Two days had passed. Bruce Wayne was in the public eye once again at a charity fund raiser in Gotham. It was still early in the day, and the event still had another hour or so to go. Alfred sent Bruce two coded messages concerning a situation with Deadshot cornered by the GCPD with hostages involved, as well as a message involving Bane ripping through a chemical plant, namely Ace Chemicals. What were the chances both hired goons would pop up on the same day? Bruce was still at the fund raiser but he was distant. Plotting his course of action, deciding which required his attention the most. However the newer heroes in Gotham were already on the scene. The Vulture reminded Bruce of Dick Grayson...

"However without the innocence the boy had in the earlier years. While her trust is still in question, the homeless girl with the teleportation power seems like a valuable asset to have with ninjas and mercenaries on the rise. Mike being back in town is another plus..." Bruce thought while eyeing the crowd when a signal on his watch caught his attention. 

An alarm went off on a laptop in a sub par hotel room. The lights were off and only a little evening light peaked through a crack in the curtain. "SWAT teams have been called into Gotham's financial district to intercept Deadshot. Bane has reportedly killed all three employees still on the facility grounds at Ace Chemicals including one security guard posted at the fence. - H" was written on the screen of the computer. Hacker was an old informant of Batman's, now under the employment of Jack.

"The chemical plant has something the junkie needs for his venom fix. This should be fun..." Jack mummbled rolling out of bed and grabbing a drink from a bottle of Jack Daniels' whiskey. 

About ten minutes later Skeleton Jack was entering Ace Chemicals through a window on the top floor. There was Bane carrying out barrels of some chemical under his arms like some kind of comical gorilla in a video game. Jack observed the area, remembering key exit points as well as the layout of the factory itself and the number of side offices and storage closets. He made his way down to the chemical storage where Bane was located and challenged the behemoth face to face.

"You ready to do this, or do you need to stick more of that juice in your arm? Skeleton Jack asked with a grizzled voice and tone.

"I don't know who you are, but you picked the wrong night to mess with me hero..." Bane responded activating his venom pump in his wrist connected to an armband connected to the back of his head and mask. 

Before the brute could fully develop his altering musculature, Skeleton Jack rushed him and grappled with Bane toe to toe and pound for pound until the size and mass of Bane grew into monstrous veiny proportions finally putting Jack to his knees like a scene out of professional wrestling. It was a stupid and arrogant mistake, Jack would not make it twice. Slipping a blade from the wrist of his left gauntlet Jack lunged at Bane severing the hose from the wrist device to his head and mask. The man who broke Batman's back still had power, but he only had a gallon of gas in a rather empty tank. Bane had been running low on supplies to produce his venom formula hence the heist at Ace Chemicals. 

"You think I cannot break you with the power I have, skull-face?" Bane screamed while grabbing the man in the skull helmet and throwing him across a storage facility in the back end of the factory. 

Getting himself picked up was an easy enough task, but Bane caught the would be hero on his right side with several powerful strikes from his large fists. Like Jack didn't even see the brute coming. Still, there would be others, right?

~KL~