Chapter 20

Author: AhHHhAHHHHh I can't believe it took me this long to do the next chapter. I'm *SOO* sorry! I'm also sorry I had to split this chapter up into two because it was getting too long; so it's kind of a cliffhanger (again!). I'll get the next chapter up shortly :) I also want to make sure y'all know how much I DEEEEPLY appreciate the reviews; they are what give me motivation to keep pursuing this story! They let me know that people are still reading and loving this story as much as I do :) Please keep it up!

Disclaimer: I do not own Batman or any of the characters within the franchise. I own the original characters of this story as well as the plot that are not directly tied to the movie.

Time to Neutron Bomb Explosion: 1 day

A gentle snow fell over the city of Gotham. Within its borders, a major uprising was imminent. The police officers of Gotham had gathered in force in front of Gotham city hall to make one last stand against the perceived thugs that have taken over their beloved city. Within city hall, Bane stood with Tahlia near the large paned windows to gaze at the mounting force. He had returned from the island getaway he had with Myra just in time to witness the outbreak. Sleep deprivation and fatigue riddled Bane's features; he had not slept much the night prior due to the prolonged evening activities with Myra. He was also experiencing profound regret and heartache from his last interaction with her. In short, he was suffering. It permeated outward in a physical, tangible sense that Tahlia could not ignore.

By this point, Tahlia knew he had very serious doubts about her plan. He may even very well be thinking about abandoning his post altogether to rejoin Myra. Tahlia was familiar enough with Bane to understand the strained features plaguing his face. She reached up to rest a hand at his chest, her fingers lingering as she leaned in to whisper to him.

"You wouldn't want to do anything that would hurt those that you care about, would you?" she said, stroking him gently to emphasize her point.

Bane knew she wasn't speaking about needing him to be around to protect her in their final hours leading up to the grand end of their orchestrated reckoning to Gotham. She was making a veiled threat about Myra. Bane's eyes turned to snap onto her, his eyebrows furrowed in seething anger. Tahlia's hand fell from his chest as she moved back to gaze out the window.

"I just hope that there aren't any unexpected hitches to this plan…." she eased out, almost as if she were on the verge of tears at the prospect of her plan not coming to fruition. Bane knew it was an extension of her veiled threat; if something went wrong, she had someone, somewhere, ready to eliminate Myra. Bane couldn't possibly know which of his men may be secretly taking orders directly from Tahlia instead of him. He searched her features for an answer.

Unfortunately, he had to take her threats seriously. All lingering thoughts of abandoning this plan and secreting out of Gotham expelled from his mind.

"Don't disappoint me, my friend," Tahlia whispered with an icy tone as she turned to gaze at Bane, noting his physical and mental state wavering.

Bane stared back, his hands resting on the straps at his chest. He had no words for Tahlia. It took all he had in him to keep his composure, his mind in a fog. Tahlia undoubtedly sensed the complex emotions dancing around in his mind at the sacrifices he was making, so she turned her attention back to the crowd gathering outside hoping to distract him from his thoughts.

"Deal with them," she ordered simply, referring to the crowd of Gotham police officers congregating outside their building in the streets. Now was not the time for their plans to go awry due to a few police officers showing last-minute backbone.

Tahlia's orders lingered in the air as Bane continued to stare in her direction for several more moments. Only when it seemed like he was going to ignore her orders did he finally move to make his slow exit out of the building. He knew his men had different feelings about the situation and were undoubtedly eager to meet Gotham's finest outside the mighty white columns on the streets. They had a mission to complete, and nothing could stop them from fulfilling their duty as members of the League of Shadows.

"Disperse! Disperse or be fired upon!" shouted one of Bane's men from within the stolen Wayne Enterprise military vehicles. Bane's men waved weapons in the air for emphasis as an act of intimidation against the police officers.

The officers looked visibly shaken by the display, but they nobly stood their ground. Deputy Commissioner Foley made his way to the front of the gathering of officers.

"There's only one police in this town," remarked Deputy Commissioner Foley, hoping to inspire those around them. He then took a step toward Bane's men. The other officers joined him in support.

As Deputy Commissioner Foley and his men made their way closer to Gotham City Hall, Bane finally emerged from within the building with Barsad at his shoulder. Bane walked towards the steps at a slow pace before stopping. Bane gazed out at the spectacle for several minutes until they got within shooting distance.

"Open fire", Bane said in an almost bored, disappointed tone as his eyes flickered over the sea of blue uniforms, his mind still on other things. Myra.

Bane turned to make his way back into the building. Just as he did so, however, a large black flying vehicle swooped down and sprayed a barrage of bullets at Bane's men and equipment. Bane's eyes lit up, seeing this simple act of aerial support from Batman instill energy into the group of police officers. A large hum filled the streets. The officers immediately cheered and surged forward towards Bane and his men. Bane's men open fire, but soon abandon their weapons to meet the men head-on in the streets in an all-out fist fight. Bane sauntered down the steps of city hall to join in the fight.

It didn't take long for a large black Bat-shaped figure to emerge from within a swath of smoke. Bane immediately targeted him; it's Batman.

"So, you came back to die with your city", Bane announced as he sauntered closer to Batman, looking him up and down for any visible signs of injury.

"No", Batman huffed out. "I came back to stop you."

Bane rapidly surged forward with a determined punch to the face, which Batman deflected to the right. Batman managed to get an upper-cut in, but the blow seemed to have no effect on Bane other than to enrage him. Bane reacted by getting in several blows to Batman's chest and stomach in a barrage of punches. Tahlia watched from within the safety of the court house, playing prisoner.

Bane managed to force Batman up the stairs of the courtyard through several strategically-placed kicks and punches. They continue to engage in the physical altercation until Batman attempted to stop one of Bane's punches. Batman struggled for several moments, wincing and grunting, before deflecting the punch to upper-cut Bane at his mask. This, of course, phased Bane. Bane blinked several moments, staggering back. His fatigue and state of mind are clearly catching up to him; he should be winning this fight.

Batman saw this reaction and proceeded to pummel Bane repeatedly in the hardware of his mask. Bane had no time to respond. Air started to hiss as one of Bane's canisters clearly disconnected from the medicine pumping into his air supply. Bane wheezed and gasped, trying to fumble at the front of his mask to identify the mechanical failure. Batman doesn't relent, however.

Bane attempted to swing wildly to keep Batman at bay while he resolved the mechanical failure of his mask. Batman continues to be relentless, swinging mercilessly at Bane's chest and head. Bane responded in a rage, even going so far as to take out several large chunks from one of the cement building columns in an attempt to injure Batman.

Bane and Batman's fighting soon positioned them in front of one of the large paned windows to City Hall. Seeing an opportunity, Batman expelled a large kick to Bane's chest. This caused Bane to stumble and fall backwards into the window with glass spraying everywhere as Bane fell to the ground.

Batman continued to kick Bane inside. He easily deflected one of Bane's henchmen who attempted to charge him with a weapon by knocking him out with the weapon he tried to shoot him with. Batman spotted Tahlia in the corner and threw the weapon at her.

"Cover the doors!", he shouted to her. Tahlia took the weapon and proceeded towards the doors to do as he instructed.

Batman continued to pummel Bane with kicks and punches.

"Where is the trigger man?! Where is it?", he shouted directly into Bane's face, spittle flying from his lips.

By this point, Bane was beyond disoriented from the pain of his mask malfunctioning, toppled with the barrage of physical violence directed at him. He attempted to clear his vision by blinking several times at Batman, but was unsuccessful. Instead, his focus diverted to Tahlia in the background holding the gun, playing at guarding the door but glancing his way periodically. The obvious question of, "Why doesn't she stop this? Can she not see I'm in distress?" entered his mind just as Batman pulled him by the straps of his vest to hoist him up.

"You'd never give it to an ordinary citizen! Where is it? Where's your trigger?!" Batman shouted into Bane's face before punching him directly into his mouthpiece once more. Compressed medicine is sprayed into the air as Bane's mask continues to malfunction. The last thought that entered Bane's mind before he went in and out of consciousness was why Tahlia was choosing to stand back while allowing Batman to pummel him mercilessly.

"Where is it? Where is it!?," Batman continued to shout, hoisting Bane up onto his knees just to punch him several more times in the face. Batman finally let Bane go, his body falling onto his side to the sound of compressed air escaping his mask. Bane let out a low wheezing sound, clearly in pain. He feebly brought his arms up to his chest in an attempt at protecting himself from Batman's continued assault.

Batman stared down at Bane writhing on the ground for several seconds before hoisting him back up to rest against a cement block.

"Tell me where the trigger is?" Batman repeated, kneeling down to get eye-level with Bane. "Then you have my permission to die," Batman said, his voice slowly transitioning to tactical calm.

Bane simply wheezed for several moments, his focus squarely on Batman. Confusion riddled his features. How was it that Batman was even here, assaulting him like this? Had he not expelled him to the horror of the Pit? Was his back not broken?

"I broke you," Bane whispered. "How have you come back?" he muttered out.

"You think you're the only one who can learn the strength to escape? Where's the trigger?" Batman answered in frustration, clearly annoyed by Bane's lack of focus on the location of the triggerman. Bane regarded Batman for several seconds before responding.

"But I never escaped", Bane said sadly.

Batman's face distorted in confusion.

"But the child. The child of Ra's Al Ghul made the climb…?" Batman questioned, his brows furrowed.

"But he's not the child of Ra's Al Ghul," whispered a female voice from behind Batman. Tahlia. She sunk a knife into his side, twisting it mercilessly. Batman grunted in pain and surprise, whimpering while turning to reach towards Tahlia. Betrayal coated Batman's features, his mouth opening in aghast.

"I am," she said. "And though I'm not ordinary…I'm a citizen." She then held up the detonator, brandishing it in front of Batman, just out of his reach. Teasingly, ruthlessly.

"Miranda?" Batman asked, clearly confused, panting. Why was Miranda Tate here? What did she have to do with the plot to destroy Gotham? "Why?"

"Tahlia," Tahlia corrected Batman. "My mother named me Tahlia before she was killed. The way I would have been killed if not for my protector…Bane," she said, turning towards Bane as she said this. As she turned towards Bane, who was still rested immobile against the pillar, his eyes opened as he observed the interaction between the two. She reached up to his mask to begin fixing the disconnected manifolds.

"I climbed out of the pit", she continued, tightening the canisters on Bane's mast as she spoke. "I found my father…and brought him back to exact terrible vengeance. But by that time, the prisoners and doctor had done their work to my friend, my protector. The League took us in, trained us. But my father could not accept Bane. He saw only a monster. His very existence was a reminder of the hell he'd left his wife to die in. He excommunicated Bane from the League of Shadows. His only crime was that he loved me." Tahlia said, gazing at Bane with remembrance and pity. Bane returned her gaze. Bane couldn't help but cry. The culmination of his situation with Myra toppled with the nostalgic remembrance of how Tahlia was when she was an innocent child that needed his protection. He remembered her as she once was; pure and innocent. He had sacrificed himself to save that child…but now look at her. Senselessly tainted and distorted with revenge for a father she barely knew and at one point despised. She also now seemed to only have feelings of pity for Bane.

A soft tear rolled down Bane's cheek.

"I could not forgive my father. Until you murdered him," Tahlia said, turning back towards Batman.

At this time, Bane found his composure. With his mask fixed, his pain became manageable and he no longer felt disoriented. He stood up.

"He was trying to kill…millions of innocent people," Batman pleaded.

Tahlia nodded as if sympathetic and understanding of Batman's words. Bane grabbed a rope and began to tie Batman up.

"Innocent is a strong word to throw around Gotham, Bruce," Tahlia said. "I honor my father by finishing his work. Vengeance against the man who killed him is simply a reward for my patience. You see…It's the slow knife. The knife that takes its time. The knife that waits years without forgetting…then slips quietly between the bones. That's the knife that cuts the deepest," she said as she twisted the knife further into his side. She then held up the detonator to brandish in front of him, her thumb hovered over the large red button teasingly.

"Please.." Batman pleaded, eying Tahlia's imminent pressing of the button which would mean total destruction of Gotham and everyone in it.

Without further ado, she pushed it.

Several moments go by as Bane, Batman, and Tahlia wait in anticipation for the explosion to consume them. However, nothing happens.

"Maybe your knife…was too slow," Batman croaked out after a long uncomfortable pause.

Tahlia stared angrily at him. Just then, Barsad rushed in from outside.

"The truck is under attack," Barsad shouted, referring to the truck that held the nuclear bomb.

"Gordon," Tahlia mused, realizing Commissioner Gordon was the reason for the detonator failure. "You gave him a way to block my signal. No matter," she hissed, yanking the knife out of Batman's side. "He's bought Gotham 11 minutes." Tahlia stood up.

"Prepare a convoy", Tahlia ordered Barsad. "We must secure the bomb until it detonates."

Barsad nodded, his eyes flicking towards the spectacle of Bane and Batman. He then reluctantly exited the building to follow Tahlia's orders. Tahlia turned back to look down at Batman.

"Don't kill him," she directed towards Bane. "I want him to feel the heat, feel the fire of 12 million souls you failed," she continued, her eyes never leaving Batman. Batman simply gasped and muttered, tears still partially obstructing his vision.

Tahlia moved towards Bane, bringing her hands up to rest against his mask in a fleeting show of false affection.

"Goodbye, my friend," she said.

Bane simply stared back. He had no words for her. He watched as she exited the city hall towards an awaiting vehicle with Barsad flanking her.

Barsad and Tahlia exited Gotham City Hall.

As Barsad and Tahlia approached the awaiting military vehicle, a barrage of bullets shot their way, flying over their heads. The source of the bullets was the police officers who spotted them exiting the building. Tahlia took cover behind Barsad and the door to the military vehicle.

Unfortunately, just then, Barsad was shot in the shoulder by the police officers who managed to advance to the steps of the city hall. Barsad fell to the ground in searing pain, reaching a hand out towards Tahlia in hopes that she would aid him into the military vehicle.

Instead, she abandoned him, instead choosing to crawl into the safety of the military vehicle.

As Barsad watched the military vehicle drive off, one of the police officers approached him from behind and knocked him out with the butt of a rifle, leaving Barsad to stumble forward in darkness on the road in front of the City Hall steps.

Bane's full attention was back on Batman who was strung up before him. A silence fell between them as they waited for the last person to exit the building behind Tahila.

"We both know that I have to kill you now," Bane said once it was just him and Batman left in the large room within City Hall.

To classify Bane as both frustrated and insubordinate by now would be an extreme understatement. He was forced to carry out the suicidal plan laid out by an individual who had fundamentally been transformed by revenge and power. He had also been entirely powerless to stop their wicked transformation, conflicting with the nostalgic, caring, loving image he once held for them. Tahlia. He felt blinded. He found the light too late. Myra. The only thing he could do was refuse additional orders from this wicked person. He also couldn't help but feel blinding, ferocious anger towards Batman, finding that he was also to blame for this situation. Bane required his own personal form of vengeance.

Bane kicked Batman from behind, sending him forward against the concrete ground.

"You'll just have to imagine the fire," Bane continued, brandishing a shotgun. He centered it directly in front of Batman's face, his finger at the trigger.

Just then, a large bang shook the room. The last thing Bane saw was Catwoman in his periphery shooting directly at him from atop the Bat motorcycle. For Bane, everything went dark.

For the second time in less than 12 hours, Myra awoke to the sound of water.

It took a moment for her vision to clear and for her to comprehend her surroundings. The sound of water immediately vanished after she lifted her head up off of the lumpy canvas bag that was being used as a pillow. She eased herself up enough to locate the source of the water. She discovered it wasn't actually water but instead the contents of a gasoline jug as Steve the pilot gently shook the container to assess how much was remaining. She blinked several moments to clear her mind as she watched Steve ease the jug back down to the ground several meters from her. She then turned her head to inspect the lumpy object she had apparently been resting on. Did I go to sleep here? What happened?

Myra's mind raced as realization kicked in. It was the bag full of money that Bane gave her. To start a new life.

Without him.

Myra couldn't help but feel moisture consuming her eyes, the ramification of the events that transpired - How long ago was that? Hours? Minutes? - filling her consciousness.

He left me.

Myra's thoughts were interrupted at the sound of footsteps. She quickly turned around to see Steve the pilot. He stopped several feet from her.

"...I have orders to get you far from here as soon as possible. We don't have much time," Steve said, bending down to give her a hand to help her up.

Myra took it, easing herself up. Her brain was a fog. She didn't know how to respond except to reach down and grab hold of the strap of the duffle bag. It was heavy with rigid and hard objects that made it obvious that cash was not the only occupant of the bag. What else did he put in here? She paused to drop the bag on the ground and open up the bag to inspect the contents.

It was a weapon. Well, several of them, in fact. Myra scowled.

Steve waited patiently while Myra made her discovery.

"You may want to carry one of those for safe-keeping," he suggested.

Myra felt sick. Not just at the prospect of sporting a gun, but because of the engulfing sense of abandonment and heartache. She eventually took Steve's suggestion and reached for one of the guns, trying to shut her mind off to those feelings.

While she was removing one of the guns from the bag, an object caught her eye. She reached in to grab it.

It was a hand-knit child's blanket and a pair of knitted socks wrapped around a carved toy bear bound to a note. Myra removed the note and opened it up.

It was several pieces of paper bound together. The first one was a simple note from Bane. It read:

"For all the things my hands have held, the best by far was you."

Myra read the quote several times, her heart racing. She set it aside delicately.

The note was attached to two pieces of paper. The first one was torn from a notepad. She recognized it immediately as the list that she had made featuring two columns, one being for things she was good at and a 'frowny face' list. Last she remembered, she had thoroughly filled the 'frowny face' list until it reached the bottom with sparse additions to the 'things she was good at' column. It was changed now with Bane's handwriting. It read:

"Quick learner"

"Excels at instilling humor"

"SASS" written in big bold letters, underlined several times.

"Monster taming"

"Making messes"

"Helicopter pilot"

"Resourceful"

"Napping"

"Quick thinker"

"Bringing joy and comfort to others"

"Board game strategist"

"Love"

"Movie critic"

"Stock Analysis. See: Attached Document".

Myra immediately detached the two pieces of paper, scanning the contents of the second one. She found a typed-up letter. It was addressed to Bane by George the stock instructor. It was only a few sentences:

"My professional opinion dictates that Myra has consumed and comprehended all material given to her with steadfast ease. Her ability to characterize and analyze all projections given to her indicates she certainly is an extremely competent and proficient analyst who will be rivaled few. -George.

Before Myra could properly absorb what it was she was reading, she was interrupted.

"We need to go. Now," Steve reiterated, apparently unconcerned with the contents of the notes that Myra was reading. He brought a hand behind her back to propel her forward into a walk towards the helicopter. She began trudging forward, her attention now on the other contents of the bag which were the hand-made blanket, baby socks, and toy that could only have been made by Bane.

By the time she made it to the helicopter, she was in tears. Steve did everything in his power to ignore her, fixated instead on ensuring he followed his own orders by getting her into the helicopter. He stopped at the entrance to give her a hand.

Myra handed the bag to Steve, who threw it into the helicopter. Myra took a step back from the helicopter, bending over trying to catch her breath. She assumed this position for several moments, clearly contemplating her next actions. Steve was impatient, however, and instead moved to grab her arm to bodily shove her into the helicopter, if needed.

Myra chose this time to stand herself up straight and rest a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Steve" Myra eased out.

She turned her body towards him to knee him with as much force as she could in the groin. He fell down with a croaking sound, incapacitated. She jumped over him and directly into the helicopter, taking off before Steve had the chance to recover. She knew exactly what she needed to do next.

She headed straight for Gotham's city center.

Author: Please don't forget to review so I know people are still reading this story! :)