"I'm General Sam Lane. As a four-star general in the U.S. army, I know what it takes to fight for your country. That is why I endorse Lex Luthor for president. He's a proven leader of industries and will work hard with both sides to return this country to glory."
Seven days. That is how little time is left before the election. Lex was gaining traction. The members of the Justice League were being run ragged. The Flash was battling with the escaped rouges from Iron Heights. Batman was just now returning home. He had just apprehended Scarecrow, the last of the Arkham Asylum escapees.
That came at a price though. He was hit with a dose of Scarecrows fear gas. The gas made him hallucinate Jason Todd's death from last year. It was a memory he tried hard to move on from. But he clearly hadn't.
Batman pulls the batmobile into the batcave and removes his cowl. He was tired. It was two A.M on Tuesday morning. Alfred greeted him with coffee and dinner.
"Your chicken's gone cold." Alfred says.
"It's fine." Bruce says as he scarfs it down.
"Scarecrow was apprehended tonight, that puts an end to the escaped members of Arkham." Bruce says.
"Then you have earned a rest." Alfred says.
Bruce goes to sit in his chair. He was more tired than he wanted to admit. He had been pushing members of the Justice League away. Ever since Jason, Bruce didn't like having others around. After a moment of pondering, Bruce rises to his feet.
"I'm heading to bed." Bruce says.
"Jolly good sir." Alfred says.
Bruce heads up the steps and out of the batcave. He enters Wayne Manor and heads up to his room. He looks out the window and stares at the city of Gotham in the distance. Just as he turns around, he notices a light turn on. It's the bat signal atop the GCPD building. Something is wrong. Bruce grabs an energy tablet and drinks it. Then he heads back down to the cave and suits up. He fires up the batmobile and speeds off.
Batman arrives to the rooftop of the GCPD building. He looks around, but he doesn't see Commissioner Gordon. He feels something is off. He walks over to the ledge of the building and looks outward. He hears the light switch off.
"So it is true that you come here." A voice says.
It's not a voice Batman recognizes. It has a strong Latin American accent. Batman turns around and sees a shadowy figure. A very large shadowy figure.
"Who are you?" Batman asks as he gets into a fighting position.
"I have been watching you for some time, you truly seem the worthy opponent they say you are." The man says.
"I asked you a question." Batman says.
The figure walks out from the shadows. He is massive. He is wearing a luchador mask and has some sort of tube going from his head to a control on his wrist.
"You can call me Bane." He says.
"Bane, why are you here?" Batman asks.
"To challenge the great Batman of course." Bane says.
Bane hits a button on his wrist. A green liquid goes up the tube to his head. Bane's body then grows even bigger.
Batman charges forward and goes for a drop kick. He just bounces off of Bane.
"This is not a battle you can win with brute strength." Bane says.
Batman returns to his feet. Bane swings at him. Batman ducks. Batman goes for a punch of his own. It hits flush in Bane's chest, but doesn't seem to faze him.
"Excellent form." Bane says.
Bane swings with his left fist. Batman has to put up both arms to block it. Bane then hammers Batman into the ground with his right arm. Batman looks up. Bane grabs the left ear of Batman's cowl. He flings Batman across the rooftop as the ear rips apart from the cowl.
Batman returns to his feet again. He needs to fight smarter. He throws out a smoke pellet.
"Hm, intriguing tactic." Bane says.
Batman leaps on Banes back from behind. He tries to wrap his arms around his neck in a choke. Bane's neck is so muscular that Batman can not really cinch it in. Bane grabs at Batman and throws his off. He tries to punch at Batman, but Batman slides out of the way at the last moment. Bane punches a hole clean through the roof.
Batman tries to get up again, but Bane grabs him and tosses him over the ledge of the roof. Bane walks to the edge and looks down. Batman was able to save himself by landing in a window washing trolly on the side if the building.
"Lucky bat." Bane says.
Bane jumps over the edge and into the trolly. The trolly swings wildly as Bane lands. Batman regains his footing and charges at Bane again with a flurry of punches. The punches prove to be ineffectual. Bane grabs Batman and slams him to the ground.
Commissioner Gordon makes his way to the roof.
"Who's up here?" He asks, his gun and a flashlight in his hands.
He hears grunting from the side of the roof. Gordon rushes over and sees Bane and Batman in the trolly.
"Batman!" Gordon yells out.
Bane looks up at Gordon. Batman grabs a baterang and throws it at the trolley's controls. The trolley rushes towards to ground. A few feet before the ground, the trolley stops. Bane and Batman both lose their balance and fall out of the trolley and to the ground below. Bane rises to his knees and begins playing with his wrist controls. Batman jumps on his back and grabs a knife from his utility belt. He swings the knife and slices the tube on Bane's mask.
"No, my venom!" Bane says.
Bane turns around and is hit with a punch to the face. This one staggers Bane. Batman charges forward and punches Bane again and again. Bane is finally able to grab Batman's arm and throw him aside. He kicks Batman in the gut.
"Uh." Batman begins to wheeze.
"Now I will break you." Bane says.
Bane grabs Batman by the back of the neck and lifts him off the ground.
"Freeze!" Gordon says as he arrives to the bottom of the building.
"Ah commissioner, just in time." Bane says.
Bane holds Batman above his head. He then swings Batman's body downwards and his back right over his knee.
"AHHHH!" Batman yells.
"Batman!" Gordon calls out.
"I have done it; I have broken your cities hero." Bane says.
A swirl of wind begins to stir up in the area. A helicopter flies low. It lowers down a rope ladder. Bane grabs on.
"Hasta Luega Senior Batman." Bane says as he ascends the ladder.
Gordon heads towards Batman. He is cut off by a black Rolls Royce. A well-dressed man wearing a ski mask steps out. It's Alfred. He picks up Batman and sets him in the back. He then drives off. Alfred sets the Batmobiles remote controls to head back to the Batcave as well.
Gordon looks on, unsure of what just happened.
Bane sits down in the back of the helicopter. He opens his laptop. A shadowy figure appears on screen.
"It is done, the bat is broken." Bane says.
"Excellent, you will be well compensated as promised." The figure says.
"A pleasure doing business with you." Bane says as he shuts the laptop.
The figure sits back in his office.
"It's all going according to plan." He says.
The figure leans forward out of the shadows. It's Lex Luthor.
Back in Chicago, Victor Sage. was becoming paranoid. He was continually watching his back. He had sent a coded message to J'onn, but was yet to hear back. None of this stopped him from continuing to investigate Luthor. He puts all his papers into an overstuffed manila folder. He then had a decoy folder he left laying out. There's a knock at the door. Victor's heart drops. He grabs the large folder and hides it in a floorboard. He then goes off to answer the door.