harley did this to my car, I can't get access to any of my weapons and equipment. It'll take the jaws of life to pry open places. But I want retribution on the man who wished to murder my best student."

"Bragging of me being your best student isn't a compliment, Slade," Nightwing said. "In fact, after what you did in Bludhaven with the meta-humans, I'd say it's an insult. I fired you." He put a hand up before Slade could speak. "Look, I know you're sorry, and you're trying to repent for that. But it still doesn't absolve you of the crime. Apart from Gotham, Bludhaven is where I hang my tights."

"You're a cold man, Richard. And I thought Bruce was the one with ice in his veins. I'll try to do better. I'm a changed man now." He cradled Pixie's arm within his. "A good woman can change a man…" He smiled. "But I still consider you the best. Fine, we'll stay here with the munchkin. Maybe I'll wake one of these hombres up and have a little fun. I haven't gotten my hands dirty for a little while."

Slade cracked his knuckles. "I guy gets rusty if he doesn't keep up his skills."

Damian pouted. "I'm not a dog, nor am I a munchkin," he was heard to mutter under his breath.

"But, if you ever want addition training, Richard, my door's always open," Slade said.

"Frankly, I think they particular door will forever remain closed," Nightwing replied.

Jason put on his helmet, and then with Batman and Batgirl, accessed a back door into Bane's domain. Nightwing followed, leaving Damian behind to watch Slade and Pixie.

x x x

Dr. Marx Helfern pushed Stephane Brown into the experimental test chamber.

Tim Drake decried and protested and begged him to stop what he proposed.

One of Bane's strongest henchmen clutched Drake tightly in a bear hug to prevent him from interfering. Additionally, Harley Quinn was nearby with a gun and she said had orders to shoot him if he tried to stop things.

Drake didn't care and struggled profusely against the henchman. They had stripped Steph of all her clothes and gave her nothing but a towel to cover herself. She was to be another test subject for the latest version of the Venom Drug. Only, she did not share the same DNA markers as either Drake nor Bane, so there would be only one enviable outcome.

"No! Please!" Drake shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks. He struggled, but his arms were firmly trapped in the henchman's grip. "Don't use the Venom Drug on her! I beg you! I'll kill her! Take me instead!"

"All my test subjects have been men, this will be the first time I'm able to experiment on a woman," Dr. Helfern said, and then smiled a bit sinister and even perverse. "And besides, if the formula adds girth to you, just think what it could do for her. I offered it to Harley, but she flat out refused to participate in my trials."

Harley cupped each breast separately with a hand, then let them drop. They both bounced despite the tightness of her costume. "I'm already big enough, doc. I don't need them to be any bigger than they are. Besides, I still have some growin' to do, and I'm pretty sure these puppies will grow even more."

"Then take me—take me—please!" Drake said. He was willing to lay down his life for her. "I'll gladly offer my body for your tests. I'll do whatever you want. Just don't use the Venom Drug on Steph, I implore you!" He stopped struggling, a sign of good faith that he was serious. "You have my full cooperation."

"Very noble of you, Timothy Drake, but—"

Just then, Bane entered the fray. He came quickly from down a corridor. "I just received word from one of my men that Batman and company have just been spotted in the building." He turned to Harley. "You did take care of those other two, correct?"

"Yup, they should still be trapped in their car out back," Harley said. "Unless the Caped Crusader freed them?"

Dr. Helfern spoke up. "Okay, young man. I've decided not to use your girlfriend in my test experiments," he said. Drake breathed out a large sigh, and then looked at Steph through the observation glass with a smile. She looked back at him with a shared smile, as if she knew things would be okay. "But, in favour, you have to do something for us."

Dr. Helfern looked to Bane as if to share a thought.

"Yes, anything!" Drake said. "As long as Steph is safe and I have your assurances she won't be tested on?"

"You may regret that decision, boy," Bane said. "We knew eventually Batman would find us, so we prepared for it." He looked at the doctor, who nodded. Dr. Helfern then explained the formula still had a slight glitch, but he had a temporarily solution to it. "Good," Bane said pleased. "Bring him!"

Bane turned to leave. Bane's henchman turned to follow him with Drake.

As they were leaving, Drake looked back, and saw Steph exit the chamber with Harley escorting her out with a gun. He was relieved. But now he didn't know what to expect as he was carried down a corridor, and into a darkened room.

He was dropped harshly to the floor to his knees. Bane's henchman left, shutting the door behind him, leaving only him and Bane inside.

Bane switched on the lights and Drake turned and saw a life-sized mannequin dressed in black, stretchable, sleeveless tights. Drake darted his eyes from it to Bane and back again. It was the same, but only slimmer. And if Drake didn't know any better, his size. Boots and fingerless gloves also joined the ensemble. The only thing left was…

Bane tossed a duplicate version of his mask to Drake. Drake caught it.

"Put it on, all of it," Bane ordered. "You're going to fight your family. And they are going to believe you are me." Drake laughed, as if the idea sounded ludicrous. "What's so funny?"

"You're serious? But I look nothing like you. And our muscular sizes differs greatly."

Then the sudden realization hit him.

Over the last couple of sessions, he had begun to get used to the way the Venom Drug worked on his muscles and despite them budging to exponentially enormous size, the process no longer hurt. There was one still outstanding issue, however.

"No! I won't do it! I refuse!"

"If you don't, then I'll instruct Dr. Helfern to use Stephane Brown in his next experiment just to see what happens," Bane said. "But we both know she won't survive. And it will be a horrible, painful death."

Drake could almost see the hint of a smile from behind Bane's mask and he knew that he had no choice. Before Drake had been taken to the chamber with Steph, he had been given proper attire and Steph's panties were returned to her. Now, he was forced to strip again to slip on the tights. He had to take off everything because they were skin tight.

Once everything was on, Bane said, "Thanks to Dr. Helfern this suit has been upgraded. A tube is no longer needed to inject the Venom Drug and the counter-agents from an arm controller to the back of the head. It's done so with a series of embedded nano-probes and impulse detectors that are activated by depressing a chest button. You'll feel a series of momentary sharp pricks from small needles when the suit's first activated."

Drake looked at the button over his heart. But Bane did not have the same suit, he still had the old style. Drake supposed Bane was testing this suit out before he began to wear it. Once again, Drake was another beta-tester for Bane.

Bane continued, "This suit, in particular, also had another interesting feature. Once activated, if you attempt to remove it by force, there's an explosive device in your arm bracelet. It's a fake, but part of the ensemble so it's needed to make everyone believe you are me, made to appear like my arm controller. It has enough power to blow you in half."

Drake nodded. "Sounds straight forward," he said with a sigh. "Once again, even with the Venom Drug, our sizes still differ."

"Then you're going to have to use more of the Venom Drug to increase your muscle mass to equal mine. The counter-agents will match the additional distribution. The suit will stretch in line with a heftier girth, too. Additionally…" —Bane handed Drake something that looked like an aspirin— "This will allow the unresolved issue of the drug to subside temporarily."

Drake took it. The issue Bane was referring didn't need to be explained and Drake was thankful that there was, at least, something to counteract its undesired effects. The Venom Drug brought together a mixture of muscle building proteins that stimulated growth in an exponential way. The additive of Viagra, even though it was mainly used to increase blood flow for sexual incitement, simultaneously increased muscle growth to work with the Venom Drug's other chemical factors.

Drake understood its basics, but not everything of the drug. He swallowed the pill.

"And don't attempt to fight me or even consider to turn against me," Bane said. "The arm controller I have also controls the bomb. If you even try to turn against me, I'll detonate it. If I find you are not fighting your family with full ferocity—I have hidden surveillance cameras everywhere—and if you to attempt alert anyone that you are not me, then I'll kill you without warning and take out anyone who is with you."

Drake nodded again.

"One more thing…"

"There's more?"

"Yes," Bane said seriously. "Don't hesitate, show no mercy. Destroy the Caped Crusader or Stephane Brown is dead!"

At that moment, Drake felt he had just made a deal with the devil.

To be continued...