Bane had never been particularly warm, but after the men who once stood beside him died one by one, silence became his armor.
Since Bane wouldn't speak, Lex Williams did.
"Bane," Lex said casually, leaning back against the damp concrete wall, "are you planning to live like this forever?"
Bane didn't answer. His brow tightened slightly beneath the harsh sewer light.
Lex continued anyway.
"You've spent most of your life behind bars. Now you're hiding underground like a rat. Is that really the grand destiny you fought for?"
Still no response.
So Lex shifted tactics.
"Have you ever seriously thought about what your life actually means?"
That finally drew something out of him.
"My purpose," Bane said slowly, his voice low and heavy, "is to kill Batman."
Lex stared at him.
Then he laughed.
"Kill Batman? That's it?"
Bane's eyes hardened. "You find that amusing?"
"I find it tragic," Lex replied, still smiling. "You're telling me your entire existence revolves around one man?"
Bane's jaw flexed.
"What happens," Lex went on, "if Batman dies?"
Silence.
"What happens after you kill him?" Lex pressed. "You throw a parade? Retire? Start a book club?"
Bane frowned deeper.
"I… haven't considered it."
"That's the problem."
Lex stepped closer, tone sharpening.
"No one is meant to live for someone else. Not as an enemy. Not as an obsession. Unless—" He paused dramatically. "—you're in love with him."
Bane recoiled. "Love?"
"Yes. Because that's what this sounds like. Emotional fixation."
"I hate him," Bane growled. "I want him dead."
"Fine. Let's assume you succeed," Lex said. "After that, what's your life?"
Bane had no answer.
Lex studied him for a long moment before asking quietly, "Do you like the dark?"
Bane's response was immediate. "No."
"How could you?" Lex said softly. "You survived half your life in a black cell. Endless isolation. No sunlight."
Bane's breathing shifted.
"Then why," Lex asked, "do you still choose to live in darkness?"
The question lingered heavier than any insult.
Bane hated the dark.
Yet here he remained—buried beneath the city.
Contradiction.
Lex suddenly smashed the empty bottle against the wall. The crack echoed through the tunnel.
"Life is short," he said firmly. "Too short to rot inside things you despise."
Bane watched him carefully.
"If you want to change," Lex continued, "leave Gotham with me."
Bane's gaze sharpened.
"I won't promise glory. I won't promise redemption. But I can promise you this—"
Lex met his eyes.
"You won't live in darkness anymore."
"Light…" Bane muttered.
Memories flickered across his scarred face. The prison pit. The suffocating blackness. The thin beam of sunlight he once clawed toward.
"Can you really give me that?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," Lex answered without hesitation. "You can stand in the sun."
Bane's expression turned guarded again.
"There's something else you should know," Lex added. "You can't beat Batman."
Bane stiffened.
"He carries something inside him now. A regenerative catalyst. Even if you kill him, he'll come back."
The sewer fell silent.
Lex stepped back.
"That's all I'll say. Think about it."
He turned to leave.
"If you want to waste your life chasing one man, stay here. If you want something more—come find me at Wayne Manor."
After a few steps, he paused.
"Oh. And don't take too long. I might leave Gotham soon."
"Leave…" Bane murmured as Lex disappeared into the tunnel.
"Light…"
For the first time in years, longing flickered in his eyes.
—
After leaving the sewer, Lex tested the aerosolized antitoxin in an abandoned warehouse.
Three infected subjects.
One dispersal.
All neutralized within seconds.
The compound worked.
Back at Wayne Manor, he ran into Commissioner Gordon.
"Lex," Gordon said, gripping his hand, "John told me what you did for Barbara. I can't thank you enough."
"How is she?" Lex asked.
"In solitary confinement," Gordon said firmly. "She needs to reflect."
Lex blinked.
"You really think locking up a rebellious teenager fixes anything?"
Gordon hesitated.
"I'm new to this fatherhood thing," he admitted. "Advice?"
Lex nodded.
"She doesn't need a prison cell. She needs a mentor. Someone to guide her before she makes irreversible mistakes."
Gordon's eyes lit up instantly.
"You'll take her as your apprentice?"
Lex slapped his own forehead.
"No. Absolutely not. I am not mentor material."
"Then who?"
Lex pointed subtly downward—to the cave beneath their feet.
Gordon froze. Then realization hit.
"You're right," he breathed. "No one is more qualified."
"I'll help you talk to him," Lex offered.
—
Bruce Wayne listened in silence as Gordon made the request.
"You want me to train Barbara?" Bruce asked evenly.
"Yes," Gordon replied, forcing composure. "Not because she's my daughter. Because she has potential."
Bruce considered.
The outbreak had changed everything. He himself had died once already.
Succession was no longer theoretical.
"If I agree," Bruce said carefully, "it must be voluntary. And she must pass my evaluation."
Gordon nodded eagerly. "I won't interfere."
Bruce's gaze shifted to Lex.
"You met with Bane."
"We had a productive conversation."
"And?"
"Eighty percent chance he leaves Gotham with me," Lex replied calmly. "Worst case, I improvise."
Bruce frowned slightly.
"And the Joker?"
"I'd like to take him too."
Bruce stared.
First Bane.
Now the Joker.
It felt strangely personal.
Gordon cleared his throat. "It may be the most practical solution. We can't keep locking them up forever."
Bruce exhaled slowly.
"As long as they go willingly—or you have the ability to remove them—I won't stop you."
"I'll persuade them," Lex said confidently.
"And if persuasion fails?" Bruce asked.
Lex smiled faintly.
"There are other methods."
Bruce narrowed his eyes.
"What do you need them for?"
"If I said I needed someone to carry my luggage, would you believe me?"
"No."
"They're blades," Lex replied. "Dangerous, yes. But in the right hands, even a blade can create something beautiful."
Bruce said nothing.
"Let me try," Gordon added. "If Lex succeeds, it benefits everyone."
Bruce finally nodded.
"I'll speak with Barbara first."
As Gordon left, practically glowing with relief, Bruce glanced at Lex.
For just a second, something unreadable flickered in his eyes.
If Gotham ever needed a successor, Lex would surpass him.
But Gotham was too small for someone like Lex Williams.
And perhaps that was inevitable.
....
Want to read ahead by more than 60 chapters. Then join my pa*treon now.
Link: pa*treon.com/Amelie796 (Remove the *)
Also you can read till chapter 17 chapters for free.