Wow, The First Degree just blew right by the 100 review mark. I certainly wasn't expecting that over the weekend. Thank you to everyone that has reviewed and enjoyed this story so far. I really appreciate it. Now, without further ado, here's the chapter you've been waiting for.


"Bane."

The hulking man just sat there, facing the direction opposite of Bruce. He didn't seem to react at all with having his name spoken.

And then he tilted his head towards him, his dark eyes sliding over to eye him. His full lips twitched up into a smirk. "Enjoying your stay in Blackgate Prison, Mr. Wayne?"

This wasn't good. Out of everyone he could have met in this hellhole, it had to be the man that left him with a broken back. He could practically see the man bulking up with his venom concoction, tossing him around, throwing him off of a building, emerging out of a smoldering skylight.

Laying on the ground after being kicked off of a construction site, that same venom compound pouring out of him like blood.

"You seem surprised to see me. Did you not expect me to be here?" Bane questioned him, not once losing his amusement.

"I…I…" he stammered. It was the only reaction he could do, at least publicly. Inside, his mind was trying to determine what the hell was going on. Why had Bane approached him? What was his goal? What did he want?

So he had to settle on what a terrified man would say. "What do you want?"

Bane looked away from him, staring towards the wall of the prison. "Freedom, what else does any man desire? That is beyond either of us at the moment, however."

"Do…do you think I can…give you that?"

"Considering my actions against the city of yours, I highly doubt I will ever be freed from here. That is alright since I am doing well for myself."

Meaning that Bane had become top dog amongst the prison population. It should not have been a surprise since he had done the same in Santa Prisca before venturing out to Gotham. Tearing his eyes away from the towering man, Bruce once again looked about the courtyard and noticed just about every inmate wasn't looking in his direction—or rather, they weren't looking at Bane.

"So I see," he finally said, visibly gulping. Then he looked back to Bane. "There must be something else you want. You wouldn't be talking to me otherwise."

"Oh, of that you are correct." Bane finally turned his head to fully stare down at him. "I have been watching you ever since you came here, Mr. Wayne."

"Why…why is that?"

"I wanted to know what an innocent man does when he is locked away."

That startled Bruce. Just about every person here had levied some accusation of his guilt. "You think I'm innocent?"

Bane chuckled. "I know the eyes of a killer. I see those eyes every time I look into a mirror. Even now, I do not see those eyes in you. I know you are innocent, Mr. Wayne."

The dark-haired man looked away, leaning forward. "Tell that to the judge. He might actually believe you."

"Do not feel sorry for yourself, Wayne. You are merely experiencing the injustices of your judiciary system. Many men have been in your exact circumstance, falsely accused of a crime you did not commit."

Bane wasn't wrong, but Bruce did not like that point being delivered by a maniac. "You want something from me. What is it you want?"

"If freedom is not an option, then there is one thing all men covet: money."

He blinked his eyes before looking back up to Bane. The amusement was gone from his face, his eyes sharply focused on him. " And it is my understanding that you have quite a bit of that."

"Sorry, but I don't exactly have access to it at the moment. Seeing as how the entire city of Gotham thinks I'm guilty, chances are I'm not going to have access to it for quite some time."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Bane shrugged. "Regardless, you find yourself with a rare opportunity. I offer you protection from the rest of the criminals in this prison we find ourselves in. Imagine men like Gantz giving you a wide berth, avoiding you for fear of what I will do to them if they attempt to attack you again."

That gave Bruce pause. His eyes widened. "It was you," he said softly. "You were the one to break Gantz's bones and sent him to the infirmary."

"That is correct. Consider them an example of what will happen to any who touch you should you be under my protection." There was a pause. "You're much more perceptive than I was led to believe, Mr. Wayne."

It was Bruce's turn to shrug his shoulders. "You don't run a billion dollar company being a complete idiot. I've been more involved these last few years. I've picked up on a few things."

Bane slowly nodded his acknowledgement. "Then you must see the opportunity before you. Of course, my services don't come cheap."

"So you want me to pay for your protection?" This sounded like racketeering; in fact, Bruce was pretty certain that was what this was.

"Correct."

"You do realize that I could be found guilty," he pointed out. "And if that happens, it'll be quite difficult to pay you."

"I'm certain you can work something out with your people." Again, Bane looked bemused. "However, if it makes you feel better, I will offer you two prices: one you will pay if you are indeed found guilty and the other if you are found innocent. Do you find that acceptable?"

Bruce nodded. "I do. So how much will this cost me?"

"Seeing as this is a time sensitive situation, depending on your verdict of course, in the event that you are found guilty, I will be willing to accept ten thousand in U.S. dollars per day. Your murder charges promise a sentence of twenty years to life, so a minimum of twenty years of service will do nicely."

That wasn't terrible. Rough math estimated a few million dollars for protection from the rest of the prison population should the two of them remain in this prison, not that he needed it. His rich, playboy persona, however, did. So long as Bane wasn't transferred…

"And if I am found innocent?" he couldn't help but ask.

"One million per day."

That got his attention. A smirk grew on Bane's face. "If you are to be found innocent, your stay here will be quite short and you will have full access to your wealth. One month of protection is thirty million, which I know you have that money on hand. So what say you? Do we have a deal?"

Bruce couldn't help but feel that he was making a deal with a devil. In fact, that's what this was. However, he had to maintain his Bruce Wayne persona if only so that Batman could continue to exist. Without Wayne, Batman would lose his resources and funds, which would make life quite difficult.

But by paying Bane, he had no idea what he would be enabling the man to do. That thirty million he would pay could very well go into a prison break attempt, which would mean he was responsible since he would have funded the attempt. With Bane back out in the world…

He didn't want to consider that, but another thought popped into his head. Seeing as he was in lock up with the brute, he could actually spend that time trying to learn what Bane was up to. He would have to earn the man's trust, but if he discovered what Bane was planning, he could put a stop to it before it ever began.

"I don't see I have much choice," he finally said before he raised a hand up, holding out to Bane. "I believe we have a deal."

Bane gave him a tight-lipped smile before he raised his own hand and accepted Bruce's. "I promise you, Mr. Wayne, you will not regret this."

Bruce certainly hoped not.


Cassandra led the charge up the steps to the police precinct. Lucius Fox was trying to keep up with her, but he was drifting back.

She was angry. She knew this, which is why Lucius was with her, to make certain she didn't over do it. She had been performing her duties under him when the man took her into his confidence. The police had been seen wandering around Wayne Manor, for what reason it was unknown. One of the laborers had seen them go into the house and leave some time later.

As she reached the top of the stairs, she saw the woman from the courtroom, the one that was her father's lawyer. She looked irritated herself, only perking up when she saw Lucius. "Mr. Fox!" she called out to him.

"Ms. Green," the older man returned the greeting as he too reached the top of the stairs. "Thank you for meeting us on such short notice."

"Thank you for telling me about this," the blonde woman returned. Upon telling Cassandra what had happened, Lucius' next call had been to this Green lady. The call couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but the result was that they were to meet at the GCPD main precinct. "Now, let's go settle this matter."

Lucius moved past both women, grabbing the door and opening it for them. "Ladies first."

As much as Cassandra wanted to lead the charge, she knew she wasn't equipped for it. This was a legal matter, or so she was told, and that required some level of finesse. It sounded like something she wasn't familiar with, so she was willing to let someone with experience take charge.

Entering the building, Ms. Green led their group through the security checkpoint up to some elevators. One of the doors was sliding open, allowing a couple of officers to exit. Green immediately went into the available elevator, Cassandra and Lucius joining her. The older woman struck one of the buttons and soon they were rising up.

When they reached their floor, the doors opened and they went right to a desk. There was an officer sitting behind it, typing on a keyboard. He didn't even look up at them as they stopped at his station.

"We're here to see the Police Commissioner," Green announced.

"Do you have an appointment?" the officer asked, again not looking up at them.

"It was a last minute one," Lucius quipped.

"Name?"

"Wayne, Bruce."

The officer paused before finally looking up at their group. He stared at them until he recovered his dismissal attitude. "Just a second." He began typing on his keyboard again. "I'm not seeing an appointment," he reported. "And the Commissioner is too busy to take a walk-in at the moment. I highly suggest you make an appointment at—"

Cassandra blatantly ignored the man as she turned her head to look into the famed bullpen of the MCU. She could see officers and detectives moving around, filing paperwork, answering phone calls and the like. Deciding this glorified secretary was not going to stop her, she began walking towards the bullpen. She already knew where the Commissioner's office was.

"Hey! You can't go there!" the officer shouted at her.

Cassandra stopped and turned her head towards the man. "I can and will. If you want to stop me, call your boss and tell them to meet us. Otherwise Wayne Enterprises will be ending its annual donations to you. How much was that again, Mr. Fox?"

"Ten million," Lucius answered her. "Though I believe we were going to increase our donation for this year."

"Cancel the increase then." She returned her attention to the cop. "Now call your boss before you can't afford new body armor. I understand you are in need of upgrades."

The officer stared at her "And who should I say is here?" he grunted.

"Cassandra Wayne, the daughter of Bruce Wayne, and the girl that is about to accuse this department of constitutional violations," Ms. Green answered for her.

The man continued to stare before he picked up a phone. He punched in a couple buttons and waited. "Commissioner, this is Davis," he said. "I have people here from Wayne Enterprises wanting to see you. Someone claiming to be Wayne's daughter and constitutional violations." A pause. "Okay then, I'll send them." He hung up the phone. "The Commissioner will—"

"I know where they're at," Cassandra declared before walking off. Lucius and Green followed after her, their pace fast as they caught up with her.

"Settle down, Cassandra," the older man warned her. "Don't do anything reckless."

"These people have accused my father of something he didn't do," she retorted. "I am not in the mood to be nice."

"I'm with her," Ms Green agreed. "They've crossed a line and it's high time we put them in their place."

They were through the rows of desks of the bullpen, entering a hallway. "Do I need to reign you in too?" Lucius questioned.

"You're the one that hired me and I'm going to do everything I can to serve you right," Green replied. "And that includes sticking it to the police when they've violated their own rules."

"Just don't exacerbate the situation, alright? We still need these people."

They soon reached an open door, a plaque next to it indicating it was the Commissioner's office. Cassandra went right through it, spotting a woman with short blonde hair behind the desk. This was Gordon's replacement, Maggie Sawyer. She watched them enter before she stood up from her seat. "To what—" she began.

"Stay away from my house," Cassandra interrupted her.

The Commissioner didn't look the least bit putout by the interruption. "I'm going to need some context, Ma'am."

Green placed a hand on the dark-haired girl's shoulder. The squeezing of her fingers told her that she needed to back down—for now. "Good afternoon, Commissioner Sawyer," the lawyer said. "I'm Rae Green, council to Bruce Wayne. I'm certain you know Lucius Fox already." At this, she held her other hand out, gesturing to the man. "And the young woman here is Bruce Wayne's daughter, Cassandra. We have some concerns that need to be addressed by you."

"And what concerns are those?"

"First and foremost, the illegal search of Wayne Manor by your detectives."

"I see. Well, there is no such illegal search. It was brought to my attention that there may have been evidence there and I sent my detectives to verify these accounts."

"And where did you hear such accounts?"

"I am not at liberty to discuss that."

"So you have an alleged anonymous source, who you're claiming is giving you probable cause to enter Wayne Manor. I don't think I need to tell you that won't fly in a court of law."

"Bruce Wayne is currently indicted for murder, Ms. Green. That gives us room to operate if it is deemed necessary, which I felt did. We had probable cause to search Mr. Wayne's residence."

"A residence he hasn't lived in for months due to an earthquake. If it was at his current residence, you may have a point, but this is the equivalent of searching the man's lakehouse when he hasn't been there in the last year. You have no reason to be at Wayne Manor."

"Since the murder weapon was kept there, I would beg to differ."

"Which still requires you to obtain a search warrant, which I know you don't have," Green shot back. "I know, I checked for any existing ones and there isn't a single judge that has signed one in the two months. So I have you dead to rights for an illegal search-and-seizure. And believe me, I will use that to get that evidence stricken from the trial."

"Even if it's to help your client?" Sawyer countered.

Green gave her a look. "You and I both know that if I don't, your D.A. friends will. Even if you found evidence that exonerates my client, they'll bury it. It wouldn't be the first time either."

"Regardless, we're demanding a court-issued warrant for any searches you wish to do regarding Bruce Wayne, Wayne Enterprises, and all properties that entails," Lucius spoke up. "Your department no longer has our cooperation in your case against Mr. Wayne. You will need to have subpoenas to speak to any employees, representatives, and principal parties save for Ms. Green."

"And there will be consequences if I find out your detectives are trying to circumvent these rules," Green added. "As you've said, Bruce Wayne is indicted, so you have no reason to send any of your officers and detectives to his properties or talk to his people. Are we clear?"

Sawyer stared at them, then, "I understand. I apologize on behalf of the GCPD for this situation. I'll instruct my officers on following proper procedural guidelines. That said, if and when we get those subpoenas and warrants, we do expect your full cooperation. Is there anything else?"

Cassandra wanted to say something, but she felt the lawyer's fingers dig into her shoulder, the only thing keeping her from impulsively replying. "This is all. Thank you for your time."

The young girl was then steered out of the office, Green guiding her down the hallway with Lucius right behind her. The three of them remained silent, even as they boarded the elevator. It wasn't until they were outside of the building that any of them spoke.

"I'm not certain how long that will last, but that should keep them busy for the moment," Green said, her hands dangling at her sides. "Just know that everything is going to be official. If they come with the proper paperwork, you won't be able to refuse them."

"We understand," Lucius responded. "And again, thanks for coming here on such short notice."

"No, thank you. Now, I gotta go see about Mr. Wayne's case. I'll let you know if there are any developments."

And with that, the lawyer left, leaving Cassandra with Lucius. "That means it's time for us to get back to work too," he gently reminded her. "You okay?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not. I don't want any of them ever setting foot in my home again."

"I understand your feelings, I really do, but this is the best we have. If they do get a warrant, there won't be much choice. Now, let's get back to the office. We've spent enough time on this that we can."


Talia hadn't felt this way since the last time Damian had run away.

Her child had done it again, but rather than impulsively try to chase down his father, he was in Gotham, somewhere, all alone. There was no telling where he was at, or where he was going.

He had avoided the Order thus far. While a part of her wanted to be proud of that accomplishment, Talia couldn't find it in herself to praise it as much as regret it. His improved stealth skills were making it difficult in locating him.

Where was he? Where was he going? Where could he go?

The first time it had happened, Talia had been too frantic, too consumed with protecting him to think logically. His disappearance only to re-emerge in her Beloved's base of operations made sense. Damian wanted to meet his father, had been insisting on it, then lost his patience and went to do as he wanted. She could see the logic in hindsight.

To take that approach now was foolhardy. Already, the Order had been to Wayne Manor and had not found him. There was no known way into the cave beneath the mansion, not the usual way anyways. Some sort of cave-in had occurred, which was currently blamed on an earthquake. While there was a faultline in the area, any tectonic detection had gone undetected right up until the earthquake itself.

When Talia had first heard of that, she had her doubts. For one, the only damaged area appeared to be Wayne Manor. Considering the faultline went into Gotham itself, one would think the entire area would have been affected. Then her Beloved's movements had become erratic, right up until a battle between the Justice League and Legion of Doom erupted in Metropolis. Fights had been reported between founding members of the Justice League, including her Beloved.

So if Damian had not gone to Wayne Manor, then where? There were only so many places he would desire to go. He would not go anywhere she was in control of, so that removed their home. With his father in prison, he could not go there. While he could visit—and she had someone watching Blackgate at that moment—he would not be allowed accommodations. Her spy had not reported his presence there as of yet.

Leaning over her desk, her elbows pressed onto the wooden surface, her hands digging into her long, dark hair, she tried to make sense of that confrontation. Damian had claimed to find a phone that indicated she had framed her Beloved. That was completely untrue. She had no idea where he had found that phone, but its effect was devastating. A seed of distrust had been sown quite effectively.

How had he gotten his hands on that phone? Where had he found it? It must have been in a place he could have found it and it reflect poorly on her.

There was truly a conspiracy occurring here, one that had already put chains onto her Beloved and now fractured her relationship with her son. Someone wanted her to take the fall.

But who?

It must have been someone that wanted to hurt her and her Beloved. That at least shortened the list, but not enough. She had removed Luthor as a suspect, so who did that leave? It had to be someone that knew of the two of them.

One person that came to mind was that acquaintance of Bruce Wayne, the one that hid himself as Lincoln March. Destroying the life of her Beloved was certainly his goal and the murder accusations had done just that. He was also aware of her association during the ouster of Wayne Enterprises Board of Directors.

The only problem was that he was dead, crushed beneath the crumbling remains of a defunct prison. That was the one problem preventing his involvement.

So who did that leave?

There was a knock at her office door. Talia tilted her head up, her hands falling from her head and onto her desk. The door opened and one of her assassins entered, her personal assistant in the eyes of the rest of the world. The look on her face told her what was about to be said without a word being said.

"My apologies, Princess, but we have yet to find the prince," she informed her.

"The only update I want from you is that you have his location and are moving in to take him," Talia replied, her tone deathly low. "Anything less and I will remove your head from your shoulders. Do you understand?"

The assassin didn't so much as gulp from the threat. She knew what failure meant. "I understand, Princess."

"Leave me and do not return until you know where my son is."

The door closed then, leaving Talia all to herself. She hated the feeling. She hated not knowing where her son was; she hated that he despised her due to false allegations. When she found whoever was responsible, she would have them flayed.

The quietness of her office was overbearing. She couldn't stay here. As much as she wanted Damian safely at her side, she knew he would not return willingly, not without proof of her innocence.

Yet, she did not want to be alone. There was only one other person she wanted near her and circumstances kept them apart.

Then again, she could still visit…


For whatever reason, Bruce was a popular person.

Being popular in prison was not a positive.

It seemed he was constantly getting visitors. Many had been between him and Rae Green, which was alright. He needed to know what was going on with his court case and be able to provide what information he could for his defense.

However, this latest visit was not entirely welcomed.

Bruce could feel his mood souring when he saw Cassandra sitting on the other side of the glass. Hadn't he told her not to come? It wasn't the easiest choice he had to make, and she was a constant reminder of what he was missing while being locked up in here.

Plopping himself in his seat, he coolly stared at her. She was returning the same look, not giving away her motive for being here. Neither one of them made a move to pick up the phone receiver to begin talking.

It was a game now. Who would break first? He was known for having incredible patience. He had performed stakeouts that had gone on for hours. He had stared perpetrators into confessions. He had hidden his presence from enhanced senses of the most powerful people on the planet.

Unfortunately, so had Cassandra.

He should have just sat there until their time was up. He needed to prove a point that he did not want her coming to this place. He hated seeing her in this place. Yet, his hand ended up raising up and grabbing onto the receiver. Cassandra mimicked the action a split-second after.

"What did—" he began.

"Shut up."

The tone the dark-haired girl had used was startling. Bruce found himself stopping the rant he was about to unleash. Cassandra's eyes had hardened, her face becoming stony.

"I know you said you don't want me here," she said. "But that isn't going to happen. I don't care what you say or what your reasons are. I need to see you. I can't stand you being here; I can't stand being alone, knowing you're trapped here. You're not the only one suffering right now.

"You can be mean to me all you want. You can try and run me off, but I'm going to keep coming, even if it's every day. I know this is not a good time for you, that everyone thinks you're a monster, but I'm here to remind you that you have people waiting for you to come back home. There are still people that care for you and I'm at the head of that list. So you are going to keep coming here; you can be silent the entire time if you want. I can be quiet too."

Bruce just watched her through the glass. It was clear their last meeting had not sat well with her. He knew she was hurt, but it was better that she kept living her life than dragging herself down to this place, not when the evidence pointed in his direction. He didn't want her moping around while he rotted. That's not what any parent wanted for their child.

"What do you want?" he eventually asked her.

She straightened out her shoulders. "I want…to know how your day is."

It was such a mundane question. He hadn't really expected it. So Bruce stared blankly, not quite certain how to respond. Cassandra just looked at him through the glass, defiant until the end.

He bowed his head and sighed. "It's been a weird day," he finally relented.

"Weird how?"

"I think I made a friend." He paused. Perhaps that was too strong of a word in this case. "Or rather, someone that'll keep the other inmates off my back."

"That's good. The police wanted to go into our house. I've told them not to."

"Why do they want to go into the manor?"

"To find more evidence against you, I guess. I won't let them do that. I told them I would cut off our donation if they did so."

"You can't blame them for doing their job. They're only following the evidence where it leads them."

"Then we need to find evidence that leads them in the right way."

We meaning her and her Batclan no doubt. There wasn't much he could do at the moment unless he arranged for a way out. With all the time he found himself having, it had been a thought he had considered, especially at night. "I suppose we do," he said instead.

"And we will."