Xander growled as he impacted the ground and left a sizable crater to mark their meeting.
Pulling himself back to his feet, he shook his head to clear it before he looked up in time to see two massive boots just moments before they connected with his head and drove him back into his hole.
All in all, this had been a really bad day.
--
(Forty two hours earlier.)
Xander paced the small cell for the ten thousandth time, and for the ten thousandth time resisted the urge to simply walk out of the jailhouse that was supposed to be holding him.
It was bad enough running from Lex Luthorand the Bat, going on the run from the law would likely be the straw that broke the camel's back and send him spiraling off into true Villain territory.
"All I wanted was a freaking day job and a place to crash." Xander muttered despite the knowledge he had a better chance of waiting for the sun to collapse into the universe's largest diamond and using it to bribe super-girl into marrying him than for Luthor to calm down from his… Prank.
"Mister Harris."
Stopping his internal rant, Xander turned to stare at the well dressed man that stood casually outside his cell. Something about him was familiar.
"Mister Harris, my name is Samuel Colt of Hidalgo industries. We've met, but I won't be insulted if you don't recognize me immediately." The man said with a smile as he straightened his tie. "We weren't properly introduced last time."
Thinking back, Xander finally placed the face. "You're the guy from the gang's warehouse." He said as Mr. Colt nodded.
"That's right, I wanted to thank you once I'd gotten myself cleaned up, unfortunately I found you were being held here under half a million dollar bail." The man said before nodding at the officer that stepped up to unlock the door. "Fortunately for you, I'm rather generous to people that have saved my life, my lawyers are clearing up the matter of your identification right now." He said before stepping into the cell and putting an arm around Xander's shoulders. "Now, I heard you grumbling something about a job…"
As the two walked out of the jail, Xander expected things to go very wrong for him soon. His ability to tell the future was something quite spectacular, as it turned out.
--
(Now.)
Sending a thankful thought up to anyone responsible for his skull not collapsing, Xander punched the back of the leg standing on his head. As the heavy form above dropped to one knee, Harris shifted and used what leverage he could to throw the hulking behemoth off him.
Standing, Xander shook his head to clear it from the most recent impact when he was grabbed in a vicious bear hug from behind. Gritting his teeth as the pressure mounted, Xander head-butted the man holding him.
Shaking the pain of that maneuver off, Xander flexed his muscles and frowned as the massive being maintained his hold.
//This is impossible, I killed Angelus with my bare hands. I fought Doomsday to a standstill. How can this human even stand before me?// Xander thought desperately as the constrictive hold started to affect him, causing his vision to blacken around the edges.
He really wished he had simply stayed in that stupid cell.
--
(Thirty Nine hours earlier.)
Xander shifted nervously in his Tuxedo as he tried not to even contemplate how much money was currently around him.
Sam Colt (No relation to the gun maker, it turned out) had insisted on helping Xander 'get his feet under him.' Which, in the circles Mr. Colt ran in, meant Xander had been given a sizable reward, a tuxedo and a limousine ride to an exclusive party for the Gotham elite.
Taking a sip of the wine that probably cost more per bottle then Xander made in a year at Wayne Corp, Xander glanced around the room carefully.
Mr. Colt was talking to the commissioner about his stay as the street thugs' 'guest' while several people nearby complained about the lack of police work on the theft of several rather impressive weapons from a military complex earlier that week.
Frowning at the twinge of a memory the words sparked, Xander was startled by a cheerful voice from behind him.
"Quite an event, I always enjoy getting out of the office for a while, but I have to say I've never seen you at one of these before. First time or just visiting?"
--
(Now.)
Fighting off the tunnel vision, Xander rocked back in the massive man's grip before pitching forward. The momentum was, thankfully, enough for him to get his feet on the ground and throw his attacker off him.
Rolling across the ground, Xander grabbed a broken chunk of cement and tossed it with all his enhanced strength at his opponent.
As the concrete skipped off his head, Bane turned to glare at the annoyance that challenged him.
"This is not your night to die, little man. My fight is with the Bat." The masked and muscled monstrosity growled as Xander forced himself back to his feet.
"Not that I have any great caring for the air rat, Big B and personally if that's all you had done I probably would have held the Ass down for you." Xander admitted as he thanked whatever merciful god was watching him for the short reprieve that his healing was taking full advantage of, "But the deaths you've caused have nothing to do with Batman, nothing to do with your vendetta."
"I don't care." The massive man admitted.
Xander simply nodded, "And that's why I'm gonna put you in the ground."
Laughing at the challenge, Bane simply flexed his muscles before advancing. "Then come, little warrior. Show me your strength."
--
(Thirty Nine hours earlier.)
Turning to the voice, Xander stared at the man for several seconds before shaking off the feeling of déjà-vu. "Sorry about that, and actually it's both." he said as he returned the man's smile and held out his hand. "I'm Xander Harris."
"Xander, hmmm?" the man said as he shook Xander's hand. "Strange name. I'm Bruce, by the way. Bruce Wayne."
For a moment, Xander felt his hand lock around the older man's as a million memories fought their way towards the surface of his mind before falling back into oblivion as Myxy's magic kept them at bay.
"Mister Wayne, a pleasure to finally meet you." Xander said dispassionately as he let go of the man's hand. "I must admit I was actually working for you until a few days ago."
"Is that so? What happened, find a better Job?" Bruce Wayne asked jokingly as he tried to figure out why the kid had frozen like that at his name.
"No, you fired me." Xander said as he tried to ignore his anger at the man before him.
--
(Now.)
Broken.
His bones, his flesh, his very spirit.
Xander Harris was broken.
Lifting himself up, Xander felt the grip of the monster close around his neck before he was lifted to stare into the face of Bane.
"As I said before little man, this is not your night to die." The massive being said calmly before letting Xander's broken form fall to the ground. "Perhaps next time you will stay out of things that don't concern you."
Xander Harris doesn't even hear the tread of the being's heavy boots as he walks off into the darkness.
--
'And in breaking news, the 43rd National Guard Armory was broken into last night by what is being reported as an unknown hostile.
This reporter has heard tales of everything ranging from Russian KGB agents and rogue CIA cells to robotic alien invaders.
What IS known is that everything from assault rifles and machine guns to anti-personel mines and rocket launchers were stolen before the thieves fled the scene.
So far there no official word on who is responsible.
For CSB Gotham, this is Sara Reed, signing off.'
--
(A/N )
Dang, been a while since I updated, sorry. Trying to bring some of my stories to a close while I still can and hoping to enjoy it a bit as well.
While this story isn't finished, I am hoping to work on some of my others.
Hope this puts the general time frame for the story into more direct focus and I hope you all enjoyed my work and give me lots of bright, shiny reviews.
-Tjin