The Scars Left Behind
This is the Sequel to the Harlequin and the Bat and The Harley and The Ivy.
Important notes: I do not own Batman or any portion of the franchise. I give all credit to DC Comics and respective owners. Except the characters I wrote in my profile.
Warning: Violent scenes to come. These stunts are done by highly trained professionals and should not be imitated by anyone. Except those proficient in martial arts training and weapons, even then it shouldn't be imitated.
Chapter 4
(Harleen's POV)
Bat-Shard and the Rogue distracted Hyde, he got free after ripping apart Nightbloom's vines. "Hyde take Rogue! Hyde smash Bat!" the behemoth roared
"He's really determined to grab you." Shard joked the Rogue didn't answer but he threw his projectiles in Hyde's direction, they didn't faze him…what manner of creature was he? "Oracle, we need help. Now! Robin, help!" Shard asked Oracle and called for the Boy Wonder.
"Okay I'll contact Batman." Oracle answered as she did Robin flew down and attacking Hyde with his bow staff.
"Little bird, peck Hyde. Hyde, snap wings!" Hyde spoke slowly but spoke with fear inducing words
"Crap!" Robin said as Hyde reached for him but Robin escaped.
Nightbloom tried to ensnare him with her pheromones and vines again…the pheromones didn't work because of Hyde's helmet and the vines were too weak to hold him down. "He's strong…but that armour is damaged. His left shoulder it's exposed!" Nightbloom pointed
The Rogue saw and opening and literally leaped at the opportunity, he struck the exposed shoulder and clawed at it. "*Roar* Rogue hurt Hyde…Burning hand…Poison? Argh!" Hyde roared as he threw the Rogue away tending to his wound. The mark was there now a clawed mark like the goons at Killer Croc's warehouse "Poison burn…poison doesn't stay." Hyde roared as he grabbed his shoulder.
"Are you kidding me he's got immunity?" Nightbloom groaned as Hyde rushed to her. "Whoa; watch it big guy, you're not messing with a frail rose here…I'm poisonous!" Nightbloom proclaimed.
"Poisonous…Poison…grab Rogue…crush weed…crush…Argh!" Hyde tried to force his mind onto something else but it pained him because inside the Jekyll part of him was forcing itself out.
As Hyde was now shrinking back into Jekyll and was slammed by Batman his helmet was now cracked Jekyll's eye was slightly exposed. As Batman grabbed Jekyll and saw his eye he demanded an answer "Jekyll, what are you? Why are you working for Waller?"
"*groan* Batman…Waller owns me…forces me to work for the Squad…making her armour and gathering info…Deadshot must've told you about that…Narsil…Anduril…you keep her safe…" Hyde was rendered unconscious, Batman aimed to take off the helmet but a great smoke cloud came and grabbed Jekyll.
"*cough, cough* What the…? Deathstroke!" Batman aimed for the assassin but missed.
"Sorry about this Bat-Family, but we need them for something. This will not be the last time you face Hyde." Deathstroke proclaimed carrying Jekyll over his shoulder and disappearing.
"What was he doing here?" Bat-Shard wondered sheathing her tonfa.
"Getting Hyde back…Damn it. So close." Batman groaned
"Did he say anything to you?" Robin asked
"To keep: Narsil and Anduril safe." Batman answered
"What's a: Narsil and Anduril?" Robin asked
"We'll find out later. Now what are…where's the Rogue? He was right here!" Nightbloom asked
"Crap. He's good…he might be better than us at making an exit." Bat-Shard explained
"*sigh* maybe we should head back…there's nothing here for us to find out." Nightbloom wanted to go back.
Batman picked up a shred of armour slashed off by the Rogue. "There's always something to find. But we'll head back."
(Hyde's POV)
Jekyll's head was pounding as he heard voices arguing around him. As he regained consciousness he saw Waller shouting at Deadshot and Deathstroke: "You compromised the mission Deadshot! Exposing what Hyde's allegiances are, giving the Batman information on Hyde and worst of all failing to capture the Rogue! And you Deathstroke; as much as I appreciated what you did in rescuing Hyde and Deadshot, you should've captured the Rogue as well!"
"Hyde was out of commission, he wasn't in any condition to capture anyone. But he wasn't so quiet around the Bat either." Deathstroke explained
"What do you mean?" Waller demanded
"The Bat slammed into Hyde as he was transforming back into Jekyll. He got a little chatty around him." Deathstroke added
"*groan* When you're gripped face to face with the Bat you say anything." Jekyll explained and then was punched in the gut by Waller.
"What did you say?" Waller demanded prepping her fists again.
"What Deadshot told him; that's it!" Jekyll groaned
"That and something involving a fictional sword." Deathstroke added
"A fictional sword…which one?" Waller asked
"Narsil and Anduril keep her safe. That's what you said." Deathstroke answered
'Narsil…Anduril…the blade that was broken…re-forged…' Jekyll thought "Argh…my head…what's with this cryptic bull crap!" Jekyll groaned
"Perhaps your mind is telling you something you've forgotten…" Waller spoke dusting her hand off 'And I have to fix it.' she thought "The rest of you find the Rogue; Deadshot, Jekyll: head to the medical room."
"Sure…" Jekyll and Deadshot exited to get healed up. Deathstroke followed
'If he's remembering he'll become a liability…what does Narsil and Anduril have to do with anything?' Waller asked herself.
Time passed Deadshot was sleeping in his bunk, Jekyll was searching for something to help his memory and found a copy of: The Lord of the Rings and looked for anything involving Narsil and Anduril. "You're remembering something aren't you Jekyll? Or should I call you: Impact?" Deathstroke asked implicating Jekyll was the name of a dead-man.
"Slade…yes…I'm remembering flashes…Narsil…the blade that was broken…re-forged…I'm remembering things that don't make sense…Anduril…the Blade re-forged…Bat-Shard." Jekyll said holding his head with his helmet still on.
"You know her identity?" Deathstroke inquired
"Yes…no…maybe…I don't know. All I know is: something happened to me and Waller is The Key along with Bat-Shard." Jekyll spoke as he heard Waller calling for him "Got to go."
"Jekyll…why didn't you attack that Nightbloom girl?" Deathstroke asked
"I don't know…and don't call me Impact." Jekyll answered
Waller was standing at her desk with a chair in front of her Jekyll went over and sat down; Waller grinned and with a flick of a switch Jekyll was pinned to the chair. Jekyll struggled to get free but she whispered "Don't struggle Jekyll…all I want from you is information…and perhaps something else."
This couldn't be good.
(Talia's POV)
Time had passed since Talia's dalliance with Bruce; she had, with her father's permission, acquired a similar healing vault for growing child: an artificial womb. "Look at him. He'll become the next generation, greater than the ones who came before him." Talia said placing her hand softly on the glass looking at a forming sphere of human genetics.
"A true marvel Mistress." An assassin spoke "It'll become a fine heir to the legacy."
"It…It…? My child is an "It" to you?" Talia spoke darkly looking at the assassin.
"Mistress…forgive me. But I do not know what to call your child because it has no gender at this time." The assassin begged forgiveness
"My child is a son. The Son of The Bat! And don't you forget this." she threatened the assassin with a blade to his throat.
"Of-of course Mistress." The assassin panicked
"Talia!" an elderly man's voice called out "Down here with your child again, my daughter?" the voice grew closer and revealed an elderly man with black neatly trimmed hair and a green with gold cloak.
"Master Ra's! I shall take my leave." The assassin bowed and left.
"Father…here to give me another lecture?" Talia asked
"No…I'm here because I have heard news of a Rogue assassin who is after me. I want him stopped…where is Sonia?" Ra's inquired
"Gone; she has lost her honour and has died in our eyes. As for the Rogue he is vicious. He took out most of the battalion when they "visited" Bruce's home." Talia answered
"So I've heard. I want this Rogue working for us. And if he is as strong as Bruce…then maybe he'll make a fine husband for you." Ra's thought aloud
"Bruce is my only beloved father! You cannot do this again! Remember what happened with Bane? You cannot keep doing this!" Talia defended herself from her father's thought.
"Yes…I do remember…but we shall see." Ra's disappeared leaving Talia with her son.
'I will never marry anyone but Bruce. He is mine!' Talia thought looking at the growing embryo.
(No-One's POV)
Down in the underground, the flickering lights and graffiti labelled walls with holes in them, covered by anything to stop the drafts. There were no trains running through this line anymore, condemned, after a brush with Killer Croc and Solomon Grundy it'll be only one thing after those two came through here; down in the old service room was a large collection of Batman and Bat-Shard pictures on screens including the Rogue. As the Rogue searched for Bane the towering man spoke behind him in a thick South American accent "Looking for me little Bat?" as the Rogue turned around he saw the goliath of a man: tubes of Venom were pumping into his brain enhancing already imposing physique, his face was covered by a wrestler's mask and wearing a large overcoat with his wrestling gear underneath. He didn't strike as he saw the fire in the Rogue's eyes "You are after Ra's Al Ghul, correct? Of course you are. You've been hunting him down for months. Firefly sent you didn't he?" Bane spoke the Rogue nodded "Of course he did. *sigh* So what do you want to do to Ra's?" the Rogue made a thumbs up gesture with his hand turned it sideways moving his thumb towards his throat, then going across over his throat…he wanted to kill him. "Ah…you want to kill the Demon's Head. Well it won't be easy, he has something called the Lazarus Pit; even if you kill him he can easily just come back. That's what the pit does: heals all wounds, reverse age and bring back the dead…at the cost of driving you mad." Bane explained. The Rogue listened intently; he bowed and proceeded to leave. "Where are you going little Bat? By my judgement you work with the Batman and Bat-Shard…Why should I let you leave alive?" Bane said getting up, preparing himself for a fight. The Rogue pointed to the picture of Ra's. "You only want Ra's? And you won't tell anyone about my location?" Bane questioned, The Rogue nodded. "Very well; you can go." Bane pointed the way out and as The Rogue began to leave Bane's heavy footsteps followed. Using his grapple gun the Rogue disappeared into the shadows "You cannot hide little Bat! You need the location for Ra's and the Assassin Guild! You need me!" Bane called out hoping to break this Bat, like he broke Batman's back. The Rogue made no sound when he landed behind Bane and slit the pumps flowing with Venom. "Argh! You little traitor! The Venom!" Bane roared grabbing the Rogue "I may have lost some Venom, but I've enough to do this!" Bane lifted the Rogue above his head poised for the iconic back breaking movement that made him infamous "Man who broke The Bat". As the Rogue struggled he threw a powder into Bane's face and made him see something the Rogue couldn't see. "Argh! The Bat! The Bat! I-I broke you!" Bane roared dropping the Rogue to the floor, as Bane tried to rub the powder from his eyes the Rogue grabbed Bane's collar and forced his sight upon him demanding an answer without speaking. "There…there is a spot where they gather in Gotham. They gather there!" as Bane told the location the Rogue left him to rot in his fear, leaving to the shadows.
(Harleen's POV)
*in the Bat-Cave*
'Narsil…Anduril…it can't be; Bill once called me that when I was away from Bruce…is he really alive?' Harley thought to herself as Bruce examined the armour fragment.
"It's a match…the armour, the blood sample and strangely the poison." Bruce spoke
"Bill?" Ivy asked with hope.
"Bill…" Bruce answered solemnly
As they Bat-Family gasped they saw the genetic materials for the armour as well: the same structure as the armour used for his Meta-Human armour only made for military purposes. Ivy finally knew that her boyfriend was alive, Harley and the others were grateful that their friend was alive. But what was that about the poison?
"He's alive…but why is he with the Suicide Squad?" Barbara asked
"Deadshot and Bill himself told me that he joined as Waller's Pet. Obviously when Bill froze Waller she took revenge on him by moulding him into a pet. And he's perfected his armour recipe." Bruce explained
"But the Rogue…that poison he was using?" Dick asked
"It looks like the poison, Ivy has in her physiology." Bruce spoke
"*groan* I can't believe you just did that!" Tim groaned doing a face palm.
"What? What did Bruce do?" Harley asked
"The poison, Ivy." Tim indicated at the sentence section "I thought Bill's jokes were bad, but that was terrible."
As they shook their heads; Ivy looked at the poison compound, being a botanist and scientist she knew the compound but wondered how it was with the Rogue. "How did this Rogue get my poison?"
"I don't know…maybe somehow he found an old place of yours?" Harley wondered
"Maybe…but it's for tomorrow…if we still have today left." Ivy looked at the clock: ten fifty seven PM. As the group went to bed Bruce and Harley looked at the screen then each other.
"Hell of a day right?" Bruce asked
"Yeah…hell of a day." Harley replied
"*sigh* shall we head to bed then?" Bruce asked pointing towards the stairs
"Yeah…hold on there." Harley agreed then she stopped Bruce then hugged him "on the second day of Christmas…my true love gave to me…two loving hugs…" Harley joked
"So is this going to be our thing then?" Bruce smiled
"Only for this year…" Harley looked at him; she did love Bruce and his smile.
To be continued
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