Gotham's Dawn

"You just need to..."

"Shut up, I'm out! Don't tempt me with $200 million. It won't do me any good if I'm dead...""Exactly, you need to live. Floyd, there's still a chance if you work with Cat."Deadshot skidded to a halt, staring at the Ventriloquist emerging from a shadowy corner. The cowardly old fool, who'd been hiding moments ago, was now..."Oh, I apologize, Mr. Lawton. I wouldn't, but Bat Baby insisted!"The Ventriloquist apologized, but the Thompson submachine gun in his hand remained aimed at Deadshot's back. A glint of malice shone in his eyes behind his glasses."Don't make this difficult, Floyd."

A deeper, raspier voice emerged from the bat doll.

Deadshot's heart plummeted. "Wesker, you..."" If you don't attack him, I will attack you."Adam silently applauded Ventriloquist's timely intervention.Good!"Damn it!"Deadshot cursed. Ventriloquist was right. With Cat as a distraction, they could buy a minute. But a fight with Ventriloquist now, caught between him and Bane, meant certain death.He snatched up the discarded rocket launcher."One minute!" he growled. "That's all you get!"He fired at Bane.A miss!"Watch it!"Cat, narrowly dodging Bane's attacks, was nearly caught in the blast. She tumbled aside, gasping for breath, her voice losing its usual icy edge."Idiot! You almost killed me!"Countdown: 50 seconds.Boom!Intense flames and smoke engulfed Bane, but Deadshot knew such weapons could only repel him, not hurt him.He fired again and again, then scrambled behind the wreckage of a car.Countdown: 40 seconds.Bane emerged from the smoke, ignoring Cat's attacks. He locked eyes with Deadshot and charged, moving with the speed and ferocity of a striking cobra.Bang, bang, bang!With four gunshots, the four lights that had been illuminating the scene exploded almost at the same time. Bane's footsteps paused slightly, but the silvery moonlight still guided Bane's way forward.Boom!The spot Deadshot had just vacated exploded under Bane's boot, sending debris flying like shrapnel.Hidden elsewhere, Deadshot barely had time to smirk before steel bars and boulders rained down upon him."Argh!"He narrowly avoided the deadly projectiles, but a boulder slammed into his shoulder.Damn it, Bane wasn't fooled!The man was an escape artist rivaled only by Batman and Mister Miracle. Deadshot's tricks were child's play to him.His trick not only failed to delay the time, but also allowed Bane to take advantage of his trick and wound him unexpectedly.Empty! Empty! Empty!Despite his injured shoulder, Deadshot fired three shells in rapid succession, hoping the concentrated blast would at least slow...His eyes widened as Bane, with effortless grace, snatched all three rockets from the air and hurled them back like a titan throwing thunderbolts.The warheads reflected in Deadshot's eyes."Damn you."Countdown: 30 seconds.Boom!Debris rained down. Deadshot coughed up blood, a searing pain blossoming across his back. His armor saved him from instant death.He tried to rise, but a massive rock pinned his legs. Despair filled him as he looked at Bane, who stood over him with casual menace.A bitter laugh escaped Deadshot's lips before another cough brought forth more blood. The world's deadliest marksman, killed by his own ammunitions. What a cruel irony.Cat made a break for it, but without him to distract Bane, she was swiftly caught.One punch sent her flying like a ragdoll, skidding across the ground and crashing into a pile of debris. She lay still.Countdown: 20 seconds.Deadshot laughed miserably, blood trickling from his lips.Perhaps his organs were ruptured? It didn't matter now. He watched Bane approach, each step echoing his impending doom.His life flashed before his eyes.A troubled childhood, dreams of becoming an artist, twelve bullets shattering his family, a life derailed, a military career turned mercenary, and—A daughter. "Zoe..."Countdown: 10 seconds.This was it.The end of Floyd Lawton.The moon... so cold and bright.The world gasps, singed and battered after the heat and fury.There is no military here...Except me.There is no authority here...Except me.There is no hope here...Except me.There is no Batman here, no one else.There is only Bane.Countdown: 3 seconds.Bane reaches for Deadshot, a final, lethal caress—2 seconds.His rough hand grazes Deadshot's throat.1 second."To hell with you."0 seconds."Bane—"The roar seems distant, yet echoes in his very bones.The earth shudders, the pale night recoils in terror!Bane's hand paused, turning sharply. Atop the debris mountain, he trembles, staring into the abyss of his ultimate nightmare.Bzzzzt!!!An invisible bomb detonates in the air, the cold shockwave washing over Bane's massive form, raising the hairs on his neck.What eyes those were!The bottomless darkness howled hysterically in his eyes, a tidal wave of momentum crashing forth. His breath was the bitter north wind, the unyielding chill of ancient glaciers.He simply stood, yet it felt as if a mountain had collapsed onto the world.[One step closer, and you die.]That's what his body told him. Bane knew that Batman never killed people. He was a good man, a hero. And heroes didn't kill, right?But...His very being roared in primal terror:[One step closer, and you die!!!]Bane knew even if Batman wanted to kill him, he couldn't. He had absolute faith in his strength.But... what did he know?Every drop of blood, every muscle fiber, every hair on his body shrieked:[Move forward, and you die!!!]Bane couldn't fathom how the Bat did it.He didn't understand how the Bat could broadcast this death threat, this hormonal flood of dread. It was impossible, unscientific, yet it was Batman, so it made perfect, twisted sense.The true master of Gotham City roared his challenge, staking his claim. The Bat spread his wings, casting a shadow that banished darkness from this time, this place. The son of Gotham had arrived.So Bane abandoned Deadshot, vanishing in a blur of motion behind the wreckage and debris.In the far east, dawn's first light pierced the night like a blade, illuminating the nightmare figure. He stood bathed in the glow, dispelling the darkness from every corner of the world.The red sun rose, its path clear.The long, dark night was over.