Avenging Justice 3:

To Infinity and Anti-Life

Part XIV

Earth, New Jersey, Gotham City

Bane found himself impressed. The Bat's children were closing in, but he was still a step ahead. More and more he was sure that he'd completed his task here. If the Bat were still alive, or uninjured, he wouldn't be sending the brats out. Instead, he'd be jumping from the shadows, doing his bogeyman act.

Batman counted on criminals being a cowardly, superstitious lot. Most of the ones he dealt with were, though his Rogues Gallery didn't meet these requirements on most days. However, Bane was sure Batman considered his Rogues as more of exceptions to the rule, than the actual rule itself. Which was fine by Bane, he had no room for superstition or fear. The Bat cloaked himself in darkness, but Bane was born in it, to him it was a cold parent. A parent nonetheless, one that nurtured him with cold and indifference.

On his back, the VENOM tanks waited to push the solution into his body. The doctor who had made the elixir wisely had taken Bane's offer. It only took a broken femur, but most of his work could be done sitting down. So, there was no problem there, though the small man had made quite the ruckus. Bane's guards got him medical attention, his prison now his base, his home, and to those who had incarcerated him, their hell.

"Whatcha watching there, big boy?" a voice full of insanity, bass and followed by a loud cackling laughter that hurt the ears. "Doesn't look like sparkly girl, or that Super Soldier goon that hangs around him."

Bane turned and slammed both fists into the owner of the voice. Briefly he saw that the person was large, built like a bodybuilder, and covered in spot colored fur. Brane didn't know if the get up was a costume or if the person was a mutant, but what caused him pause was the painted white face, complete with clown red lips. What really caused Bane pause, there were green tufts of extra fur that seemed to coalesce around the shoulders and neck of this intruder.

The intruder uncannily landed on his feet, hands stretched out, and obvious claws extruded from them. The dead white face, with blood red lips gave off the most unfriendly smile, and then charged. A predator's grin, the thing attacking him was quick and only by using the VENOM, was he able to hold off the attacker's strikes. Bane smashed his face into the bone white face's nose and he heard a satisfying crunch.

However, he felt his insides squirm as the nose almost instantly heal, and then the big mutant man tossed him like he was a toy. Bane was used to doing that to people, not so much having it done to him, at least not since he was a boy. It was not worth losing his focus though, he'd been against tougher. Instead, he grabbed the nearest item, a crowbar, and buried that into his attacker's abdomen. He even pushed with his enhanced might, till the implement went through and through.

"Oh, I like you," the thing said as it picked Bane up and slammed him onto the ground. Then proceeded to pull the crowbar from himself. "Now, this feels right in the hands. Then again, I never met a weapon I didn't like!"

Bane turned just in time for the crowbar to hit, but only to glancingly connect. He felt his mask tear a little, and felt something start to pour down his face. He paid no heed, the VENOM was still in his system and he'd break this thing too. However, he wasn't a dumb brute, and as the other person's wounds closed up, he made note. This one would be a tough one to break, but he'd break him.

Bane threw a sledgehammer next, watching as the other person caught it. Anticipating what came next, he raised a hand and caught the return of the sledgehammer. Just perfectly enough that he was able to bring up one foot and slammed it into the chest of his attacker. Bane followed up by slamming a fist down, and then grappling the other person. He suplexed the fur covered attacker onto the concrete, hearing several cracking bones. Back up, he kicked the side of the white face with his boot. Once again he heard a snap, and then the maniacal laughter of the being.

What he wasn't expecting was for the broken thing to get up, and slice his chest. Four red streaks formed, and blood flowed freely. Then the big thing jumped into the air, claws and feet balled up for what came next. Bane threw the other person down hard, only for the fur covered attacker to bounce off the floor and come back at his throat. With all his might, he threw the attacked out the nearest window. Unfortunately, the attacker had a good grip and took Bane with him. What waited on them both was a five story fall to the concrete below.

Both crashed hard, Bane found it hard to move or breath, so he hit the VENOM again. He felt strength flood him, and he managed his feet. He was injured, nothing too serious, but this is not the shape he'd want the Bat's kids finding him in. The crazed thing that had been attacking him, must surely be dead now. It had taken most of brunt, and if Bane was this hurt, it had to be beyond any repair. This thought continued just long enough for one hand to reach up and grab him by the throat.

"You're fun!" the mutant thing said. "However, you're not Dark Claw. So, why don't you be a dear and tell him Hyena sends his regards." Fangs were inches from Bane's face, "Then again, I'll just leave you as the message. We have time to play."

A bat shaped device slapped into Hyena and the big man howled, before giggling maniacally. Followed up by a smoke bomb, the villain slammed Bane into a nearby wall, and sniffed the air. He was expecting a familiar scent, but this one wasn't it. It was familiar, the smoke, but not the person. No, this one he didn't recognize. That was no bother though, he loved meeting new people!

Nightwing landed and brought his batons around to take out the Joker. Or whatever the Joker was cosplaying as, gotten into, did to himself. Normally the villain was lanky, with muscle power that contradicted his lithe frame. However, it was the chemicals, acid flower, deadly joy buzzer and pure insanity that made him a dire threat. He also didn't need Bruce's voice in his head, telling him to get out of there. He didn't want to be anywhere near the Clown Prince of Crime, but others would get hurt if he didn't take him down.

"You're new!" Hyena slashed and Nightwing felt the claws just bounce off his armor. "And the Claw has you in some good armor. The better to cut you out of." Hyena leapt at Nightwing, slamming a powerful strike onto the concrete.

If Nightwing had been just a few half seconds slower, that would have hit him. Now he was getting the idea that this wasn't the Joker, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. The backhand that came just as that thought ended, made him sure that it was worse. He rolled and came up, his head spinning, but he was still in the game. Off went two batarangs, and the Joker Thing sidestepped both. That was what Nightwing had hoped he would do, as he pulled out his grapple and fired.

His arm was nearly tugged out of its socket, but it was enough to get him out of the way. Before he was at a stop, he pulled out small electrical items that he threw at Hyena. They attached and sent enough juice down the villain to take down two people. Much to Nightwing's horror, the being yelped, but only was stopped for a few seconds. It then turned at him with murderous intent in those beady, irrational eyes.

"For that boy, I'm going to send you back to Dark Claw in pieces," Hyena said as he began that horrible laughing again.

A green blast of energy sent Hyena stumbling, "Leave Robi…Nightwing alone, you unjust miscreant!"

Starfire soared around and blasted at Hyena again. The big man thing moved quickly and more dexterously than he had any right to. Each of her blasts either missed or didn't do much damage. Then came the grenade at her, and she blasted it, releasing green gas all around her.

"Star, hold your breath," Nightwing screamed below. "Raven, collect it. Cyborg, incinerate that gas. Neither of you breath it in."

Hyena turned, cocking his head curiously, "Now we can't have you two ruining my fun."

He leapt from his hiding place, and sprinted to the metal man thing. The whole way his smile was huge and predatory. He'd not had this version of cyborg hero, but he would love to see how much of this guy was man, and how much was machine. He slammed into the teen hero and started to slash at him. With glee and went for the tender bits, those parts of flesh melded to metal, and started to slip his claws between those spaces.

Above him, a loud explosion rendered his gas inert. He had more, and according to his sense, the others were coming. That was okay, he wanted them to. Hyena was having fun, more fun than he'd had in years. Normally it would take fighting Dark Claw to have this much fun, maybe this was a reward for him. Moving just as a baton came at him, he knew it was definitely a reward for him.

Raven collected herself for the next attack, only to change over to catching Cyborg as he was thrown like a missile at her. Starfire flew face first into a grenade, but this one was just explosive. So besides making her blink, it did nothing. However, that blink cost her, as Hyena leapt behind it. He reached out to the heroine and grabbed her in savage grapple.

"Unhand me unkind monster!" She yelled as she sent out waves of energy from her body.

Hyena whispered, "We're going to have so much fun. Just as soon as I'm done with your friends here."

A massive black bolt sent him flying off Starfire, "I believe she said let her go." Raven was floating, her tone was calm, but there was a finality to that statement.

By this time, Cyborg was back up and ready. He fired off two blasts from his arm cannon. Nightwing was instructing him to herd the big man thing towards an alleyway. He trusted him, so Cyborg did just that. He found himself feeling rewarded for that faith as a series of flashbangs and smoke bombs erupted around Hyena. The villain soon found blasts from Cyborg and Starfire, coming in staggered between batarangs and attacks from Raven.

The team was working as one, they didn't realize it yet, but they were ready for what they would need to do. That day was not to be their day, nor was this intruder their challenge to overcome. Instead, their quarry escaped from the dead end by using his unnatural agility and claws to burst forth. He aimed right at the floating teen girl, the one in the hood. The other one was sweet, he had much nastier plans for this one.

A growl, a familiar scent and the sudden impalement on adamantium claws made Hyena cackle in delight. Finally, his nemesis had appeared! Since waking up in this odd world, he'd wondered if Dark Claw had followed. He knew he had to, because they were meant to do this till the end of time. He causing chaos, destruction and giving pain to his old friend. While his old friend would fight against these, determined to make difference with his laughable crusade.

"You kids get out of here, Hyena and I have some things to talk about," Dark Claw growled.

Already he was slashing at the villain with the metal claws on his other hand, extending from his fists. They were his natural weapons coated in indestructible metal, and a leftover from the same experiments that made Creed into the Hyena. What he used against those criminals who preyed on the innocent, and struck fear into their hearts.

Nightwing gathered the other Titans, around. He sent Cyborg to check on Bane, he had Raven go along just in case. That left Starfire, who he had complete a circuit around, and come up with a clear shot at the Joker monster thing. Still, his mind was trying to process what he was seeing. At once so familiar and so foreign as well.

The motions reminded him of Bruce's fighting method. That was if Bruce had learned to fight with three daggers attached to his fists. Yet, there was an unmistakable similarity that gave Nightwing pause. The costume didn't help, because it looked like if Batman had taken a more bestial appearance to his mask, instead of the more streamlined outline version.

"Are you seeing this?" Nightwing asked into his comm.

Batman's voice was calm, too calm, "Yes, stay back. Keep your team safe, and check in on Cyborg and Raven. Bane is not to be underestimated."

"He's gone," came Cyborg's voice next. "We see the dent in the wall where big boy there smashed him into, but he's gone. I'm seeing some leakage of some greenish yellow fluid."

Batman shot out, "If you can safely get me a sample, do so. Then get out."

"I can track this you know," Cyborg said.

Nightwing interjected, "Agreed, but be careful. He's afraid you'll walk into a trap."

"I'm not some idiot," Cyborg shot back.

Batman's voice was barely a growl, "You're going after a man who unleashed every psychopath in town, just to achieve his objective."

Nightwing quickly added, "Cyborg, just be careful. Raven, watch his six."

By this time, there was an explosion that rocked the street. Nightwing turned back around, to see the Joker Thing leaping away. A crude gesture on his hand, as the feral Bat person as shutting off a cut gas main. The smell coming from it, let Nightwing know that this other person was getting burned alive. The hero rushed over, only to be waved off by the other man.

Dark Claw was in pain, getting a good portion of your body burned away will do that. The concern coming from the other masked individual let him know that he was one of the good ones. The voice coming from that person's comm was familiar, but it couldn't be. He was supposed to have died taking down a Hydra base, but then again this world was all different. With all his adventures, there was a good possibility that this wasn't the world he knew, and that meant getting information.

"You did good there, Junior," Dark Claw stood up. The pain was going away, his body nearly completely reformed.

Nightwing was still deciding exactly what was going on, "Just who are you?"

"Call me Dark Claw," the more bestial Batman looking man said. "And who's that in your earpiece then. You're boss?"

The other man had several emotions flash across his masked face, "My…"

"Partner," Batman's voice came over. "Keep him talking."

Nightwing smiled, "He's my partner. Now, I'm not complaining about an entrance like that, but.."

Dark Claw walked by, "I think we have much to talk about. Something tells me your boss has a safehouse nearby."

"Well, you're about as talkative," Nightwing said as he started to lead the other man towards one such safehouse.