CHAPTER 48:
"Falso Bane"
The moment Bane crashed through the wall, and after he ducked from the brick that came flying towards him at high velocity, Damian quickly unsheathed his sword from its holster strapped to his back in defence.
He had brought his escrima sticks, hooked to the sides of his utility belt, but he preferred his sword. And against Bane, a sword was a more formable weapon to combat his massive size. With the escrima sticks, even if he was able to get close enough to hit Bane, Bane would just knock them away as if they were twigs of a tree, their shock, non-effective to his the size and girth.
Bane snapped his attention to Damian, as if he knew exactly who to target first, and then charged at him like a mad bull, rushing him like he saw a red cape taunted from a Spanish Matador shouting "Taro Taro!"
Damian bolted out of the way just as Bane brought his massive bulk down upon the spot where he once stood, his arms raised up high, his massive hands clasped into a giant-like hammer. The ground shook as his hands met the ground. Then he quickly turned and charged again, as Damian pressed his back against the side of Slade's car. Bane barrelled towards him, arms raised, and then brought them down hard onto the roof of Slade's car, just as Damian scooted out from his path of destruction.
If Slade and Pixie had still been in the car, they would have been instantly crushed.
Damian couldn't get in a swipe in with his sword and he was a little hesitate to do so.
His father's cardinal rule rang in his ears: No Killing.
But what was more important? Bane's life or his own? Death was not what it was cracked up to be, experiencing it once already. The blackness, the nothingness, the non-existence—it wasn't fun, and Damian had no desire to see it a second time anytime soon.
Bane's right hand and arm came swinging through the air at Damian's head, and Damian ducked. Despite Bane being a large man, he was surprisingly fast for his girth. But he wasn't fat and that gave Bane an advantage over his opponents, in addition to the strength of his Venom Drug. There was a time when Bane wouldn't touch the drug, it was poisoning him. But obviously, something had changed. And he was seen using it a couple of times over the past year in fighting Batman.
Damian swung his sword out of instinct and nearly sliced off Bane's hand coming within centimetres of his blade. Batman's rule was firm and there were exceptions. Damian didn't want to hear his father scold him if he managed to lop off one of Bane's extremities either. So, when his sword came close to any one of Bane's limbs, he turned it slightly so the blade wouldn't touch.
That didn't mean he couldn't hit Bane with the flat edge of the sword. The problem with that was Bane was so massive and muscular that hitting him could snap the sword on impact despite it being made of the finest steel. He had broken his original sword when he first came to live with his father in Gotham. Grayson had snapped it when they fought. But he had forged a better, stronger sword, afterwards, using the Batcave's equipment, and his new sword was even stronger.
He kept it sharp, but that didn't mean a mistake wouldn't break it.
If was up to him, he would attack Bane with everything he had, no restrictions, and kill Bane like Odysseus killed the Hydra in Greek lore, stabbing his body through. In Greek lore, chopping off a snake head would only give purchase to the growth of two more in its place. Bane was nothing like a Hydra, but he was a super-villain with powers not found anywhere else, and his Venom Drug gave him super-human prowess that could crush the very life out of anyone subject to them.
Damian bobbed and weaved against Bane's thralls, every in a once slapping Bane against his body with the flat edge of his sword, on bare skin, in taunt, which made Bane cry out. But the pain didn't last long and Bane attacked him again.
At one point, Bane reached through the air, and if Damian had been wearing his Robin cape, he would most assuredly have been caught. He was thankful that he was wearing the Nightwing Junior costume.
He was not into metaphysics, but sometimes the universe had a person's back. And took sides. Or, so that's what he believed. His grandfather, Ra's al Ghul, certainly believed in other-worldly forces.
Bane swung an arm again as if he was attempting to clothesline Damian, but Damian saw it coming and easily avoided it. But he noticed Bane's arm was moving a little slower than normal. And, unfortunately, it had been a ploy. Bane grabbed Damian with his other hand, clutching his sword arm, and pulled him up and off the ground, his legs dangling.
"Shit!" he swore.
Bane laughed, then: "You've always been an annoying little guttersnipe! Always pissing me off with your arrogant attitude. Now is my chance to get a little payback for the those times you've really gotten under my skin!"
Damian eyed Bane suspiciously. Something sounded off. He didn't hear Bane's voice very often, but when he did, it was always consistent with that familiar Spaniard flare. He was Mexican, after all. However, now, the accent sounded forced.
Suddenly, Slade entered the fray, and jumped onto Bane's back. He locked his arms around Bane's neck. But it didn't seem to faze him and Bane reached behind him, grabbed Slade by his shirt collar and flung him off like some annoying little insect. Slade was thrown to the ground and landed with a thud.
Pixie ran to Slade, asked him if he was okay. Slade nodded. "You son-of-a-bitch," she cursed Bane.
"Relax, old man," Bane said, ignoring Pixie. "Don't get involved, or you could get seriously hurt! This isn't your problem!" Then he addressed her, pointing: "Keep him back or else!"
Once again, Damian gave pause to Bane's voice. Out of all the times he had heard it, Bane always had a proud Spanish tone. His voice was unmistakable, it was gruff and heavy-bodied. But now, it almost sounded like he was trying too hard to get it right.
Damian dropped his sword and the tip landed just inches from Bane's right foot, which was mere coincidence. He had no intention of harming him, but he did want some answers to nagging questions he suddenly had.
Bane gripped Damian's right arm tight by the forearm, so he paid the beast in kind, and clutched Bane's arm, and wrapped himself completely around it like a monkey. Thanks to both his father and Grayson's training, he knew exactly what to do in a situation like this, and used Bane's own weight against him, forcing Bane forward and downwards.
Falling, Bane let Damian go, and he collapsed to his hands and knees to catch himself. Damian dropped and somersaulted to a safe distance, but the brute quickly got to his feet. The maneuver was mere distraction to get out of a hold and Damian ran and picked up his sword. Once again, they were in a standoff. Or, what some would say: a Mexican Standoff.
Bane stopped his feet in frustration and anger. Big wasn't always better, but his muscles were huge which added to an intimidation factor, spidering with veins, bursting out of his black, sleeveless tights.
He certainly looked like Bane, but Damian wondered about that. And yet, who else would it be? Only Bane had this kind of bulk and girth and used the Venom Drug to pump himself up. He was genetically modified to use the Venom Drug, according to Batman's records. Bane's history was incomplete. No one truly knew everything about him. But that only made him more dangerous.
"I've waited a long time for this, little one," Bane said, snorting bullishly in his mask. "It's time to pay for your misdeeds!"
"And what misdeeds would they be?" Damian said in defiance. "And what's with your voice? You have a cold? You sound like you're talking out of your ass." He then spoke some Spanish and called him something that every Spaniard would take offence to.
Bane tilted his head slightly as if the insult went right past him. Or, he didn't understand it? Damian recalled what he said, and he was positive he had said it correctly. If this was Bane, then he would be charging him right now in utter fury.
"You arrogant little prick! You know my Spanish isn't the best!" Bane's fake Spanish accent faltered. "Damn it!" he then said, as if he had said something wrong. Bane cleared his throat, the gruff tone returned. "Pequeña mierda!"
"Did you just call me a 'little shit'?" Damian laughed. "Oh, give it up! Who the hell are you?"
"Cállate!" Bane said. Spanish for shut up!
Bane then rushed Damian with his arms out-stretched and his hands in the form of claws. Damian shifted his weight as the massive villain came barreling towards him. When Bane's momentum forced him to over-shoot the mark, Damian kicked him in the lower back, causing Bane to topple over like a bumbling fool.
Bane got up and rushed him again in the same manner. Once again, Damian repeated the previous action, kicking Bane in the lower back when he missed the mark, shifting his weight to the side like a Matador avoiding a crazed bull. Damian knew, by experience, when someone was angry, they lost focus. So, that's what he needed to do with Bane. Make him lose focus.
"Taro! Taro! This is one time I wish I had my Robin cape. ¡Eres un imbécil!" Damian said in Spanish.
Bane growled and gnashed his teeth. "I am not an idiot! You're always calling me that!"
Damian stood proud. He now knew that something was really off. "You're sloppy, Bane. I've seen you fight much better than this. This is not like you. You've lost your touch. Once again, who the hell are you?"
Slade suddenly rushed in with his sword. As Damian was battling Bane, Slade had managed to gear up, helmet on.
Damian shouted for him to stop, but it was too late. Bane saw him at the last second and tried to turn to avoid Slade's blade, but the onslaught was much too quick, and Slade managed to penetrate Bane's tights at chest level and delivered a clean slice to the upper half, causing Bane to bleed. It also caused the chest button to drop down and practically detach itself from the suit.
Bane felt his chest and saw the blood. The cut wasn't too deep, but it was enough to do damage. Not necessarily to his skin but mostly to his tights and to the button that controlled distribution of the Venom Drug—which sent an immediate error signal to his arm bracelet. It began to flash red.
He quickly pulled off the bracelet and tossed it asunder. He threw it fast and through the window of an adjacent workmen shed where gardening tools were stored.
"Everyone, get down! BOMB!" Bane shouted.
There was a large explosion as everyone ducked for cover. Debris flew everywhere, showering down bits of wood, and other items. A spade even became a projectile and embedded itself fin the ground next to Damian's head. But it had cut Bane's left bicep first before it came to rest. Bane bled down.
Damian looked up astounded when he saw Bane had shielded him from the blast, tenting his body with his own. He stared up at the villain as Bane gazed down at him. He then looked down his own body. He had no injuries.
"Are you okay, Damian?" Bane asked, his voice gruff, but no longer attempting a Spanish accent.
With that seemingly familiar tone despite a little rough-sounding, and his real name spoken, Damian knew that this was definitely not the real Bane. He knew who it was now and he couldn't believe. The reediness and innocent frequency of the voice was a dead giveaway.
"Drake? Is that you?" He was shocked.
Bane tore off his mask and smiled. His face was larger and more muscular, Drake's body was huge, but there was a kindness about him that told Damian the truth. This could only occur if he was using the Venom Drug. But why? And why did Drake attack him?
"Thank goodness you're all right," Drake said, moving his body aside to give Damian some breathing space. Drake looked at the others, they also looked stunned by his bulkiness. "Bane forced me to fight you. He said if I didn't he would detonate the bomb in my arm bracelet and kill everyone."
Damian was still bewildered. "What the hell did Bane do to you? Is this permanent?"
"No…" Drake said, his voice trailing off.
Drake began to shake and he folded over, and his body, suddenly, began to deflate back to a normal size. Damian was taken aback by the sight of it.
Once the process ended, Drake exhaled heavily. He felt his chest. "Damn it! It always feels like I'm having a heart attack when that happens; when the Venom Drug initiates, too. I hate how it feels! I don't know how Bane handles it?"
Drake flopped onto his back and spread eagle. He looked completely exhausted.
"Um, Drake? Care to tell us what the hell is going on?" Damian pressed him. He stood over Drake laying in the dirt.
Drake looked up at him and smiled. He then explained everything in short. Then: "Bane has Steph, and has threatened to insert her in Dr. Helfern's experimental test chamber. If I didn't do this, he would've injected her with the Venom Drug." He turned over on his side and then got to his feet. With his upper tights ripped to shreds thanks to Slade, he took it off completely, leaving only the lower half. He felt his chest, saw his arm. The bleeding from Slade's sword had stopped, but the slice would be there until healed. And the nick from the spade was nothing to worry about.
"Stephane Brown has been captured?" Slade asked.
Drake confirmed it. "The last time I saw her, Steph was being taken away by Harley Quinn," he said.
"Oh, for christ's sake! Harley Quinn is involved in this, too? So, does that mean…"
"No, Joker's not here," Drake said.
"Good, I hate tangling with that clown," Slade said with relief. "He and I have had a few spats over the years and I never came out on top. He always has a trick up his sleeve even when I thought I won."
Damian smiled. "Drake, glad you're up and walking again," he said. "That last time I saw you, you were paralyzed from the waist down by your future self. Arkells is on our side now and he's been a huge help in your absence. But, you're the real McCoy."
Drake looked at him with a bit of confusion. "Um, did you just give me a complement?"
"Don't let it go to your head," Damian said defensively. He then turned his head, and saw Pixie skirting her eyes aside. He curiously asked: "Pixie, what's wrong? Why are you looking away from us?"
"It's not because of you, Damian," she said in response. "I'm really glad you're safe, Timothy," she then said. "I'm also very flattered, but…this is not the time nor the place for that."
Damian and Drake shared a weird glance.
Damian looked down and saw it. His eyes widened, and he gasped. Then said to Drake with a hint of spurn: "Oh, come on. Show some modesty!" He pointed to Drake's lower region.
Tim Drake looked down and saw it for himself. With all the excitement and relief that things were over, he never knew it had even occurred. Bane did say the tights stretched with expanding girth. He put his hands down to cover it, then quickly dropped down onto his butt and folded his legs in, clamping his arms around his legs.
"Oh, heavenly god! It wore off! I'm so embarrassed. It's a bizarre side effect of the Venom Drug. It automatically happens, I have absolutely no control over it," he explained.
When he finished explaining—sharing similar DNA markers with Bane and telling them the side effect of the Venom drug, for which Dr. Helfern used the drug Viagra as a substitute to replace a toxic derivative that would work with other muscle building proteins to create muscle bulk—Pixie put a hand over her mouth, laughing. Slade also laughed, his now helmet off.
But Damian didn't laugh. He didn't see the humour in it at all.
"Drake, I swear. Bane is going to pay for doing this to you," he vowed. "How long will it last?"
"It all depends on the potency of the drug, sometimes it takes hours to wear off," Drake said. He looked down, then breathed out a sigh of relief. He had relaxed. He smiled a large grin, then got to his feet. "Thank god! A pill Bane gave me to counter-acted the effects must still be in my system and glitched out for a moment." Drake explained what he meant about the pill.
"Good," Damian said straightly. He then explained that Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Red Hood, all went into Bane's hideout to rescue him and to find Steph, since no one had heard from her or him. The damage to Slade's car was Harley's doing, he explained as an afterthought. "But they don't know the fully story," Damian then said. "And they don't know that you're out here."
"We have to find Steph and fast," Drake said. "And warn the others about Harley Quinn."
Damian tried using his communicator, but some time during the battle with Drake it had gotten damaged. So, they would have to enter Bane's hideout and find the others themselves. He just hoped the real Bane or Harley didn't get to them first.
To be continued...
