Batman struggled to keep steady as he maneuvered around Bane's strikes. Defeating the mercenary in purely physical combat always proved a losing strategy, and Bane learned well from his past failures. At a distance, Batman loosed batarangs to damage the venom controls on Bane's glove, but every one was cast aside without regard for the cuts endured. Up close, Batman dipped and dodged in an attempt to get at the pump hooked into the back of Bane's head, but the beast caught him each time, once with a backhanded punch, and the next with a suffocating hand on the throat.
"You're disappointing me, Bat." A twisted grin crossed Bane's lips. "After the girl was already dealt with before I arrived, I hoped you would still give me a fight."
The giant's words incensed Batman, he clenched his hands together like an axe handle, raised it high, smashed halfway up Bane's arm and broke the grip. As Bane shouted and Batman made some distance, he demanded, "Where is she?"
"Fighting for her life," Bane said with a snarl. "As you soon will be."
Batman threw himself back into the fight. Rage fueled his attacks, first a punch to the midsection hard enough to make Bane keel forward, then a flurry of punches to his face. The thought of another Gotham child's life torn apart incensed him. After half a dozen shots to the face, Bane recovered strength enough to raise his hands, catch Batman's fists, and twist them until he shouted in pain.
"The niña has either gone to her God," Bane continued to twist, "or is now grappling with her devil."
As Batman struggled to keep his eyes open with the pain threatening to overcome him, he just faintly caught sight of the shape in black and white as it rushed in from the cathedral's side entrance.
Nearly every ounce of Angel's light frame went into a flying punch upside Bane's face. The mercenary instantly released his grip on Batman and stumbled backwards. He stared at the young woman for a moment, wiped at his mouth and laughed.
"So, you're a survivor, are you?" Bane threw open his arms as if to invite her in for an embrace. "You put up a fine fight before, but now let's see you—"
Angel gave him no chance to finish. With a rush forward she smashed the points of her fingers like daggers into a pair of pressure points on his legs. Bane roared as he lost balance and fell to his knees, where Angel reeled back for a second and then pummeled his face. Even without Batman's superior size, each punch shook the giant to his core and blurred his vision. With some struggle Bane raised one hand and caught a punch as Angel threw it, but the young woman, undeterred, slid one leg back, reoriented her position, and kicked him square in the jaw. For a moment, Bane wobbled as if he was about to go down. Angel, still disoriented by the poison in her blood, pulled back her freed fist for another punch. Batman shook the stars from his vision and witnessed the battle, stunned at just what the young woman who adopted his symbol was capable of.
"Enough!" Bane shoved the girl and pushed back to his feet. Before he could return to his full height, however, Batman rushed over and delivered a rock-hard hit of his own. As Bane stumbled, Angel leapt onto his back and locked her arms around his neck in a devilish chokehold.
"Wha—ack! What is this?" Bane stood up straight, but Angel held her grip even as he lifted her off the ground. The mercenary jerked to and fro, but he could not force Angel from his back.
In the midst of her chokehold and the struggle, Angel opened her mouth, bit down on the tubing at the back of Bane's head, and yanked away.
"No!" Bane thrashed, but could not break either grip she had on him.
With a last jerk, Angel tore the tubing out of Bane. Another hit of the vile green poison within hit her, it tasted of blood and bile, but she did not care. Some fight still remained in Bane, and in desperation he ran into one of the cathedral's pillar backwards. But even as he smashed Angel into the makeshift wall again and again, her hold did not waiver. At last, low on both venom and oxygen, Bane fell to the ground, fighting to remain conscious. With one hand held on his chest for stability, Angel hammered at his face with her free hand. The sound of skin smashed against skin quickly gave way to cracks.
As she wound up for another hit, Batman grabbed Angel by one of her wrists. "That's enough," he said. "He's already down."
Still shaking, Angel held her position for a moment, as if considering his words.
Below her, Bane let out a low, rumbling laugh. "No, niña, you're not finished with me yet. Not for what I put you through. I haven't felt justice, not yet." He flashed a sinister smile. "Finish what you started."
Whether Bane was trying for reverse psychology or genuinely wanted to see how far he could carry his corruption, Batman and Angel did not know. But it didn't matter. Angel twisted her arm free from Batman's grip, delivered a wind-knocking kick to his gut, and turned her barrage back on Bane.
Batman keeled down and clenched his stomach. The thought of fighting this drugged child to save Bane sickened him and he expected a difficult battle to accomplish it. But he saw no other choice. As Bane's laughter faded, there was a distinct possibility she'd given a concussion. This needed to end.
"Cassandra!"
Before Batman could advance on the girl, Monsignor Ryan rushed out from his office, his small, white poodle a few steps behind and barking with his shout. Angel ignored him initially as she raised her fist again, intent to keep at it until Bane's face caved in.
The old priest didn't try taking her hand, he just ran and knelt by her side. "Cassandra, your friend said that is enough. This man is defeated."
Angel jerked her head up to look at the priest, in her eyes swirled sickness, confusion, and hatred.
"I don't know what he put you through, but I do know you have everything you need to pay him back for it." Monsignor Ryan's voice was firm but gentle all at once. "But you are not what he, or anyone else made you."
Angel's body still shook, but her fist came unclenched and her body loosened.
"You are loved." Monsignor Ryan made a small sign of the cross in the air and dared to lay one hand on her shoulder. Angel did not resist. "He will ask for forgiveness or he will pay what he has done. And all those men stole from us tonight were things. Give up your anger, and let's go home."
Cassandra lost the last of the indignation that held her up and collapsed into the priest's arms. Batman crossed to them and saw Bane lay defeated and unconscious, but still breathing. As the sound of police sirens called from outside, he knew the night was won.