The Dark Knight barely had enough time to throw himself backwards before the hinges around the sealed door broke, and it now resembled a frisbee in motion.
He maneuvered his body to land shoulder first when the final, emphatic THUMP catapulted the door towards him.
Eyes bulging in surprise, he barely avoided a series of rather unfortunate events as the door whizzed past him like a bullet.
Out of his periphery, he observed as the door sailed above him, resembling a giant penny as it eventually fell flat to the ground.
Turning back to the now gaping hole in the checkpoint, he snapped out a Batarang in one hand as he slowly got up, assuming a throwing stance as he prepared himself for what came next.
A lone silhouette stepped out of the shadows, nearly encompassing the doorway itself. Giant, booming footsteps heralded the coming of the giant.
Bane.
The Venom-enhanced monster of a man slowly emerged from the darkness, his footsteps shaking everything but Batman. Towering at a staggering nine feet, his mere presence would drive a normal man to cower and flee, but then again the Dark Knight was no normal man.
Standing his ground, Batman calmly sized up the brute.
While his shoulders were like boulders in their sheer enormity, his torso was the size of three bodybuilders combined. Brandishing a naked chest, he had muscles on top of other muscles, with steroidal enhancers working overtime to maintain his literal Herculean physique.
Standard-issue Arkham City pants stretched down to his ankles, with various metallic restraints dangling against the torn fabric. A series of elaborate tubes snaked across his upper torso, each one connecting to various points in his body. Two bit into his shoulders, supplying a constant supply of his Titan formula. A sleek metallic structure attached itself upon the base of his neck, with four others slithering out of the circular device attached to his spine.
A black luchador mask, with white covering his facial features and only leaving his eyes and mouth open, visibly contrasted against the feral rage burning in each eye.
However, what surprised Batman the most wasn't just the Titan, but the effect it was having on his body. A blueprint of bright green peeled off his brown, olive skin complexion, running down his forearms and biceps.
With the floral green decorating his body almost like body tattoos, the Dark Knight arched an observant eyebrow as Bane's tribal-like tattoos continued adorning his ultra-Herculean physique.
"Well well, the Dark Knight returns," he smiled in his thick Latin accent, his words coated in a layer of arrogance and vicious intentions.
"To stop you," the caped crusader finished, maintaining eye contact.
Bane merely laughed, "With what, pendejo? Do you honestly believe that your toys will save you, down here? I would've figured you a man of reason, Batman."
"I am. Remember who put you in Arkham City in the first place," Batman retorted, still trying to figure out a strategy for dismantling the Venom-enhanced giant.
"But look who got himself out. And with my property, no less," he smirked, gesturing at the way he came, no doubt where his Titan containers were.
"Not for long. I won't let you pollute Gotham with Titan, or anywhere else. I'm giving you one chance to come clean, before I put you through Venom withdrawal again, permanently," the Dark Knight growled.
Once again, Bane chuckled confidently, either underestimating the Dark Knight's strength or overestimating his own weakness.
"A wise man will look into the face of death, imagine his fate should he continue, and leave to live another day. He knows that a fight fought on unequal terms is a fight he cannot win. A fool would embrace it, believing that willpower can match strength. I ask you this question: which are you?"
The slits on his cowl narrowed irritably. "I'm the man whose going to put you in Blackgate and destroy every last ounce of your poison."
"Then you are a fool, Batman," came Bane's bemused response.
"I don't have time for this, Bane. Stand down or I will-"
Bane's fist nearly pulverized him mid-sentence, forcing him on the defensive.
Throwing himself backwards to dodge the savage blow, he rolled on his right shoulder back to a crouched position, the Batarang in hand.
With a grunt he flung the Batarang towards the hulking brute, aiming at one of Bane's Venom tubes attached to the base of his neck.
As the steel projectile sliced through the air, Bane expertly caught the weapon in mid-air.
Standing up with his cape still covering his torso, the Dark Knight narrowed his eyes as Bane held the metallic item near his face with an overconfident smile drawn across his luchador mask.
"You thought you could defeat me with this?" he sneered dismissively, regarding the projectile as if it was a plush toy.
"Something like that," Batman deadpanned, before pressing the trigger in his utility belt.
BOOOM! Bane's hubris blew up in his face as the Batarang imploded, the miniature explosion effectively stunning him.
Moving with the swiftness of a cheetah, the detective used the nearest railing as a launchpad, leaping into the air to level with the brute.
Lunging forward in mid-air with a great deal of aerial momentum behind his swing, he then proceeded to land a thunderous Superman punch to Bane's chin, a blow that only seemed to annoy him.
Roaring his indignation, Bane responded with a right clubbing blow that would've decapitated the masked vigilante had he not dropped down to one knee in time.
Springing back up, he snapped out a trio of Batarangs and flung them towards his exposed torso. The sound of metal slicing across flesh echoed throughout the catwalk as the projectiles drew inch-deep crimson lines along his forearm.
Gritting his teeth angrily, he attempted to grab the considerably smaller opponent with his free hand, but Batman darted out of range and directly into his left flank, right in the brute's periphery.
Lifting up his back leg, the Dark Knight immediately drove his heel into the back of Bane's left knee. Forced to kneel as Batman leveraged his entire body weight plus body armor against the pressure point, Bane desperately grabbed at Batman, but the Dark Knight smartly kept out of range.
Then, pinpointing an opening Batman surged into action while using Bane's kneecap as a springboard to elevate himself into mid-air.
"Hah!" With a cry, he clipped Bane's mouth with a flying elbow strike with most of his body weight behind it.
This time, the effects of the momentous blow were felt immediately by the now staggering Bane, creating some distance between the two.
Touching his now bloody lower lip sorely, the human wrecking ball was clearly hit by an appropriate serving size of pain as well as humility.
"So, it appears you have learned much from our previous encounter," Bane remarked, begrudgingly impressed by Batman's versatility.
"I've been David in a city full of Goliaths for weeks now, Bane. Don't test me," Batman countered, casually adjusting his gauntlets.
"Good. We fight as equals this time. But, you see Batman. I too have learned many things from our previous encounter," Bane replied in kind, before pressing a button on his right forearm and injecting another dosage of Venom into his bloodstream.
"Aaarrrggghhh!" An uncharacteristically shrill shriek escaped the lips of Bane as the steroidal compounds pumped through his veins to facilitate his second metamorphosis.
Bane's meaty hands grasped onto the metal railing for support and easily crushed them like they were tin foil. His already uber-Herculean muscles began pulsating and growing at an even faster rate.
A green liquid began seeping out from underneath his fingernails, out his ears, even trailing down his eyes. That same forest green color began to resemble his veins that were literally popping out of his muscles!
Bellowing his discomfort out in unintelligible grunts and occasional curses uttered through his native Spanish tongue, the juggernaut was emphatically brought down to his knees. Nearly overwhelmed by this surge, he frantically pounded the ground in an attempt to control the injected compounds.
Finally, Bane took in a series of long breaths as the initial kick of the steroid began to subside with his now green-tinted veins tracing a pattern on his torn luchador mask.
It was then that Batman came to a startling realization: Bane was no longer in control of his own Venom.
Then, Bane glared at the Dark Knight just as he was about to unclip his leather pouch. Remaining in that crouched position akin to a lion waiting to pounce on its unsuspecting prey, a predatory grin crossed Bane's face.
"Bane, you need to st-!"
Quicker than usual, Bane lunged forward with another clubbing blow that the vigilante easily evaded but with noticeably shorter reaction time. Then, just as soon as the Bat skipped back Bane followed up with another hammer fist that broke through empty air instead of the detective's brain matter.
Clasping all ten fingers together in a combined fist, Bane lunged forward again in a startling blur that would've split the Bat in two had he not thrown himself away from striking range.
Rolling out of the way with his head still intact, the double axhandle maneuver instead hit the railing that he had been leaning on and nearly bent it in half from the point of impact alone.
Spotting an opening with Bane's back to him and his fist still lodged into the metallic barrier, Batman immediately materialized a strategy in his head.
Finally unclipping the Batarang from his belt, he quickly hurled it at the back of the behemoth with only one target in mind.
SNIKT! The projectile swiftly scissored through one of Bane's shoulder tubes, causing the greenish liquid to spew out from its protective casing and leak to the ground. Sensing the loss of one of his enablers, Bane roared in animalistic fury and began to retaliate but the Dark Knight had him beaten to the draw with a Bat-Claw primed and ready.
Releasing the three-pronged grapple hook from its muzzle with a well-timed squeeze of the trigger, it quickly latched onto the now protruding tube.
Planting his boots firmly on the ground and pulling backwards, Batman capitalized on Bane's initial grogginess in being deprived of one of his enablers by raising his front leg up to the cable and twisting his ankle around it to maximize his leverage.
Then, with his knee intertwined with the cable to ensure that all of Batman's immediate weight plus body armor was behind it Batman yanked back with all of his might.
"Aaaarrggh!" Bane could only grunt in protest as the cable forced him to stumble towards the detective with his arms
Releasing the cable and pocketing the patented Bat-claw once Bane was successfully knocked off balance, the detective once again kicked off of the railing to gain aptitude then maneuvered his body in mid-air into a flying kicking position.
Batman's steel plated boot collided emphatically across Bane's cheekbone in a flying jump spin kick. This attack would've easily rocked the mountain of a man, but in this case, it felt like hitting more mountain than man.
Sure enough, Bane merely cracked his neck in almost indifference to the usually powerful blow with no visible effect.
"My turn!" he grinned, before springing into action just as Batman landed on his feet.
The first clubbing blow was too eager, to sloppy to catch the always spry Dark Knight off guard. It was only seconds after Batman evaded the blow and let Bane's fist knock some of the rusted bars off the railing that he realized that it was merely a feint to mask his second blow.
Then with a pivot of the knee, Bane nearly pulverized the Bat's midsection with a blur of a backfist to the sternum. Knocking him off his feet, the detective nearly broke the railing in two in the process.
Raising his arms high above his head, Bane smirked at the completely daunting display of dominance on display against the Batman.
"Hah!" Splitting the guardrail that Batman was just slumped up against, he bellowed his frustrations out as the detective once again escaped his grip.
Rolling forward just as Bane had smashed the guardrail, the caped crusader had just barely finished his forward roll to safety between Bane's legs when he suddenly felt an overwhelming force stop him dead in his tracks.
Falling flat on his face, the periphery of Batman's visor caught Bane's gargantuan fist closed around his cape just as he was about to grapple to a better vantage point.
Yanking him off the ground and into the air without so much as a strained grunt Bane hoisted the Dark Knight several feet above the air in quite an unflattering pose: hung upside down.
Then, Bane swung him overhead and slammed him emphatically against the floor, impacting the catwalk with a resounding thud.
Peeling the now dazed Batman off the floor, Bane then proceeded to slam him on the floor to his left, relishing in the scintillating smack of the Dark Knight's body against the unforgiving steel. With his fingers still holding the cape Bane bent the guardrail with the Dark Knight's ribcage before finally letting go.
Dropping to the floor with several pained grunts escaping his now bloodied lips, Batman quickly clutched his now throbbing torso while secretly reaching into his utility belt as Bane leered above him.
"You underestimated me, Batman. The animal that you tamed in the asylum is not the man standing before you now. I have long dreamed of this battle between us you see, but unlike you I have taken every necessary step to ensure my inevitable victory," he declared, flexing his boulder-like forearms with his bulging green veins still snaked around each muscle.
Picking up the downed detective with one hand, he held him up by the scruff of his cowl and merely laughed. His chemically-induced insanity was now illuminated by the floral green markings seemingly tattooed into his mask.
"It was my original intention to grant you a quick death, Batman. Unfortunately for you, the bruja wished for me to make your demise more...satisfying I'll just say. I happen to agree," he grinned devilishly, oblivious to the object enclosed within Batman's closed right fist.
Before Batman could fully recover from being rag dolled across the catwalk, Bane pulled him towards him and locked him in a massive bearhug.
"Aaarrrggghhh…" Grinding his teeth together, Batman could barely hold in the pain as he felt Bane's vice grip attacking his vertebrae.
With his giant forearms wrapped around the masked vigilante's lower back, his breathing was becoming more and more restricted as he struggled just to remain conscious. Endless spouts of pain shot up his spine and began surging through his lower torso as he struggled to free at least one arm.
"YOU WILL BREAK, BATMAN!" Bane bellowed vehemently, his eyes gleaming in sadistic glee as he relished every second of Batman's plight. His spittle flew in the detective's face as he continued applying pressure to Batman's vertebrae, fully intending to make good on his promise to break the Bat.
Wincing through every pained breath as Bane's fingers began cinching inwards towards his sternum, he was beginning to lose feeling in his legs with every passing second.
Crimson red began trailing down Batman's lower lips as he tore his right arm free of Batman's vice grip.
"You...first," he finally got out, revealing a Batarang in his open hand.
But before Bane could react, Batman swiftly slashed the projectile across Bane's unprotected forehead.
He immediately howled in pain as the laceration provided a necessary distraction for Batman wiggle out of Bane's oppressive hold.
Seconds after the Batarang had made the cut right above Bane's right eye, Batman kicked off of Bane's chest and freed himself from the vice grip with Bane still clutching his now bloodied forehead.
Tearing the guardrail off its hinges with his wrecking ball-like hands, Bane was more unhinged and feral than ever as he faced down the wincing detective.
Leaning on the now unnaturally bent guardrail for support, he began reaching in the back of his utility belt for something he had not used in a very long time.
"What did you do to me, pendejo?" he demanded, his voice booming around the battered yet unbeaten Dark Knight.
"I just sliced a capillary above your eyeball. Just a simple cut really," he told him snidely, as he began outfitting his gloves with something that he'd always deemed his last resort.
"The kind that bleeds, a lot."
Bane's mask was completely covered in blood in this point, only one eye unobscured by the river of red trickling down his forehead.
Facing the behemoth Batman unveiled his secret weapon: twin knuckle-dusters wrapped around his knuckles. A variation of the traditional "brass knuckles," each bar of sleek black metal fitted comfortably around his knuckles.
Pounding the two knuckle-dusters together, a surge of electricity crackled through the augmented dusters and lit up his determined face.
"You cannot beat me Batman, but I will break you," Batman snarled venomously, his fists balled in palpable fury as he towered above the ever-defiant Dark Knight.
Never one to let his words fight his battles for him, Batman merely brandished his electric dusters in a boxing stance. "You can try."
Roaring, Bane charged towards Batman as the two once again clashed.
