Arkham Asylum - The East Wall - Midnight
The rain in Gotham was usually cold. Tonight, it felt heavy, like oil.
Bane stood on the hood of a stolen armored truck parked five hundred yards from the asylum walls. He held a military-grade rocket launcher on his massive shoulder. The Venom tubes hissed softly, glowing neon green against the dark storm.
"Do it," Bane rumbled.
His lieutenant, Bird, looked at the massive stone walls of the Asylum.
"Are you sure, Jefe? If we blow the wall, everyone gets out. Even the ones we can't control."
"That is the point," Bane said. "I do not need soldiers. I need a storm."
Bane pulled the trigger.
FWOOSH.
The rocket screamed across the wet pavement.
KA-BOOM.
The impact was seismic. The massive reinforced concrete wall of Arkham Asylum—which had held Gotham's nightmares for decades—disintegrated in a ball of fire.
Alarms wailed. Searchlights swept frantically over the smoke.
And then, they came.
Like rats fleeing a sinking ship, figures emerged from the dust.
The Joker danced out, laughing hysterically. Two-Face limped out, flipping his coin. The Scarecrow adjusted his mask. Killer Croc smashed through the remaining rubble. Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, The Mad Hatter, Zsasz...
Hundreds of inmates. The worst of the worst.
Bane watched them run toward the city lights.
"Run," Bane whispered. "Run to him. Tire him. Break him."
The Batcave - 12:05 AM
The main screen turned red. A single word flashed in bold letters: BREAKOUT.
"Status report!" Bruce barked, sliding down the bannister. He was already half-suited.
Tim Drake was typing so fast his fingers were a blur.
"It's bad, Bruce. It's... it's everyone."
"Define everyone."
"The wall is gone," Tim said, his face pale. "Thermal satellite counts three hundred hostiles moving into the Narrows and Diamond District. Joker. Croc. Bane. Everyone."
Bruce stopped. He stared at the screen. He had prepared for riots. He had prepared for wars. But this... this was a deluge.
"We can't contain this," Bruce whispered.
"We have to try," Conner Kent (Superboy) floated down from the ceiling. He cracked his knuckles. "I can round them up in five minutes. I'm fast."
"No," Bruce snapped. "If you go in there swinging, you'll cause collateral damage. These are psychotics with hostages, not punching bags. You need precision."
"We don't have time for precision!" Conner argued.
"We split up," Batman ordered, putting on his cowl. "Red Robin, take the East End. Mad Hatter and Ventriloquist are heading there. Use the EMP nets. Do not engage alone."
"Got it," Tim grabbed his staff.
"Superboy, take the bridges. Killer Croc and Amygdala. They'll try to stop traffic. Keep them contained. Do not let them cross into the suburbs."
"Fine," Conner rolled his eyes. "The heavy lifting. As usual."
"And you?" I asked, handing Bruce his grapple gun.
"I'm taking the Narrows," Batman said grimly. "That's where Joker and Zsasz are headed. It's the most densely populated."
"And Bane?" I asked.
Bruce paused. "Bane caused the explosion. But he's not on the scanners. He's hiding. He wants us distracted."
"Then he is the general," I deduced. "And this is the infantry charge."
"Sebastian," Bruce turned to me. "Stay on comms. Coordinate the police. And if anyone gets past us... defend the Manor."
"I shall keep the tea warm, Sir. And the shotgun loaded."
The Narrows - 1:00 AM
The city was a war zone.
Batman dropped from a gargoyle into an alleyway. Victor Zsasz was carving a tally mark into his own arm, standing over a terrified couple.
"Number four hundred and..."
CRACK.
Batman didn't speak. He landed on Zsasz's back, driving his face into the pavement. Zsasz slashed backward with his knife, catching Batman in the thigh.
Batman grunted. He twisted Zsasz's wrist until it snapped.
"Stay down!" Batman roared.
He handcuffed Zsasz to a pipe.
BEEP.
"Batman!" Gordon's voice on the radio. "Firefly is torching the library! We can't get close!"
"Moving," Batman gasped. He fired his grapple.
He didn't have time to bandage his leg. He swung toward the library.
The Gotham Bridge - 1:30 AM
Killer Croc ripped the door off a taxi and threw it into the river.
"Croc hungry!" the massive reptilian man roared.
WHOOSH.
Conner Kent slammed into Croc, tackling him through the guardrail. They tumbled onto the suspension cables.
"You're ugly," Conner quipped, floating in mid-air. "Has anyone ever told you that?"
"Superboy!" Croc snarled. "Tasty!"
Croc lunged. Conner dodged effortlessly.
"Is that all you got?" Conner laughed. He used his tactile telekinesis to rip a chunk of asphalt from the road and smash it over Croc's head.
Croc went down.
"Too easy," Conner dusted his hands.
BOOM.
A tanker truck on the other side of the bridge exploded. The KGBeast stepped out, holding a minigun.
"Little alien," the Beast grunted.
"Oh, come on!" Conner groaned. "Is there a line?"
The East End - 2:00 AM
Tim Drake was cornered.
He was in a toy store. The Mad Hatter had placed mind-control hats on twenty hostages. They were slowly advancing on Tim, holding kitchen knives.
"Don't hurt them, Red Robin!" Hatter giggled from atop a display of teddy bears. "They are my friends!"
"I can't hit them," Tim whispered to himself. "Flashbangs."
Tim threw three pellets.
BANG.
The blinding light disoriented the hostages. Tim moved. He didn't strike the people; he used his staff to hook the hats off their heads.
Swipe. Swipe. Swipe.
As the hats fell, the hostages collapsed, confused.
Tim vaulted over the counter and kicked Hatter in the chest.
"Tea time is over, Jervis."
Tim tied him up. He checked his watch. He was exhausted.
"Tim," Bruce's voice crackled. "Status?"
"Hatter is down. But I'm tracking Riddler signals at the Power Plant. And Scarecrow just released a toxin in the subway."
"Go to the subway," Batman ordered. "I'll take the Power Plant."
"Bruce, you sound winded."
"I'm fine. Move."
The Rooftops - 4:00 AM
Four hours. Non-stop fighting.
Batman landed on a roof, his chest heaving. His suit was torn in three places. He was bleeding from a cut above his eye.
He had captured Zsasz, Firefly, and Magpie. But there were still dozens left.
"Sebastian," Batman rasped. "Location on Joker?"
"Unknown, Sir," I replied from the cave. "He has gone dark. However, I have intercepted a transmission from Bane."
"What does it say?"
"It is a broadcast, Sir. On all frequencies."
A deep voice filled Batman's cowl.
"Batman. I am watching you. You run. You fight. You bleed. But the night is long. And I have patience."
Batman looked out over the burning city. He saw the smoke rising from ten different districts.
He wasn't fighting a crime wave. He was fighting a tide.
"He's running down the clock," Batman realized. "He wants me exhausted."
"Sir," I said gently. "You need to rest. Let Superboy handle the heavy lifting. Let Red Robin handle the investigations. Return to the cave for one hour."
"I can't," Batman said, standing up on shaking legs. "If I stop, people die."
He saw the Bat-Signal light up again. The Ventriloquist was robbing a bank.
"No rest for the wicked," Batman whispered.
He jumped.
High above, on the tallest spire of the Wayne Enterprises building, Bane stood with his arms crossed.
He watched the small, black figure swinging through the smoke.
"Yes," Bane rumbled. "Use your energy. Save them all. And when you have nothing left... I will come for you."
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