Bane turned his attention to Tony. Enraged at the attack, he stumbled to his feet and lumbered to the NCIS agent. Tony fumbled the spare clip for his backup pistol out of his shoulder harness and drove it home just as Bane wrapped his massive hands around his neck. He quickly felt the blood and air pressure restricted in his neck and dark spots started clouding his vision.

"You should know by now," he could barely hear the beast say. "If you're going to shoot your enemy, shoot to kill!"

As consciousness began to escape him, Tony suddenly felt the pressure on his neck lessen. Falling to the ground, he began coughing and gasping for breath. Damn, he thought. Iputtenbulletsinhimandit'sbarelyslowedhimdown. Once he caught his breath, he looked to find Batman mounted on Bane's back. Batman had a sleeper hold firmly cinched around the big man's neck and his knees ramming into the giant's bloody back. Tony picked up his pistol and pointed it at the struggling pair.

Gordon's phone rang as the convoy of police cars sped through the main entrance to Gotham Harbor.

"Gordon," he answered. "Yeah, he's fine. I have him right here. Yeah hold on." Gordon handed his phone over the back of the seat, tapping Gibbs's shoulder.

"Yeah, Tony," Gibbs said bringing the phone to his ear.

"No, Boss, it's McGee," Tim's voice came from the other end. "Ziva and I are a few minutes out of town. Are you alright?"

"What are you doing back here McGee?"

"Tony called and said you'd been taken," McGee answered.

"I'm fine," Gibbs said. "We're on our way to meet up with Tony at the harbor docks. Go ahead and meet us there."

"Uh, Boss, I called Gordon because Tony's not answering his phone."

"What?"

"I was calling to get an update and let him know that we were close, and it's going straight to voicemail."

"Damn it," Gibbs said, shutting Gordon's phone and tossing it back to him. "Move this damned car!" he shouted to Murphy.

Tony couldn't get a clear shot of Bane's head without risking Batman too. Things weren't looking too good for Batman anyway. Bane had managed to get a firm footing and was about to start backpedaling into the wall of the warehouse Tony himself was just recently hanging from. If Batman lost his grip on the brute, the tide of the fight would turn. Tony decided quickly to prevent that and lowered his pistol. He fired two quick shots, each hitting their marks. Bane howled again as his kneecaps exploded with blood and bone flying. He quickly lost his balance and fell to the ground on his ruined knees. The jarring of the fall caused Batman to lose his grip and slide off. Tony fired three more rounds center mass into the mammoth chest and Bane fell, face first to the ground.

Batman slowly got to his knees and crawled to his opponent. After placing a couple of fingers at the big man's neck, he looked back up to Tony. He shook his head and struggled to his feet. Tony dropped his arm as he too rose to a standing position. Batman took a couple of steps before collapsing once again to the ground.

"Bruce!" Tony called rushing to the crumpled form.

"Get me out of sight," Batman whispered before losing consciousness.

Gibbs jumped out of the police car just as it ground to a halt in front of one of the warehouses. He began running to the dock area calling out Tony's name. Gordon followed Gibbs while shouting for his men to spread out and search the area. Gibbs and Gordon rounded the corner to find Tony leaned up on the trunk of his car. Gibbs rushed over to his man and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Tony," he said nearly out of breath. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Boss," Tony answered looking his Boss in the eyes. His own eyes bulged as he saw the rope burns around his boss's neck. "My God, what did he do to you?"

"Nothing compared to what he did to you," Gibbs answered looking at the bruises on his friend's face.

"Grrrrr!" All three men heard the roar of man as he began to rise to his feet. Tony barely got to see Bane climbing to one knee before his gun was in this hand. Three pistols fired at once, each depleting their clips into the giant's chest. The impacts of the bullets forced Bane to fall backwards as he collapsed once more a bloodied mess.

Gibbs went over to make sure the man was down for good this time, as Gordon came over to Tony's side.

"He left already?"

"Yeah," Tony said, placing a steadying hand on the trunk and not looking at Gordon.

"How bad was he hurt?"

"You know Batman," Tony said with a shrug.

As Gibbs rejoined them, Gordon's Cops descended on the scene with McGee and Ziva picking their way through the crowd. As the team reunited and concern for Tony and Gibbs flowed from the late arriving members, Gordon set about instructing his men to secure the scene.

"Are you sure they actually went to Police Headquarters Boss?" Tony asked as he passed through the gates of Wayne Manor.

"Yes DiNozzo," Gibbs sighed. "McGee just called to tell me that the body had made it to the morgue."

"Good."

As Tony came to a stop in front of the doors to the mansion, a white-haired man exited and came down the steps to meet them.

"Special agents Gibbs and DiNozzo, I presume," the man said with a British accent.

"You must be Alfred," Gibbs said.

"Indeed," Alfred replied looking into the car. "And where is-"

"Right here," Tony interrupted, opening the trunk of the rental car.

"Good Lord, you can't be serious," Alfred said, hurrying to the back of the car.

"I'm glad you were there Tony," Bruce said from his bed. Tony, Gibbs, and Alfred had managed to get the injured crusader into the house and begin the medical treatments that he could have easily and more expertly received at a hospital, were it not for the questions that would arise. An hour later Gotham's guardian was conscious and able to say a proper goodbye to his new comrades in arms.

"It's a shame he had to be killed," Bruce said. "I try to avoid that at all costs."

"Welcome to the real world Bruce," Gibbs said. "Sometimes, the only way to stop a bad guy is to stop them for good."

Bruce looked to Alfred, who closed his eyes and gave a barely perceptible shake of his head.

"Listen," Tony said. "You might not agree with us, but seriously. You've had the guy arrested how many times and he still comes after you? Geez, I hope all of your enemies aren't this driven."

"Yeah, well," Bruce said as he lay back. "At least I wasn't hurt too badly this time." Once again, Alfred closed his eyes and shook his head, accompanying the act with a sigh. Tony and Gibbs took this as their cue to exit and wished Bruce a fast recovery before leaving.

The man opened the bay doors and step up to the back of the van. Looking around, he quickly opened the back of the van and stepped back into the building. Moments later, he emerged once again pushing the Gurney. After a brief struggle, he had the body securely inside the van. He pushed the gurney back inside the building and closed the van doors before climbing into the driver's seat. An hour later, he had brought the body into the room that would be its home for the foreseeable future. He lowered the sheet to expose the face of his "patient."

"Soon," he said. "You will be well, and we'll hit the Bat where it hurts most." His patient's eyes opened and focused on him. "And then my son, we will destroy those who did this to you."

Bane closed his eyes once more and drifted into unconsciousness to the sound of his father's maniacal laughter. Just before clear thought escaped him, he considered his father's plans. They would do. And then he would take care of the King Snake as well.