Batwoman went at Bane after the giant mountain of a man broke Nuke like a twig. Guardian was holding his own. And Batman and Slade had separated on their way up. With Slade taking Batgirl and his daughter away from the fight, Batman jumped into the fray rocking one of the musclebound goons. He noticed something off about the fighting style Bane was using. Batman watched as Batwoman challenged the masked meathead, getting caught up in defending himself from one of the downed goons getting back up, looking back at probably his closest ally in the field useing flashbangs. When the tail of Kaze started whipping around, Bats knew to get out of the way. As he made it closer to Batwoman, who'd freed herself from Bane's grip, he mentioned...

"This isn't Bane. His fighting style is off, and sloppy, and Batwing's visual log from his suit had Bane looking a bit bigger than this guy. Wore a white top too." Batman explained. 

The two bat themed heroes dodged a few attacks from the behemoth as he began to tire. The rest of the group finished off the goons. A couple of tag team maneuvers had 'Bane' on the floor gasping for air after a well placed strike to the throat. The handful of Venom patches on the floor he rolled into didn't do him any favors. 

"Where is he? WHERE'S BANE?" Batman screamed taking the guy's mask off as his condition visually got worse. 

"DAMNIT! I NEED THE ******* KNIFE! I KNOW YOU KNOW SOMETHING YOU PIECE OF..." Batman screamed as the guy's heart finally went out. 

It got quiet save for the noise of a few goons getting dropped again. Batman dropped to his knees and grabbed at the forehead of his mask. He failed. The window to save the boys has passed. No knife no spell. Bane was messing with him. But why now? And why involve Slade and the League of Assassins?

[u][b]Later, at the Bat-Cave...[/b][/u] 

Those who were in it for the money were paid and long gone. Batgirl was saved so it wasn't a total loss and Batman knew that they did some good. Barbara was staying with her father, however Slade and Rose Wilson stood in the 'Cave along with Batman, Batwoman, Alfred, and Lucius Fox who showed up to discuss his injured son. 

"...docs say he's gonna be okay. I'm glad you were able to save her Bruce. Who's this guy?" Lucius asked looking over at Slade in his Skeleton Jack gear.

"Nobody you want to know..." Slade responded. 

[sub]"What are you doing?"[/sub] Rose whispered?

"I'll talk with you later Lucius. I've got to figure out what to do with the boys..." Batman said as Alfred showed Mr. Fox out of the cave.

Batman looked at Deathstroke, still in his Skeleton Jack attire and holding his daughter's hand. 

"You're about as good at being Slade as the creep at the gym was at being Bane. Your fighting style wasn't as polished, you're under armed to be Slade Wilson, but I can't peg you. Unless..." Batman said getting wide eyed. Batwoman had no idea what was going on, she just had Batman's back. 

"My name's Jericho. I'm Slade's son. I have the ability to jump into people's bodies through eye contact." Slade explained, "I jumped into my dad after my body was destroyed in an explosion caused by one of the rival mercenaries who hated him. I was living with him at the time and made it out alive in the body of a cat before finally bumping into him days later... if you can help us Batman... I can help you. I'm no mystic, but I can keep one of the Robins alive until their injuries heal. Healing is another power I've been developing. The cat got ran over like three times..."

Batman looked at Batwoman and then back at Jericho.

"What do you need from me?" Batman asked. 

[b][u]Hours later, 
Coast City California...[/u][/b] 

Slade was back in his Deathstroke gear and didn't remember anything past the point where he saw that ugly brown cat. He was half intoxicated, had blood on his boots and sword, and was near the body of some guy he killed on a rooftop in Coast City on the other end of the United States. 

"What the **** just happened? Where am I?" he asked himself out loud. 

[u][b]Back at the Cave...[/b][/u]

"You sure this is the one you wanted?" asked a young man from behind some shadows.

"Yes. Now while you're in his body you're going to have to use another ID. Dye his hair, do whatever...." Batman instructed with his mask off now.

"Since I can't 'really' be Nightwing, can I keep being Skeleton Jack? It's gonna be nice having two eyes again!" asked Jericho stepping out in some street clothes in the body of Richard Grayson holding another type of Skeleton Jack mask.

[h3]To be continued in....

Gotham Knights: City on Fire[/h3]

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