Twenty minutes after receiving Bane's call, Penelope found herself pulling up to the front of the Krank Toy Factory. The rusting metallic bear was looking down on her with its missing eye and she shuddered. She shut off the car and took one last look at the empty street around her. She'd seen Edward's car as she'd driven up, but there was no sign of Batman or any of his associates. She looked at the clock on her phone. It was almost ten now, and twenty-one minutes had passed since Bane had called. She unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. The front doors of the factory were boarded up. She'd have to circle the back for whatever entrance Bane used. She checked her clock again. Twenty-three minutes. She steeled her nerves and walked towards the back of the building, running her plan through her head one last time. She reached into the pocket of her slacks and her fingers gently touched the audio bug she'd put there. If Batman had received her message, she needed to stall as long as she could. If he hadn't...Penelope clenched her fists. Neither she nor Edward could afford for her to think like that. No matter what, she would get the two of them out of this alive. At last, she found the service entrance. She grabbed hold of the door handle, and, swallowing her nerves, pulled the unlocked door open. Before her was a dark hallway. Somewhere inside, she knew Bane was there waiting for her, and a wave of terror went through her. Bane wasn't alone she remembered, however. Edward was there too. With that thought in mind, Penelope walked down the dark hallway.

Bane had begun to pace about the room ten minutes ago. Edward kept an eye on him as he did so and counted. One-one thousand, two-one thousand...it took Bane approximately ten seconds to cross the length of the room and back to the TITAN container. "She should be here by now," he heard Bane mutter. "Where is she?" Before Edward could open his mouth to make any kind of smart remark, both men heard the sound of the service door opening. Bane stepped away from the TITAN container and looked to Edward. "It seems your doctor has finally arrived."

Edward got to his feet at the sound of light footsteps making their way down the hallway. His heart dropped deep down into his stomach when he saw Penelope appear in the room. He'd half-expected, hoped, that she'd lied, that she wasn't coming, that she'd gone to Cash and Gordon, but here she was, her hair pulled back into her customary bun, her clothing immaculate and professional, her face a cold mask, like she was making her usual rounds in Arkham Asylum. She stepped closer to Bane, with the acceptance of someone going to their execution. Edward grabbed the bars tight. "Penny!" he cried out.

Penelope's eyes widened and softened just a bit as she saw him. "Edward," she spoke softly, relief in her voice. Then her eyes became hard and she turned to Bane. "I'm here, Bane."

Bane stepped forward, blocking Edward's view of her. If Bane towered over him. then he dwarfed Penelope. With just one hand, he could snap her neck, and Edward couldn't do anything about it. Just like Jonathan and Croc, it was his fault, and he couldn't do anything about it, only this time, he would get to watch her die.

Bane was somehow even larger than Penelope remembered. He was massive, and she had to tilt her head back to look him in the eyes. Looking at the tubes that fed the Venom substance into him, she could see a bright green fluid flowing. Just as she'd thought, he was already using the TITAN. That would help her plan immensely. "Dr. Young," he said in a low, cold voice that broke her out of her musings. His fists clenched as he looked down at her. "I have waited a long time for this."

"I'm sure that you have," Penelope answered. She wet her lower lip. "Bane, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for-"

Bane cut her off with a massive raised hand. "Now, you are sorry? Now that I have your TITAN and your man, now you are sorry? Forgive me, Doctor, if I do not believe you." He lowered his hands and glared down at her. "You hung me up from the ceiling like an animal. You stole my blood. You humiliated me. You used me!" He roared the last sentence, but Penelope did not flinch. He calmed himself and continued, "I have dreamed of what I would do to you once I had you in my grasp." He took a step closer to her and it took all of her willpower to not run. "I could snap your neck in half a second," he said. "But that would be too quick. I want you to suffer like you made me suffer." He turned slightly towards the storage room where Edward was locked up and Penelope went taut. Edward was looking at them, his green eyes blown wide. "Perhaps," Bane murmured. "I should kill him first."

"That wasn't the deal!" Penelope interjected. Bane turned back to her with an annoyed glare and she quickly collected herself. "I understand that you wouldn't believe me," she said softly. "In your position, I would be skeptical too." She took a small breath. Now or never. "That's why I want to do more than just apologize to you. I want to make you an offer."

Bane raised an eyebrow. "An offer? What kind of offer?"

Penelope's gaze went to the TITAN container standing just a few feet in front of Edward's cell. "Tell me," she said. "What do you intend to do after tonight?"

Bane rubbed his chin. "I suppose there is no harm in telling you," he said at last. "As I told Nigma after I conclude my business with you and with certain other parties in Gotham, I will take the TITAN with me back to Santa Prisca. With its power, I will finally be able to overthrow the drug lords who control my home."

Penelope nodded, not taking her eyes off the container. Judging by how much of the TITAN chemical she could make out in Bane's tubes, he'd already used at least 10% of the total volume of that tank. "I see." Time to play her first card. "Do you think that you can take down every drug lord in Santa Prisca and their enforcers with just one tank of TITAN?"

Bane's face became blank as he considered this. Edward meanwhile, seemed to understand what Penelope was doing, as his face had turned pale. "Penny!" he cried out. "What are you doing!?"

"You've already used part of the TITAN, haven't you?" Penelope continued, ignoring Edward's outburst. Bane's face darkened, but he said nothing. "You've only had the TITAN for two days and you've already begun to drain it. At your current usage, how much of it do you think you will have left by the time you reach Santa Prisca?"

"What is your point?" Bane asked.

Penelope wet her lower lip. "I understand that you wouldn't believe me if I said that I wanted to make amends for what I did to you, and I don't blame you. Let me prove it. I will manufacture enough TITAN for you to take Santa Prisca."

"Penny!" Edward cried out again. "For God's sake! Don't throw your life away!"

"You be quiet!" Bane yelled at Edward. He turned back to Penelope with a calculating look. "You would do this for me? Why?"

"It's as I said," Penelope answered, keeping her tone level and her eyes focused on Bane's own. "I know I wronged you, Bane. I want to make it right, and if that means help you take Santa Prisca, then I'm prepared to do it."

Bane rubbed his chin in thought. It seemed that he wasn't suspicious of her. That was helpful. She thought of the bug in her slacks pocket and resisted the urge to grab it. If Batman didn't get here in time...she steeled herself. She was prepared for whatever may happen. "I suppose," Bane said at last. "That you have conditions."

"Yes," Penelope nodded. She looked to Edward behind the bars. "You let him go. If you do that, and not hurt anyone else in Gotham, then I'll leave with you tonight. I'll make as much TITAN as you want or need, for as long as you need." She held her hand out. "Do we have a deal?"

Bane looked at her hand for a long moment. Then he took it, almost crushing it in his massive hand. "Done."

Penelope tried not to let on her relief. Edward meanwhile hit the bars with a sharp cry. "There is nowhere on Earth you can go with her where I won't follow you, Bane!" he shouted with a venom that she hadn't heard in his voice since he was her patient. "I will get her back!"

Bane laughed. "You can try, little man." He let go of Penelope's hand and gave her a brief nod. "I am a man of honor, Doctor. I will give you a few minutes to say your goodbyes before I send him on his way." He moved out of her way, and Penelope rushed to where Edward was confined.

As soon as she'd made it to the bars, Edward had his hands out, touching her face. His own was pleading. "Penny," he choked out, almost caressing her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I swear, I won't let him take you out of Gotham, I won't stop trying to save you, I swear it, Penny, I-"

"It's alright," Penelope said, grasping his gloved hands in her own. She leaned forward, as close to him as the bars separating them allowed. To Bane, it looked like the two of them were sharing their last kiss. Instead, she whispered into Edward's ear. "I'm not going anywhere with him. I'm stalling."

Edward's mouth dropped, then he whispered back. "GCPD?"

"No." Now, she let go of one of Edward's hands to reach into her pocket. She pulled out the bat-shaped bug and showed it to Edward. His eyes widened in understanding, then flashed with anger.

"What is that?" she heard Bane ask behind her. "What do you have there?" Before he could take a step towards her, the sound of heavy footsteps running towards them attracted the attention of the three people in the room. Penelope felt a smile come to her face. It could only be one person.

Sure enough, when she turned around, Batman was in the room. He'd received her message. He looked at her and Edward, then at Bane. "It's over Bane," he growled. "Let them go."

Bane's face colored and he started towards Penelope. "You conniving bitch!" Penelope froze. Bane was two steps away from her, his arm outstretched when he suddenly fell forward. She quickly moved out of the way and saw that Batman had thrown a bola around Bane's ankles. It didn't hold for long though, as Bane reached down and tore it off of him with one hand. "I will break you, Batman!" he bellowed. "Then Nigma, then the bruja!" He got back up to his feet and charged towards the vigilante, who met him halfway with a kick.

While the two began their fight, Penelope moved back to the bars. "How do I get you out?" she asked.

"There's a control panel to your left," Edward said. "Hit the green button!"

Penelope's eyes darted to her left where she saw the large green circle. She reached her arm over and slapped the button with her palm. The bars shuttered open and Edward dashed over to her and wrapped her in an embrace. Penelope threw her arms around his back and held him just as tight. "Are you alright?" she asked. She pulled away from him to look up at his face. It was bruised from where she had slapped him, but other than that, he didn't look any worse for wear. "What in the Hell were you thinking, coming out here?"

"What was I thinking?" he frowned. "What were you thinking, offering yourself up to Bane like that? And people think I'm crazy!"

Bane's voice cut the pair off before an argument could brew. "Enough of this, Batman!" Penelope and Edward turned to see that Bane had forced Batman up against a wall. The vigilante was crouched in a fighting stance, while Bane had a hand on the tank he wore on his back. Penelope could just make out his hand turn a dial, and her blood ran cold. "Do you remember just how strong the TITAN made me when we fought in Arkham?" Bane taunted. "You were at my mercy. I'll help you remember." The green fluid flowed from the tubes into Bane's bloodstream and his muscles, already huge, began to bulge even more. Once he had fully absorbed the TITAN, he let out a bestial roar and swung his fists down towards Batman, who narrowly avoided the blow by sliding under Bane's legs. Batman threw Batarangs towards the tubes, only for Bane to turn, catch them and crush them in the palm of his hands. He let out a laugh, then charged towards Batman.

Edward sucked in a quick breath. "Jesus..." So this was what TITAN could do. Bane almost didn't look human underneath all that muscle. "I believe this is our cue," he said, gently tugging Penny towards the hallway where they'd entered. He stopped in his tracks when Bane all but flung Batman across the room and charged. Their fight was blocking off the best way out. Edward looked back towards the door Bane had emerged from. "We should be able to make our way to the front entrance through there. Let's go."

Penny hesitated. "What about Batman?" she asked. Her eyes were locked onto the fight, which Batman seemed to be losing.

"What about him?" Edward asked dismissively. "It's not the first time he's fought Bane. He'll be just fine. We need to leave, now." He pulled her towards the door, but Penny shook loose and remained where she was, still taking the scene in. "Penny," Edward hissed. "You knew what you were getting him into when you led him here."

She shook her head. "I thought he could take Bane," she said. "But look." Edward looked back at the fight. Bane had managed to land a blow on Batman, sending him flying until he hit the wall with a grunt. Batman slid down and forced himself back to his feet, though even from this distance, Edward could tell the movement pained him. "We can't just leave him," Penny said. "Edward, he'll die. We have to do something."

No, they didn't, Edward thought. He saw Batman struggle to hold off Bane and felt a sick satisfaction. Why should he lift a finger to help the man who let Jonathan die? Besides, if Batman couldn't take Bane down, what chance did he have-then he had an epiphany. He looked at Penny, still watching with horror. If Batman died, no one could stand between Bane and Penny. Bane would take her, probably kill her at this point and there would be nothing anyone could do to stop him. Edward's eyes narrowed and he set his jaw. No. He wouldn't lose her like he'd lost Jonathan. "We can't physically beat Bane," he said. "But we can contain him." Penny looked up at him with a question in her eyes. Edward gestured back to the alcove where Bane had him locked up. "We'll have to lure him in there and lock him in."

Penny shook her head. "He can break those bars without breaking a sweat-"

"Which is why yours truly is going to have to assist the Dark Knight in pulling those tubes out of Bane," Edward finished. "Those are what feeds the Venom, or TITAN in this case into his system. Without them, he's helpless as a kitten." Edward's eyes darted to the direction Bane had thrown his cane earlier. He could make it out, lying flat on the stone floor, six feet or so away from where Batman and Bane were grappling. He wet his lip and did a few quick mental calculations. If it took Bane 10 seconds to cross the room at mid-pace, then it should take him half that time at full sprint. Batman would just need to keep him occupied.

"What do you need me to do?"

Edward looked at Penny, at the determination in her eyes. She was one of the most fearless people he'd ever known. "You'll be the bait," he said, even though it pained him. "Stand over by the TITAN tank. When I give the word, call Bane over. Act like you'll destroy it. When he comes charging, lead him towards that room. Once he's in, hit the button. Do you understand?"

Penelope nodded. "Yes." She reached up to cup his face in her hands. "Be careful."

For a long moment, he stared into her eyes. It may very well be the last time he did so. There was so much he still needed to say to her, but there was no time left. He gently squeezed her hands with his own. "But of course. It's me, remember?" He stepped away, reluctantly letting go of her, then gave her a tip of the hat before he turned to the fight. This was easily the most insane thing he had ever done. For you Penelope, anything. Then with a deep breath, he ran towards his cane. Neither Batman nor Bane noticed him as he darted past. When he reached the cane, he crouched down. Luckily for all involved, it was still intact.

"I will break you, Batman!"

Edward got up and turned. Bane had his back to him and was holding Batman over his head. One more second, and he'd bring the man down over his knee. Edward hesitated. He looked to his left and saw Penny, looking at the scene with wide eyes. At the sight of her fear, Edward Nigma, private investigator made room for someone else. He grasped the cane with one hand and moved quickly so that he was standing a foot behind Bane. The hulking brute was about to bring Batman down when Edward called out in a voice familiar to all in the room but himself. "Riddle me this!"

Bane paused and turned his head halfway. "Qué demonios!?"

Edward continued, in a bold, brassy tone that fit him like a glove. "I drift forever with the current and flows to your everyday life. I make living easy but I am good at killing people too. What am I?" At Bane's confused, irritated expression, Edward laughed. "The answer," he said smugly. "Is electricity, you moron." Holding the cane handle in his hand, he aimed the staff directly at the small of Bane's back and fired. The taser node flew and attached itself to Bane, shocking the man. He collapsed to his knees, bellowing with pain and loosened his grip on Batman. "That," Edward hissed, "Is what you get for trying to take her away from me."

Batman rolled over onto Bane's back and grabbed hold of one of the tubes. "Nigma!" he shouted.

"Yes, yes, I'm not deaf," Edward grumbled, hooking the handle of his cane around another tube. He and Batman moved as one and pulled hard, breaking both tubes. Edward took a step back to avoid the liquid pooling at his feet. "God," he seethed. "That's disgusting!"

"Get back!" Batman shouted. As he spoke, the taser node had finished deploying its electrical charge, and Bane was staggering back to his feet. He was weakened, but he wasn't down for the count just yet. Edward did as Batman said and watched the vigilante tackle Bane. Bane's muscle mass was visibly shrinking and he was feeling every punch Batman was raining down on him. Edward's delight turned into dread though, when Bane grabbed hold of Batman and tossed him across the room once again. Then he turned to face Edward. He was angry.

"You son of a bitch!" Bane seethed. Edward took a step back. The TITAN, in addition to boosting his strength, seemed to make him more aggressive and stupid, a very bad combination in Edward's experience. Then Bane's gaze drifted behind Edward. He followed Bane's gaze back to Penelope, who froze. "Bruja!" Bane screamed. "Bruja!" Then he charged forward, sending Edward scrambling out of his path.

"Penny!" Edward shouted. "Now!"

Penelope turned heel and ran towards the uncovered alcove, hearing Bane's footsteps thundering behind her. When she was right in front of it, she turned and stopped. Bane five feet away from her and closing. "Dr. Young!" she heard Batman shout. "Get out of the way!" Bane was three feet away. Two...One...At the last possible second, Penelope dove to the left, just inches away from Bane's outstretched arm. Just as Edward had expected, he was going too fast to stop and he ran straight into the alcove, colliding with the wall. She scrambled to her feet, reached for the green button and slapped her palm against it with all her strength. The bars shuttered close, trapping Bane inside. He shook the bars with a deafening roar, but they held firm. Batman and Edward together had drained enough TITAN from him to weaken him. It was over. Penelope felt herself slide down the wall onto the stone floor. Her breath was coming in deep gasps. They had done it. Somehow, they had managed to defeat Bane.

"Penny!"

She looked up to see Edward running towards her. He crouched down, discarded his cane and put his hands on her shoulders. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his midsection in an embrace. He hesitated for only a moment before he returned it, holding her tight against his chest. At that moment, she never wanted to let him go.

The sound of a throat clearing drew the pair out of their reverie. Penelope looked up to see Batman, battered, but still in one piece, staring down at them. Reluctantly, Penelope withdrew from Edward and got to her feet. Once Edward had followed her up, Batman inclined his head towards her. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "Thank you, for everything." Edward's face darkened and he looked like he wanted to say something cutting to Batman, but he kept his mouth shut. Batman ignored it, then walked towards the TITAN tank. Penelope took a step forward. "Wait," she said. Batman turned his head back towards her. "You're going to destroy it, aren't you?"

"It has to be done, Dr. Young," Batman said gently. "It's too dangerous to keep intact."

"I understand," Penelope said. "But I want to be the one to do it."

"Penny," Edward said. "You don't have to-"

"I created it," she interrupted. "I should destroy it."

Batman said nothing but reached into his belt, pulling out a dispenser of some kind. He handed it to her. "This is exploding gel," he explained. "Press the left button to spray it on the tank, then the right button to detonate it."

Penelope nodded, then, with a deep breath, stepped towards the tank. She pressed the left button, and an odd smelling foam came out. She spread a moderate amount on the tank, then took a step back. She paused and considered the tank and the formula that was inside it. "Project TITAN will make Arkham a world-class facility, an award-winning facility..." She had believed that once. All the hours she'd spent in research, refining the formula, all the human pain and misery she had caused and permitted...it had all come down to this.

"Don't," she heard a weak voice behind her. She looked and saw Bane, gripping the bars tight. He was much smaller now, and he looked waxy. The withdrawal from the drug was hitting him fast it appeared. "If you destroy it, Dr. Young," he said. "Then everything you did to me was for nothing!"

At that, Penelope steeled her resolve. "Then it was for nothing," she said. "Bane, I meant it when I said that I was sorry for what I did to you. I wish more than anything I could take it back, that I could make it up to you, but I can't let the TITAN hurt anyone else. You know as well as I do that we can't let it out into the world."

Bane's eyes narrowed, then shut. He let out a sigh. "No," he admitted. "No, we can't." He nodded. "Do it, then."

Penelope pressed the right button. The gel exploded, causing the tank to burst into flames. She jumped a bit at the sound, then watched as the TITAN, her life's work, evaporated before her. She startled a bit when she felt a gentle pressure on her shoulders, only to relax when she saw Edward out of the corner of her eye. "Are you alright?" he murmured.

She nodded. "I will be." Then she turned back to where Bane was imprisoned. She took a few hesitant steps towards the bars, stopping about three feet away. Bane wouldn't be able to reach her. He looked at her with anger, and with something else in his eyes. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I wouldn't blame you if you still wanted to kill me."

Bane glared at her for a moment more, then he rubbed his chin. "Tell me," he said. "Just why does Warden Ward want you dead?" He nodded towards Edward. "Your man told me that he was the one who sent word to me that you were creating TITAN again. What have you done to anger him?"

Penelope sighed. "Ward, along with Mayor Sharp and Hugo Strange are instituting a crackdown on criminals and the mentally ill in Gotham City. They're violating people's rights, and mistreating the patients under their care in Arkham. Sharp has probably killed patients himself. I'm part of a group trying to stop them."

Bane was silent as he mulled over this. Finally, he spoke. "I see. It seems Nigma was right. I was used as a common assassin. I should have gone after Ward and left the TITAN alone, but I needed its power too much." He let out another sigh. "And you are not the woman I hated in Arkham. If you are serious about making amends for all that your experiment did, then I will not come after you again." Penelope let out a breath that she didn't know that she had been holding, before Bane's voice cut in harshly. "That does not mean that I absolve you, Dr. I will be keeping an ear out. If I ever hear that you have returned to experimenting on people, I will end you. Is that clear?"

Penelope nodded. "Yes. I understand."

Bane grunted, then sat down in his makeshift cell. Penelope looked at him for a moment more, then walked back towards Edward and Batman, who, she noticed, were staring each other down.

"GCPD's on its way," Batman said. He narrowed his gaze and addressed Edward. "You had better have a good explanation for what happened here."

Edward's gaze narrowed as well. "So had you," he seethed. "Tell me, just how did Penelope come into possession of one of your bugs? Was that whole 'stalling Bane by offering herself as a slave to him' your idea?"

"It wasn't like that Edward," Penelope said. She paused when she realized that there was no way to explain it that wouldn't cause him to become angry. "I found the bug in my car earlier tonight. I was the one who thought of bringing Batman here."

As she expected, Edward's face reddened. "I see," he said. "Tell me," he addressed Batman. "Just how long has that been going on!? Were you surveilling her because of the TITAN, or because of her association with me!?"

"Edward," Penelope said softly. "Don't do this now. Please."

At the tone in her voice, Edward's face softened. "Fine," he said, crossing his arms. "But we are not done talking about this, Dark Knight."

"No," Batman answered. "No, we're not." He nodded towards the entrance. "Let's go. Gordon should be here by now." He walked forward, leaving Edward and Penelope alone together.

"Penny," Edward said. The danger was over, but there was still a gulf of things unsaid between the two of them. "I-"

Penelope lifted her hand. "It can wait," she said. "We need to tell Gordon about everything first. Then we'll talk."

Edward nodded. "Alright." The pair walked out together, each resisting the urge to grab the other's hand.