Batman's Bane

Chapter 1

[April 28 th 1998]

Thorne frowned as he watched Bane leave the warehouse, somehow he couldn't shake the feeling he and the others had just made a mistake. Snorting at second guessing his own decision, he hadn't thought much of the so called Batman when he had first appeared years ago, but he had been worried enough to make him a priority target. He had tried to push the others into declaring war on Batman then and when they had refused he had made it his private war. He had really second guessed himself then, especially after “the nut in a bat suit” had crippled his organization, but that had been a learning experience that had refined his organization in ways that had really paid off in the long run.

 Silently acknowledging a discreet all clear signal Thorne spoke abruptly interrupting the remaining bosses nervously reassuring each other by saying ”I'm out of here.” and heading for a side exit. Once safely under way and fairly certain he was no longer being observed Thorne turned to two of his subordinates and said ”Activate the first stage of the superman contingency.” He doubted it would be needed, Bane was no superman, but if he did have superhuman senses or some other type of sixth sense the first stage of the superman contingency should be enough to handle it. “Should we also activate the Kent Team contingency?” his current driver spoke up and after a moment's thought Thorne said “No Bane is a loner and not near as much of a threat as that crazy Batman clown or those two Metropolis reporters.”

The ride descended into silence with that final commit, but Thorne's mind hadn't stopped worrying about the problem for all his referrals to the man behind the Bat costume as a crazy clown the man was at heart a master detective and expert in human psychology that had found a way to overwhelm his enemies by dealing from a totally different deck. Thorne's eyes narrowed and his face took on an expression that was very familiar to those that knew him causing the subordinates riding with him to swallow in fear. Thorne never noticed he was to busy building on something one of his hired psychologist had suggested half in jest a few days before. The more he thought about it the more he liked the idea, if this Bane character couldn't solve his bat problem perhaps it was time he slipped a costumed clown into the Gotham deck.

[May 11th, 1998]

A heavily armored vehicle roared through the waterfall to come to a skidding halt beneath in the dark caves beneath the fire blasted ruins of Wayne Manor that was being rebuilt. It's driver-side door opened with a woosh. The driver tried to pull himself out with his one good arm, but his weakening body betrayed him. He skidded into the water-covered shale with a cry of pain. Sputtering water, he dragged himself just far enough that when he collapsed he wouldn't drown.

"Alfred!" he cried out hoarsely.

Bruce Wayne regained consciousness hours later in his own bed. Agonizing pain and chills passing through him.

"Master Wayne? Are you feeling better?" his butler Alfred asked with concern.

"I've felt worse. Not much, but I have felt worse." He gasped as he tried to move. He leaned back into the down pillows. "He was a monster. Inhumanly strong, faster even than Master Kameko, I only barely escaped, using every dirty trick I had."

"Was it this Bane character that showed up at one of Thorne's business fronts, Master Bruce?" his butler asked. " Les... Dr. Thompkin says he smashed one hand, broke your wrist and several ribs. Through your armor, I might add."

Bruce Winced slightly as he reached for the water, after taking a careful sip he spoke saying “Yes it was Bane, it looks like the Russian formula is much better than what was implied in that final report the CIA obtained”.

Alfred waited patiently watching as Bruce took several more careful sips, Master Wayne's mind was obviously elsewhere, probably going over the fight that he had lost. Hopefully this time would be enough to...

Still it wouldn't hurt to stack the deck. Alfred cleared his throat after what he judged was an appropriate amount of time and when Bruce's eyes tracked to him he spoke saying “It might not be the Russian formula sir, while you where still out under Les...” Alfred paused pointedly ignoring Bruce's ghost of a smile before he continued saying “Dr. Thompkin's care, one of your company's operatives watching Luthor sent us some interesting material.”

Pulling a thick file folder from it's concealment under a chair cushion Alfred handed it and a remote control to Bruce and then turned to go saying “Sir the operative also managed to obtain a copy of a the security tape from a kidnapping attempt at Shady River's Rest Home. According to him he should get a bonus for getting the copies made before the FBI working with some military police swooped in and pulled the rug out from under the investigators and confiscated all the evidence siting national security laws.”

Returning with corn bread, a light soup and a bit of cherry pie, Alfred paused at the door watching Bruce repeatedly rewind and play the section where the Resplendent Man slapped a huge overly muscled man length wise through the kidnap team's Van crushing the hood, shattering the windshield and scattering the four kidnappers standing at it's open back double doors like bowling pins as the unwilling ball continued on a short distance further before slamming feet first into a concrete retaining wall.

Raising one eye brow Alfred announced his return by saying ”One has to wonder why Mr. Bane bothered wearing a mask?” suppressing a smile as Master Bruce's reaction brought back bitter sweet memories of stolen cookies and a younger boy caught staying up to ungodly hours practicing “ninja” moves.

Bruce quickly buried the memories and feeling of being caught filching brownies and spoke saying “I think Bane was going all out, but the Resplendent Man is so much stronger and faster than Bane that it gives no room for comparison and I won't be able to get an accurate idea of just how fast Bane is until I can get to my equipment down stairs.”

Turning slightly to look at Alfred, Bruce couldn't quite suppress a wince before he continued speaking saying “I think that's why Bane is here and presumably no longer in the employ of Mr. Luthor he is easily identified even without the benefit of seeing his face, even before the Russian super serum treatments and what ever Luthor did to him he was already being describe as being the equal of André the Giant's, now he's bigger and I doubt there is five other men on this planet that could be mistaken for him from any viewing angle.”

After Bruce had awnsered his question Alfred with well practiced ease flipped out a set of stands that snapped to the tray holding it solidly across Master Wayne's lap within easy reach.

Stepping back Alfred silently watched as his charge carefully ate his meal. Alfred's mind was anything but quite as he silently argued with himself, he wanted Master Wayne to stop this insanity, but all his protest and stumbling blocks had only seemed to fuel Bruce's determination and as bad as he hated to admit it Master Wayne was making a difference he had cripple most of the organized crime in the city, reduced the murder rate, outed twenty percent of the police force and Gotham's so called suicide slum barely rated the suicide part any more.

His course of action decided Alfred's thought's turned to Leslie before she had returned to her Clinic she had helped him... what had she called it digital? Anyway she had helped him put about 40 minutes of the rest home's security tape into the hard drive of one of Bruces high end laptops. Leslie had said it would be far slower than the Render Farm in the subbasement bomb shelter.. Pausing mentally Alfred reviewed what he had thought Leslie had said and decided that was exactly what she had said, but for the life of him he couldn't imagine why she would use a word he normally associated with dead animals, the production of grease, tallow and bonemeal to decribe1024 high end desktop computers. It had been their mutual idea as the only way to trick Master Bruce to spend an additional...

“How is Dr. Thompkins doing Alfred, did you enjoy your visit with her? You've got that look on your face.” Startled by Bruce's sudden question and irritated by the comment Alfred frowned at him and couldn't resist getting in a dig replying ”She was tired Master Bruce before and after working on you.” Seeing that Bruce was on his last three bites of pie he continued speaking after a short pause saying “Master Bruce before Dr. Thompkins left we digitaled some of the rest home's security video and put it on one of your more expensive laptops, if you feel up to it after your meal I'll replace your tray with it and let you render out what bone's you can before the battery dies or you pass out.” Alfred ignored the slightly confused look as master Bruce wolfed down his last two bites and then said ”Thank you, Yes I'd like that laptop”.

It was nearly two hours later when Alfred returned answering a summons to find a very depressed Master Wayne. He followed Master Bruces's orders and set the quite warm laptop on a dresser before removing the food tray and lowering the bed to a more comfortable sleeping position.

As he pulled the sheets up Alfred decided to speak up, he might not know much about photo analysis and while it had been quite satisfying watching the man that had done harm to his family get slapped silly he had noticed that in spite of that Bane's speed alone was far beyond any mere human. He spoke saying "So you will look at abandoning this life?" Alfred asked with a questioning arch of his eyebrow.

When Bruce hesitated Alfred's hope soared for a moment before his charge finally spoke saying "Of course not. It's too important to me. And Gotham."

Sighing Alfred turned to leave as he said ”Good Night Master Wayne.”

END Chapter 1

By Arthur Hansen and Howard Melton