Gotham's darkest before dawn (Bane/Talia)

[Batman]

Bruce was covering the docks, as much as he could manage all at once, the Batmobile tearing through the streets, sending one or two of the less desirable residents of Gotham scurrying into dark alleyways which Bruce knew all too well. Alfred had filled him in on Damian's last location and mission and after a tip-off, Bruce knew something was wrong. His son was always difficult to locate but this was different, tracking him was difficult; Bruce detested electronic traces because they could so easily be picked up by someone else, yet there was always a way when someone had so much as a radio... and his technology was slightly more advanced than good old shortwave. Despite that tracing him was more difficult than usual, ignoring Damian's desire to prove himself on his own, his growing independence and the complex methods of accessing the technology the signal was erratic, damaged equipment possibly, perhaps just a bad location, regardless, it had left Bruce having to narrow down his son's position manually.

Bruce put the brakes on the Batmobile, halting the car at Damian's last known position, also where the signal seemed to be coming from, it wasn't a distress signal but Bruce could only hope for the best. Leaping out of the vehicle he began to run towards the semi-exposed area; shipping containers were stacked liberally but it would be all too easy to simply lure someone in with the thought of safety among the crates... Bruce, despite his urgency grappled to the top of the building and waited, scanning the area. He wasn't sure exactly what to be looking for but Gotham had been quiet, not regular quiet though, things had been moving and Batman had noticed, small things, enough to grab his attention but yet nothing he could prove. He always suspected there to be something happening in Gotham but this seemed like somebody was planning something big, he just didn't know what yet.

Bruce took a few minutes, not long but long enough to scan the docks for any dangers that might be around. Spreading the cape he leapt from the edge of the building, gliding silently down to the ground before running again, heading through the huge containers, searching for Damian, his son. Scanning the area, his heart beating hard in his chest, he needed to find Damian before anything happened... before things got worse at least.

Bruce didn't have to look hard before he found Damian, he was out in the open, exposed, near an alleyway, lying in a pool of his own blood. Bruce couldn't help the look of horror which momentarily crossed his face, Damian might not be the easiest to get along with but he was still his son, lying on his back, clearly very, very, badly hurt. The Dark Knight ran as fast as he could to Damian, his grim mask sliding back over his face... he couldn't even tell if he was breathing.

Kneeling next to his son he quickly felt for a pulse at the boy's neck and checked his breathing, he had a pulse, too low but stable at least, he could be glad for that, his breathing was more worrying, it was ragged and laboured. Bruce quickly started examining the boy, the culprit of the worst of his wounds was obvious, Damian had been shot in the chest but Bruce kept looking the boy over, he needed to know everything before he tried anything, at the same time raising a hand to his ear-piece. "Alfred, this Batman... I've found Robin." He said, still masking his emotions behind his usual business-like tone. "I need to get him back to the Batcave, immediately." He said to his butler.

He didn't have to wait long before he got a response, it told him everything he needed to know. "Understood sir." Bruce grimaced, trying to conceal his concern, his fear. Alfred was more than just Bruce's butler, he was his closest and oldest friend... the closest thing he truly had to a father. If there was a man on the planet who knew him, it was Alfred... and he knew exactly how Bruce was feeling. He knew how much Damian, indeed any of the Robins meant to him, how much any member of his family meant to him, even if he didn't always show it. He also knew what losing one of them was like.

[Talia al Ghul]

It was just another long day that turned into a long night for Talia al Ghul. That was just the part of the life when you where an al Ghul, and when you where not only trying to prove yourself to your father but to the world as well. It was the age old problem that Talia fought with, how to prove herself to others and to herself and one that most likely would never fade with time. Currently her father was enchanted by Bane, thinking he was to be his next hire instead of Talia herself or her son. To make matters more interesting her father wished for her to marry the childish brute Bane. Truth was she had no feelings for Bane, except contempt, but what her father ordered had to be followed; unless his mind could be changed. That was what Talia was out to do now, to change Ra's mind and make him see that Bane wasn't the right hire to the al Ghul empire.

The other reason Talia had decided to spend some time in Gotham was the fact her only child, her son with Bruce, was here under his father's watchful care. The problem now was, that she didn't know where Damian was now. He had yet to return her calls and she had lost track of him just a few days ago. At first this didn't worry her, for he was every much her child at batman, and that made him more prone to disappear and reappear later. This time was different however; it would appear that her son had somehow fallen off the grid.

If it hadn't been for the little intrusion from Scandal earlier tonight, Talia would have already been on the road looking for Damian. As she rode her motorcycle threw the streets of the city, the conversation with Scandal ran threw her head. The young woman had come to confront Talia about Bane, and what role Talia played in Bane's life; romantically. Even know Talia wanted to laugh as she thought about it, for she had about as much romantic feelings for Bane as she did a rock; the only trouble was a rock wasn't the current favorite of her father.

Talia motorcycle screamed as she rode at neck breaking speeds threw the Gotham streets. She was looking for any sign, and soon she found something that caught her eye. Off in the distance she saw Batman's car parked and left behind, clearly he wasn't there. She wasn't into looking in on her beloved and keeping track of him, but something told her that this would be one stop that she would need to take. so deciding to drive a little ways up Talia came around to the other side of where Batman had parked, and before she even got off the bike she could see him kneeling over someone else.

The person on the ground was small, not small enough to be a young child, but someone that hadn't fully grown into an adult but wasn't a child. With a screeching halt, Talia's heart lurched to her throat as something told her it was Damian on the ground. Talia ripped the helmet off her head and jumped of the bike, hitting the ground she took off running toward her son.

[Bane]

Some gauze and the work of some former medical professionals went a long way to where he used to be. Granted, a bullet in the shoulder that went through and through did it's damage. Luckily it didn't hit anything important however, he wouldn't be using his left arm for a couple of weeks. He was patched up but not surgically repaired, that would be done later. Right now, he had a little game to play as he looked at the corpse before him. The sniper he anonymously hired to deal a contract on both Bane and Robin. He specifically stated where and how to shoot the targets intentionally and stated to burn the evidence of the letter he sent. He made sure not to hand write it either. An elaborate removal of a trail that would EVENTUALLY lead to a coincidental trail to Bane. The hired gun laid before him, dead. Not physically killed however, not Bane's normal method. He made specifically sure to shoot him with his own rifle. It was all apart of the ruse. And now, he was preparing.

"Sir, if I must say, you should get into our surgery room as soon-"

"It can wait. I need this wound to appear only dressed for now. The fresher it looks the less it looks staged my friend. I will return within a few hours."

And as such, the former licensed surgeons simply left as Bane a motion to the corpse. He'd need something mild to cover it up. And he'd need to be incognito as he did once before. Sometimes the best way to be incognito was to not dress at all. The mask he was known for was left in a small cart in the janitorial area of Gotham General. Inside it was the corpse as well. He made sure that he also had the current janitors were on the other floors of the hospital. He would simply wait now, wait for the inevitable arrival as the blood spattered gauze under his shirt for his janitorial wears were somewhat visible. Granted, his injury would be clearly read by those that, like him, could read body language. The game was about to start.

(Tag: Bats)