Earth 1
Gotham City, a cesspool of crime and villainy. Murderers. Thieves. Criminals. Scum. A city overrun by crime and corruption. The police force can't do anything, all the good cops are either dead or are on a payroll. The streets are filled with a cowardly and superstitious lot.
But there is hope in the overwhelming darkness. A guardian that watched over his city, his crusade bringing terror to any criminals that encounter him. A light shines in the sky, a signal if you will. A Bat Signal, shining through the clouds and into the sky.
And with this signal, Gotham is relying on one man to save them all.
The Iceberg Lounge
The Iceberg Lounge, the club that was opened exclusively for criminals. The place where shady dealings take precedent over anything else. Why was it called the Iceberg Lounge? Because of the giant iceberg placed in the middle of the club.
The club doors suddenly opened up, the club was closed for the night as the owner didn't wish to be disturbed. He had an important meeting to attend to. And one of the meetings participants entered the club, he was a very big man, in height and in stature. He wore a vest with tubes filled with green liquid flowing through them, the tubes entered his back, allowing the liquid to flow into his bloodstream.
He wore a black and white mask with holes in its eyes, nose and mouth. His veins glowed green due to the liquid in his system.
Bane: The Man who Broke the Bat.
The luchador walked into the club slowly, not trusting the situation at all, after all, Bane wasn't a very trusting person. The doors closed behind him as he entered the main lobby, which was filled with tables, chairs, and most notably, a giant iceberg.
Bane folded his arms as he waited for his host. He had received an invitation to a meeting that was being hosted here, he had reservations about attending this meeting, but his curiosity got the better of him in the end. As he waited, he took note of the giant iceberg before him, a ridiculous piece to be held in a club. He wondered how they kept it from melting, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching him.
Bane turned around to see a well suited man approach him.
He wore a white suit, well half of it was white anyway. The other half was charred black with various tiny holes in it, revealing the melted skin beneath. Not to mention that half of the man's body was also burned an melted. His left side was melted and burned, leaving his left side bald of any hair, revealing his teeth inside of his cheek bone, and burning off his eyelid.
On his right side was a man who has black hair and was seemingly normal in contrast to his left side.
But in his left hand was a coin, one side was scratched out while the other side was normal.
Harvey Dent: Aka Two-Face.
The literal two faced villain walked into the main lounge of the club, flipping his coin in his left hand before he set his eyes on Bane.
"Well, well, well, isn't this a surprise?" Harvey said in a surprised tone, "What in the hell are you doing here?"
Bane frowned slightly underneath his mask, "I was called here for a meeting, yet our host has not been gracious enough to show up yet."
Two-Face walked over and stood beside Bane as he responded, "Well he'd better get his ass here soon. I don't like my time being wasted."
"Agreed."
"Gentlemen!" A sudden British voice sounded off throughout the lobby of the club, "I must apologize for my lateness, unfortunately I had prior arrangements that could not be rescheduled."
Both Bane and Two-Face turned their heads towards the lobby entrance to see a short, fat man hobble into the room. The man wore a top hat with a black jacket, a white vest, with a bowtie around his neck. He had grime teeth and a long, sharp pointy nose. On his right eye he wore a monocle, he had a cigar in his mouth, and he held a black umbrella.
Oswald Cobblepot: Aka The Penguin.
The short business man stamped his umbrella on the floor, signaling his goons to bring in the merchandise. Said merchandise was held inside a box made out of lead, which was oddly peculiar to both Bane and Two-Face.
Bane folded his arms over his chest, "Get to the point, Cobblepot, why did you call us here?" He asked before frowning, "You said you'd have something I'd want, you better not be wasting my time."
Cobblepot waved his hand in defense, "No, no, no, trust me when I say that you'll want to hear what I have to say." He then cleared his throat before smirking, "That is if you're both interested?"
Bane simply nodded before Harvey flipped his coin into the air. It spun around a few times before landing in the villain's open palm. It was on the clean side, so he looked up from the coin and nodded to The Penguin.
"Excellent! Now let's get down to business shall we?" Penguin declared before removing his cigar from his mouth and motioning towards the lead box, "Y'see, I’m what you might call, a collector. If someone wants it, I like to think I’ve got it. And, if I don’t have it, I’ll get it."
Penguin then took a puff of his cigar before continuing.
"I'm sure you lot have heard about the string of robberies going around both Gotham and Metropolis?" Both villains nodded, "Yeah, and I'm sure you've also noticed how nothing was actually stolen. Now I got to thinking, "Why rob a place and end up stealin' nothin'?" But that's when I found a... shall we say causality. The places being robbed, specifically tech companies, were housin' this thing 'ere."
Everyone in the room turned their heads towards the box.
Two-Face looked back up at Cobblepot and said what was on everyone's minds, "Each company was housing the box at the time."
"Exactly! So I figured I'd steal it for myself and sell it to the highest bidder. Starting with you two, I figured you lot would want a shot at this."
Bane was silent for a moment before asking, "What does the box contain?"
Penguin grinned at this, "You know Lex Luthor? He's put a bounty on the blue boy scout's head. 50 Million dollars to whoever does 'im in. And in this box is the only thing that can get the job done."
Motioning his hand, Penguin ordered his thugs to slowly open the lid of the box. Through the cracks, a bright green light shined through. Once it was completely opened, everyone gazed upon the large chunk of Kryptonite. The last remnants of the dead planet Krypton.
Bane's face remained stoic while Two-Face grinned like a kid in a candy store.
"Shall we start the bid off at one hundred thousand?" Oswald said eagerly with a sick grin on his face.
The roar of a car engine echoed throughout the streets of Gotham, one that drove fear into the hearts of any criminal that heard it. The car it belonged to had black armor plating all over it with bullet proof wheels so nobody could take out the tires. It also had a rocket booster attached to the back of it to increase its speed.
The Batmobile roared as it sped through the streets at insane speeds.
It was driven by the owner of the car, a man dressed like a bat. His cowl, gloves, boots and cape were black, his eyes white to stir fear into the hearts of his enemies. His combat suit was grey in color with a giant black bat symbol imbedded onto his chest. On his wrists were wrist blades to ward off any weapons coming his way. He also wore a Utility Belt housed with various weapons he would need for any situation.
He is vengeance. He is the night! He is Batman!
Sitting beside the Caped Crusader was his sidekick. He wore a red suit with black sleeves, along with green gloves with wrist blades to go with it. The outside of his cape was black while the inside was yellow, as were the edges of his cape and hood. He wore a green eye mask with white eyes. He wore green boots with red laces, as well as a yellow Utility Belt. On the left side of his chest was a black circle with a yellow R stitched into it.
Damian Wayne: Aka Robin.
The son of the bat stared out of the car window, irritation etched onto his face as he watched the rain fall onto the glass separating him from the outside world. It had been a few months since his mother, Talia Al Ghul, had left him in Bruce's care. He knew that his father was having trouble with getting him to adjust to his way of justice.
Damian had spent most, almost all of his life training with the League of Assassins, who was headed by his grandfather, Ra's Al Ghul. It would make sense why Damian found his father's brand of justice to be weak.
The Batmobile suddenly stopped in an alleyway next to the Iceberg Lounge. They had obviously reached their destination. The door above them slid open and Batman jumped out with Damian following behind him. The two then took out their Grappling Hooks and aimed upwards, firing their gadgets and zipping upwards onto the roof of the club.
Once they both landed on the roof, they put their Grappling Hooks away and peaked down the skylight of the club.
"So this is where the Kryptonite ended up?" Damian asked, breaking the silence between them both, "In the hands of this filth?"
Batman didn't even look at his son as he responded, "Cobblepot wants to sell it to the highest bidder. I want it off the streets."
"But what would they want with Kryptonite anyway?"
"What else? To kill Superman."
Damian glared down at the trio of villains down below with contempt, "It'd be so much more efficient to strike down and kill them all. Never having to deal with them ever again."
"You can't be a killer and a hero." Batman said tersely as he finally turned to his son with a hard glare, "It's one or the other."
Damian rolled his eyes at that, "Says who? Not history."
"What you want is vengeance, not justice."
"They're the same thing, Father."
Batman's glare harshened, "No. Killing." He growled slowly before adding, "Justice, not vengeance."
While he wanted to argue the point, he knew that it would get them both nowhere. So Damian sighed before returning his gaze to the three criminals in the Iceberg Lounge, "Very well, how do you wish to play this?"
The coin flipped through the air a few times before coming to rest in Harvey's burnt palm, "Five hundred thousand." He bid to Oswald, hoping to get his mismatched hands onto that Kryptonite.
When Bane scoffed, Two-Face turned to the luchador as he declared, "That is nothing, I'll bet a million."
But Harvey wasn't going to give up that easily as he turned to Bane and growled, "Two million!"
As the two villains fought over how much they were willing to pay for the Kryptonite, Penguin just kept on adding fuel to the fire, "That's two million! Do I hear three?"
Suddenly, before any more bids could be made, the skylight above the club shattered, catching everyone's attention. When all the villains looked up, they saw two shadowed silhouettes fall down, their capes widened to slow their landing. Both Batman and Robin landed in front of the trio of villains, with the Dark Knight landing on a table and the Boy Wonder landing on the floor beside his father.
Getting out of his shock quickly, Penguin pointed his umbrella at the Dynamic Duo, "It's Batman and his little brat!"
"Kill them!" Two-Face shouted as he aimed his gun at the two heroes.
Suddenly, the top of Penguin's umbrella flipped open before shooting bullets like a gun. While Batman grappled upward, Robin unsheathed his sword and dashed forward, using his quick reflexes to dodge Penguin's artillery. Damian quickly took out three Batarangs and hurled them at the corrupt villain.
Oswald stopped firing before a blade unsheathed itself from the top of his umbrella. He then parried the Batarangs as Robin launched himself upward. He was then kicked in the face by the Boy Wonder, which sent him flying into the bar behind him, breaking multiple and expensive bottles of alcohol.
Once he got back up to his feet and recomposed himself, Penguin turned his head to his two goons, "Oi! What am I paying you idiots for?! Somebody kill that freakin' kid!"
But as soon as the two goons saw Damian pointing his blade at them with a sinister smirk on his face, they both turned and ran away like the cowards they are.
To say that Oswald Cobblepot was flabbergasted would be an understatement, "Get back here ya mutts! When I get my hands on you cowards, I'll make you regret the day you crossed me, you balless pieces of shi--" He was cut off as another bottle of liquor fell and broke right on top of his head, knocking him unconscious.
While that was going on, Batman glided down and kicked Harvey in the chest, sending him crashing to the floor. As the hero landed, the villain quickly scurried onto his feet and fired his gun. Batman shrouded himself with his cape, the bullets bouncing off of it.
Tossing his cape, Batman threw a Batarang directly at Two-Face's hand, disarming the gun from his hold. Before he could react, Batman quickly used his Grappling Hook and pulled himself towards Two-Face.
"Aw hell." Was what Harvey Dent muttered to himself before Batman's knee collided with his mismatched nose. With a broken nose added to his wounded pride, Two-Face fell backwards onto his back in an unconscious state.
Batman turned his head as Robin walked over smugly, seeing as how he didn't kill anybody, he felt a sense of proudness inside of him. But that was quickly replaced with irritation as Damian folded his arms and said, "While my way is better, I still did it your way. Happy?"
"Hahahahaha." The booming laughter coming from behind them caused them to snap their bodies around, already on guard to fight the final villain at this gathering.
Bane was sitting at a table with a glass of scotch in his hand, swirling it around as he chuckled to himself, "So you're the new Robin I've heard so much about." He started before lifting the glass to his mouth and finishing his drink in one gulp, "I am impressed."
"Funny, cause I haven't heard a thing about you." Damian replied with that irritating smug attitude he was known for.
That caused Bane to chuckle, "That is surprising considering I'm the man who broke the bat." He then pushed himself away from the table and got up onto his feet, cracking his neck before turning to face the Dynamic Duo.
Batman frowned at his foe, "What do you want?"
Bane smiled, "When we met before, I broke the bat." He then proceeded to crack his knuckles, "Today, I break the man. You see I've been keeping a watch on you ever since our last encounter, Batman, and I know you've been investigating these recent attacks on facilities watching over that." He revealed as he pointed to the box containing the Kryptonite behind the two vigilantes.
"So when I ordered one of my men to tip off Mr. Cobblepot as to the next location of the Kryptonite, I knew it would eventually lead both me and you here. It was made easier when Penguin actually invited me to bid for the Kryptonite, but the end result was the same."
Batman scowled, "You mean you wouldn't have to charge in guns blazing for the Kryptonite."
"Cobblepot has connections all over Gotham, it was the most logical play." Bane replied with a smug expression on his masked face. "Now I have everything I wanted, I have the Kryptonite which I will use to kill Superman and claim my bounty. And I have you, so that we can finish what we started so long ago."
As Batman readied himself, Robin pointed the tip of his blade directly at Bane, "Enough with the chit chat, who the hell do you think you are anyway?"
"A nightmare much like your mentor," he replied sinisterly as he pressed the button on his left wrist, pumping the Venom into his veins. As his muscles grew larger, Bane smiled sadistically at his foes, "But you may call me Bane."
Bane charged forward at incredible speeds, causing both Batman and Robin to leap out of the way. Several tables and chairs that were in Bane's path of destruction were demolished as the behemoth charged through them. Still in the air, Batman hurled three Batarangs at Bane's back, hoping to cut some of the tubes pumping the Venom into his system.
But Bane turned around and allowed the projectiles to dig into his arm. The villain chuckled but stopped abruptly as Robin delivered a spinning kick to his chest. Bane slid back, the attack not hurting him in anyway, before throwing a punch at Robin's head. But the boy quickly ducked under and rolled away, attempting to slice a specific spot in Bane legs with his sword as he rolled. But the armored plating on his feet prevented that.
Robin got back to his feet and darted forward, his sword ready for blood as Bane turned to face him.
Damian leapt into the air, sword raised above his head, ready to strike. But as he brought it down, Bane caught it in his hands, shocking the boy.
Bane chuckled humorously at Robin's stupor, "You're not the only one who has trained with the League of Assassins." He then hurled Robin across the room, watching as the boy crashed through a table as he landed.
The Venom addicted villain scoffed before turning around... only to be met with a boot to the face.
Batman backflipped through the air before throwing ten explosive Batarangs directly at Bane. The projectiles exploded in the villain's face, allowing Batman to take out and fire his Grappling Hook. But much to his surprise, Bane grabbed the line and tugged on it hard enough for Batman to be pulled out of the air.
Before Batman could do anything, he was decked in the face by Bane, sending him sprawling to the floor. Shaking himself out of his daze, Batman reacted quickly enough to catch Bane's boot with his hands. Struggling to keep hold, Batman moved his right hand away and proceeded to punch the side of Bane's knee, causing the villain to grunt in pain as he moved his boot away from Batman.
The Caped Crusader jumped to his feet, kicking Bane in the chest in the process. The two foes glared at one another before charging forward.
Robin, who was getting back up, saw that his father had Bane distracted for the moment.
Now was his time to strike.
Taking his blade, Robin dashed forward and fired his Grappling Hook to get the high ground above Bane. Once he was high enough, Damian griped his sword with two hands and raised it above him.
At this point Bane had Batman by the neck, "This pain you are feeling Batman, telling you that you're still alive. That you have a chance to live... heh, it's lying to you."
But just before he could finish him off, Bane felt the Venom stop flowing into his veins, he felt the tube disconnect from his back. He felt weaker, powerless to do anything. He turned his head behind him and saw Robin kneeling behind him, his sword covered in Venom. When the boy looked up and smirked at him, Bane went livid.
Now or never, Batman kicked himself away from Bane, stunning the villain long enough to finish this.
"N-No... I am supposed to break the bat..." Bane muttered weakly as he stumbled backwards towards Robin.
"No Bane, this time, I break you!"
Batman spread out his cape before darting down and kicking Bane in the face, causing the villain to turn around so Robin could deliver an upward kick to Bane's chin. As the villain was falling backwards, Batman let go of his cape and dropped down, punching Bane in the face so hard that he fell to the floor. Bane tried getting back up, but Batman wasn't going to let that happen.
He loomed over his fallen foe and said two words that Bane never wanted to hear, "You're broken." And with that, Batman stomped on the back of Bane's head, knocking him unconscious.
With the battle over, Robin walked over to the unconscious villain and held his sword over his beaten form, "So much for being my nightmare. I could kill you right now and never lose sleep over it."
"No."
Robin looked over and saw Batman glaring at him, "But Father."
"Damnit Damian!" Bruce shouted, finally losing his temper, "It's a line we don't cross. If we do, we're no better than them."
Robin was about to retort but didn't when the emergence of an Interdimensional Breach interrupted him. Both Batman and Robin turned to the portal, looking at it with curious eyes. But they kept on their guard as they approached it, which did them some good as three of those creatures from one thousand years ago jumped out of the portal.
The one in the middle nodded to the one on the left, signaling it to get the Kryptonite, but it stopped when a Batarang flew right past it. All of the creatures turned to Batman and Robin.
"Guess these are the ones trying to steal the Kryptonite." Damian surmised.
Batman took a step forward and ordered, "You're going to tell me who you are, how you got here, and what you think you're doing in my city."
When they received no response, Damian shot forward with his blade ready, "He asked you a question!"
Robin raised his blade, but it didn't do much good, as one of the creatures jumped up and slashed his blade in half with its sword like limbs. Before he could react, Damian was kicked in the back by the creature, who appeared behind him at impossible speeds.
Before his eyes, Batman watched as his son fell into the portal.
"Damian!" He shouted as the creatures, who now had the Kryptonite, were entering the portal.
Wanting to get his son back, and wanting to stop those creatures from using the Kryptonite, Batman dashed forward and jumped into the portal before it closed permanently. As the sirens blared outside the club, the police would be left to wonder where their guardian is.
And when he would come back.