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I was visited by a friend tonight and after he left and I saw him out, I looked up at the sky and saw a glow among the clouds. Very surprise I went onto Stellarium to confirm that it is indeed the moon.
I then ventured out and took out my refractor(lens) telescope and tried my luck at the moon.
This is a composite shot of two exposures. One was shot at 1/10th of a second to get the earthshine and some surrounding cloud cover.
The second was shot at 1/160th of a second exposure to grab the details of the crescent moon.
Nikon D800, WO GT102 @ 702mm, f/6.9.
“Every man carries with him through life a mirror, as unique and impossible to get rid of as his shadow.”
― W.H. Auden, The Dyer's Hand
Photography by Cajsa Lilliehook
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An old man named Takahama lived in a little house behind the cemetery of the temple of Sozanji. He was very friendly and generally liked by his neighbors, though most of them considered him to be a little strange. This was because he had never married, or showed any interest in intimate companionship with women.
One summer day he became very ill, so ill, in fact, that he sent for his sister-in-law and her son. They both came and did all they could to bring comfort during his last hours.
While they watched, Takahama fell asleep. But as soon as he did a large white butterfly flew into the room and rested on the old man's pillow. The young man tried to drive it away with a fan, but it came back three times, as if it didn't want to leave the old man.
At last Takahama's nephew chased the butterfly out into the garden, through the gate, and into the cemetery beyond. It lingered over a woman's tomb, and then mysteriously disappeared. The boy looked closely at the tomb and saw the name "Akiko" written upon it.
The tomb had a description of how Akiko had died when she was eighteen. Though the tomb was covered with moss and must have been fifty years old, the boy saw that it was surrounded with flowers, and that the little water tank had been recently filled.
When the young man returned to the house he found that Takahama had passed away. He told his mother what he had seen in the cemetery.
His mother's eyes grew wide. "Akiko? When your uncle was young he was engaged to Akiko. She died of consumption shortly before her wedding day. When Akiko left this world your uncle resolved never to marry, and to live forever near her grave."
For all these years he remained faithful to his vow, and kept in his heart all the sweet memories of his one and only love. Every day Takahama went to the cemetery, whether the air was fragrant with summer breeze or thick with falling snow. Every day he went to her grave and prayed for Her happiness, swept the tomb and set flowers there.
When Takahama was dying, and he could no longer perform his loving task, Akiko came for him. That white butterfly was her sweet and loving soul.
Sam got a few shots for me today up at the cabin he works at off and on. I was interested in him getting some shots of the Larch trees....there weren't as many up this way, as in other directions, but they're so gorgeous wherever they are!!! :) I don't think that is smoke out there....think it's low, thin cloudage.
Cat in the wilderness😸🌿
Today I visites Utrecht, one of the my favorite cities in The Netherlands.
While I mostly took street photos, I did get the chance to photograph this cutie😻
Sadly this is the only good photo I could take of him.
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The reason I couldn't photograph him more was basically because of a family. First the youngest child chased the cats. Then an old lady (their grandma) pushed me a little, so her granddaughter could take photos (Is it that hard to ask I if I could step away for a few second/minutes)? And after that a woman had to close the garden were the two cats (him and a black cat were) But I could understand that😸 People these days😅
They always told him to photograph what he knew . . .
In the watersheds of the rivers that drain the southwesternmost corner of Washington, logging was the principal economic activity from the late 19th century into the 1970s. Sadly, logging took most of the forests that had been growing there for centuries. At least the loggers and their families recognized that the giant logs were worthy of being captured for posterity.
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20th Finnish-American Festival, Naselle, Washington.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord.
Revelation, 1. 7
12-16-23
"I hɑve ɑ cɾush on γouɾ mind. I fell foɾ γouɾ peɾsonɑlitγ. Youɾ looks ɑɾe just ɑ bonus."
—The Notebook
This is my official return from a long, long Hiatus.
Aeon is also the beginning of my rebooted universe, so his backstory will be the beginning of the story!
I hope you guys like him.
Name: Aeon
Species: Unknown, rumored to be a Great Being
Occupation: Founder of Aeos – Magna, Creator of all living things
Titles: The Creator, The Aeon
Alignment: Unknown
Personality: Unknown
Element: Unknown
Side Powers: Omniscience, No known weakness, All powerful
Kanohi: Unknown
Weapons: Unknown
Backstory:
Among the Great Beings who created the Matoran Race, there was one simply known as Aeon. Aeon witnessed the creation of the Matoran race and appreciated every aspect of its work. Though, he found that the Great Beings were too greedy, too arrogant of their power. He grew increasingly warry of their actions as leaders and found that he did not want to be a part of their creation process, not like this. After the Beings created the Mata – Nui robot, he soon took flight into space. Little did the other Great Beings know, Aeon snuck aboard Mata – Nui’s body, seeking a life outside of their influence. Mata – Nui landed upon a distant plant of an unknown origin. It was barren and seemed to be filled only with dust and ash, so Mata – Nui quickly left. Two beings jumped from his body before he could flee. Aeon was one of these beings, but the other was unknown. Aeon held promise about this new world, a world he could make in his image. He surveyed the land for months, looking for the perfect way to create this world. Suddenly, he fell into a deep, hidden cavern within the crust of the earth. He fell for what seemed like ever, until he suddenly found himself in a daze, grasping for life. He looked forward to find a mysterious, giant ball of energy. The energy gave off all sorts of colorful flares, brighter than any star. He approached it, and soon found himself feeling the energy. The energy suddenly burst straight into Aeon, like he was absorbing it somehow. Seconds went by, and the energy seemed to dwindle until it was a small ball of energy held in Aeon’s hand. Aeon was filled with godly power, he grew in height, strength, and power. Suddenly, he could control the elements, but not just one, but all. He had the ability to control all things with a single thought. He knew this was the chance he needed to fulfill his status as a Great Being. He flourished the land we jungles, ice plains, oceans, volcanic rock, sandy deserts, and continents galore. He credited the Matoran like he had imagined. He called this world, Aeos – Magna. He locked up the cavern in which he found his power and nicknamed it The Vault of Aeon’s which is now a rumor in time. All seemed to be going his way, until he found something he didn’t expect in his midst, he found an evil in his world. A Makuta had lurked into his world through Mata – Nui, as the other being he saw swiftly that fateful day. That Makuta was Tyranox. Little did Aeon know, The Great Cataclysm had occurred and the Makuta agenda was beginning. He saw that Tyranox was corrupting his Matoran, experimenting on them and destroying them to fuel his armies. Aeon created his first Toa team as a result of this, The Toa Aeon. These Toa managed to fight back Tyranox, but not forever. Aeon felt utterly disturbed, he couldn’t create a world as perfect as he wanted, it was ravaged by war and destruction. Aeon could do the only thing he knew, with his godly power, he decided to cut off this world from the rest of the Matoran universe, he would let it flourish on its own. He could no longer mettle in the affairs of the Matoran, no matter the cost. He decided to make the Toa Aeon into Elemental Lords to protect his people in his absence. He made these Lords swear they would not speak of Aeon’s presence, as he did not want to be known from here on out. He would have to let his creations flourish without his help, and he would watch only as an observer of what he had created. Despite these wars, he was proud of what he could accomplish, he was faithful in his creations to fight off the evil influence of Makuta and continue the righteous path. He still watches over his works, waiting for the time when he can reveal himself again.
Penn Station, Philadelphia
This is my brother, Bob.
Bob has a heart of gold. He could not hurt a fly. He was a great tour guide when we visited him in Philadelphia. He took us to see a surround sound movie of Alaska years ago- it was wonderful - I still have the brochure somewhere. He knew all the bus routes incredibly well. He relayed his many adventures and kind hearted deeds throughout the years. He said yesterday he'd taken an 8-yr old girl to a Philles ball game as her dream was to see the Philly Phanatic. She got her wish!
Today (April 25, 2024) is his birthday. He will be 74 today. I just spoke with him and he sounds happy. His voice mail is not set up and I'm unsure whether he would be able to access it anyway. That is a frequent issue for so many people.
Bob is currently living in the York House Apartments in Philadelphia. He does have TBI and has previously had a brain aneurysm. As of this date (june 18, 2021) we are hoping he is still alive as he is no longer returning calls. He has recently switched healthcare providers which has now dis-enrolled him from a program he enlisted in to get help. He may not have been aware of the ramifications of doing so. He has a wonderful lady named Leah D'Agostino from Allegheny who was helping him with this and she was associated with his previous healthcare provider. She was trying to get him a hospital bed once his building manager, Laura Reed, gave the ok. This building has 12 floors total, I am told. Leah had enlisted a wonderful man named Norman (with a difficult to spell last name) who was helping Bob and he is in touch with Leah. Leah has not heard from Bob either so she is going over to see if he is still alive. He lives on the 4th floor of this hi-rise building. He has had much trouble getting help for his basic needs as he is no longer able to articulate those needs coherently.as many trained professionals have looked away.. We hope Leah can turn that around. In speaking with Laura Reed just now she indicated she has seen him and of course for privacy reasons, cannot say anything more than that because the protection of their seniors living there is their concern. Laws are, after all, made to protect residents and their best interests. We have spaces on forms for ONE or TWO contacts, at most, and being a contact can sometimes be confusing.
Reminder to self: Cousin Harold is trying to get in touch with brother Bob however now we have lost contact with Cousin Harold who is somewhere in the Northwest.
Update: July 25 ,2021 - Bob returned a call today. He now has a hospital bed which Leah was able to secure for him. This weekend while this hospital bed was at it's highest position, the cord for the bed fell from the outlet. Bob has been unable to attach it - he says his nurse's aid has not returned in months and most of his clothing has been removed by this aide to launder and has not been returned. He sounds quite distraught. He has also lost his bank card. I do not know how or if he is able to take his medication. Please pray for Brother Bob. If anyone reading this lives near or is able to travel to 5325 Old York Road, Apt. 402, Phila., PA 19141 - please tell my Brother to stay strong - there is a higher power out there - I do not know where but there is one. Bob is in hospice care.
Update: Received a phone call from Mr. Gregory Benjamin from adult protective services inquiring about Bob. Mr. Benjamin said there was an ongoing investigation regarding Bob and asked me if I saw any "red flags" when speaking with Bob last. I have not felt any more red flags than usual other than Bob has now said he is in acute amount of pain and he is now totally confined to a wheelchair. When I had asked Bob how he was he said, "terrible", as opposed to his usual "I'll make it". So yes, there is some concern.
Today, Dec. 3. 2022, I received a phone call from Bob - it was a short call.
Update: April 25, 2023 - Bob is missing again. I've been told he is in a hospital although I am unable to locate him. His son, who is out west, says he has not heard from him but wants to be kept updated which I will. Unless I hear otherwise soon I will file a missing person's report. His current phone is being answered by someone else.
Update: May 16, 2023 - Spoke with a rep from the York House Senior Living Apts - the lady said she has seen him but that is all she can tell me. Don't know if it was in a vision, in the streets, in a hospital, a viewing or at home. HIPPA laws suck.
Update: April 23 2024 - Spoke w Brother Bob today - he sounds great. He said he has an appt. at Temple University Hospital to get his hearing aid checked again. He did receive his birthday cards I sent him 5 days apart, on time, as his birthday is April 25th.. They were sent from different mail boxes. Said he took an 8 year old girl to the Phillies game as she wanted to see the Philly Phanatic. All's well.
****Critical Update!!!!
Yesterday, July 24, 2024 at 3:16PM Brother Bob's heart gave out after repeatedly coding on and off and finally coding for 15 minutes in the ER and ICU.
The initial call from Dr. Eman Hamad came in at 12:47PM yesterday afternoon. She is indeed a wise, compassionate, prestigious brilliant Doctor. I cannot thank Dr. Hamad and all of the other people at Temple University Hospital for giving Bob the best care in the world. www.templehealth.org/doctors/eman-hamad
Brother Bob had never relayed to any of his family or to me that he was battling Stage 4 Lung Cancer. It's been a long road home for him in Philadelphia. He was happy there. I do not know the date when he was given this diagnosis.
As of right now we are waiting to hear from the morgue, where his body was taken to, as well as his general practitioner. As always - on standby.
Update: We did finally find his body. He was cremated and his ashes transported to his family. RIP Brother Bob. We will never forget you.
Fishe:
There's a part of LA called Burbank its LA county but its a small little suburb with their own police force. Its like a little bit of the Mid-West in LA, its very conservative, republican, slow paced, old school town. There were a couple of freeway spots out there. One night they were doing construction on the freeway walls out there. They put up all these boards on top of the concrete dividers. I was like we gotta do it. My hommie DRY has always lived in or around Burbank told me "Nah fool we can't get them. Its hot." I convinced him though. It reluctantly agreed. It was me ARPY and DRY. ARPY was bout it. He was like "That's the shit. We gotta paint it." He was from South LA he didn't really know about that part of town. We park and we had to walk on this main street for half a second and in that half a second we must have gotten spotted. It was like two in the morning. We must have looked conspicuous rolling over there with back packs. Homie started following us walking his dog. We get to the spot and homie pulls out a bullhorn and is like "Motherfuckers freeze! This is the citizen's arrest!." We split the other way and within two minutes there were five squad cars in this neighborhood. We're like fuck we're in a pickle. I'm trying to tell my friends "Hey we haven't painted." They were like "Its Burbank and we're Brown fool, it doesn't matter we're going to jail." We split off towards these fences I run up this hill and climb over this fence and land in this big pile of bushes. Not a minute later all these cops on foot start walking around me lighting flashlights. One stepped right up to wear I was. I was wearing camo covered in these bushes. I heard him on his walkee Talkie "I think I see somebody. There's not a hole in the fence. I'm not hopping the fence." He split away on foot. For the next two hours or so there was a helicopter overhead flying exactly where I am. I could see the light beaming on me through the bushes. I figured they had infrared and they were going to tell them where I was at. Thirty minutes later another cop comes and sits in front of me. I hear them saying you're right on top of him. The cop was like "I don't see him, I don't see him." The cop took off. They came back AGAIN and couldn't find me. After they left I pulled out my cell phone and called ARPY. I asked him where he was at. He told me he was ten feet away from where we all ran for the fence. We ended up not walking back to the car. We walked like six or seven miles down the highway to my girlfriends house. We sneak into her house and I grabbed her car keys. I took her car to look for DRY because he didn't have a cell phone. He had run across the highway into the LA river. He slid down this bridge with all these spider webs were. We got back to my house I get this call from my girl like "Somebody stole my car!" I told her what was up in real short burst. DRY see all the spider webs all over himself and freaks out like "I've been in spiders for an hour!" DRY looks up at me and tell me "I saw a ghost." I start laughing at him. When we were driving around looking for this fool we rolled by this big cemetery called Forest Lawn. It is pitch motherfuckin black. All the sudden this lady dressed in all white robes with all white hair with pale white skin comes out of the bushes out of nowhere "Help me Help me!" I pull over the car. She tells me "Please help me." I ask her what do you need how can I help you? She was like can you please shine your lights over here. I got my shopping cart and I need something. I start shining up the lady's shopping cart with my lights. The paramedic show up and are like "What the fuck are you doing?" I told them that the lady needed help and got out of there. So DRY tells me he saw this ghost and he's wondering why I am laughing at him. I had seen his so called ghost. He had to walk like 2 miles past that cemetery in the dark and I can imagine this lady dressed in white jumps out. He said he saw her and ended up running all the way back to my house.
November 21st, 2042
A couple of hours after getting taken away by the Court of Owls, Batman awakens in a cell at an unknown location. Before he’s able to recover from the effects of the sedatives he got hit with and regain his strength two people dressed in black clothes, wielding sharp and gold-colored weapons, enter his cell and order him to follow them. As he struggles to stand up he notices that the exoskeleton from his suit has powered down, making it much more difficult to move around at all and leaving him in no shape to stand up against them. He complies and follows the one figure as the other one takes position behind him. After walking for a short while they end up in a long hallway, with a red carpet on the floor, expensive furniture on either side of the hall and large paintings hanging from the walls. Batman takes a look at the wall decorations and notices that every single painting features a person holding a strange owl-shaped mask in front of their face. There’s a door at the end of the hallway, guarded by two people wearing the same outfit as the ones escorting him. They open the door for them, giving way to a spacious and empty courtroom. Behind the judge’s desk stands a giant wooden statue of an owl, decorated with gold accents and lit with candles around it. On the sides of the room are several giant windows, all covered with dark red curtains which prevents any natural light from entering the place. Only Helena is sitting in the room, tied to a chair at the defendant’s table.
Batman gets escorted into the room and forced to sit on the chair next to Helena as he gets restrained as well. Before he can ask his daughter if she’s okay, the gates of the courtroom swing open as a group of masked individuals march into the room. They all silently take a seat on the public benches behind the two right as the jury enters the room as well, conveniently all wearing the same owl-shaped mask too. As they all sit down at the exact same time Helena begins nervously looking around her, intimidated by the situation she is now in. A door inside the giant owl statue opens, out of which a judge appears. Batman notices the judge seems to be the same person who appeared in the Wayne Tower and ordered them to come to the Court in the first place. He takes a seat, breaks the silence by slamming his hammer on the table and demands order in the courtroom, starting their trial against Batman and Robin.
The judge starts by telling about the Court of Owls, explaining how they have been around since Gotham was established decades ago. For years they managed to rule the city from the shadows, killing anyone who found out about their existence or opposed them using a group of specifically trained assassins called the Talons. When a certain masked vigilante began running around Gotham they didn’t see him as a threat at first. Finding that having him assassinated by the Talons would be a bit excessive they instead opted to orchestrate a series of events which would lead to a deranged serial killer by the name of Zsaz escaping from Arkham. Knowing that the Batman would take it upon himself to go after him, they hoped that he wouldn’t stand a chance against the killer and get killed while fighting him. However, they found themselves astonished as Batman managed to defeat Zsaz with ease, something they had not taken into consideration. Realizing the danger of him running around Gotham they considered ordering the Talons to murder him, but changed their mind after he coincidentally started targeting several of their opponents. The Court then decided to willingly let Batman fight the criminal world of Gotham without interfering, only stepping in if he accidentally stumbled upon them or started targeting them. All the while, the Court continued to influence the city from the shadows.
Roughly 5 years later, a long series of unfortunate events led to the Dark Knight retiring. With the Batman no longer being a possible threat to the Court, they decided to start spreading out their influence more while making certain their existence was kept a secret. Over the decades, dozens of wannabe vigilantes hoping to step into the footsteps of the Dark Knight started to make their way onto the streets. As rumors of a secret underground society who are secretly controlling Gotham started leaking, many of them started to seek them out and found their way right on the doorstep of the Court. In order to preserve their secret they were forced to murder everyone who stood in their way, having to cover up the assassinations to not arouse any suspicions. After decades of doing this the Court of Owls decided they could not continue covering up the disappearances of teen vigilantes, deciding to take action by making a statement by taking down the Dark Knight. Upon discovering his identity and tracking him down using the help of a deranged Edward Nigma and a frail Hugo Strange, they began orchestrating a long plot in order to get him to put on the suit again. One of the Talons assassinated Selina and left behind evidence to make him suspect the Joker, knowing this would motivate him to return to Gotham to investigate. By using a tiny improvised explosive device hidden within the playing card they hoped to detonate it while he was holding it within Arkham. However, they did not account for Batman giving the card to Joker himself, which allowed him to survive the blast and only killed the Clown Prince of Crime along with the other Arkman inmates. After so many years, they decided enough was enough; it was time to put him on trial in front of the Court of Owls for standing in their way too much.
Batman barely has any time to process what he just heard as the crowd and jury start shouting how they think they are guilty. There’s no way they would win a case against a kangaroo court like this; their decision was already made way before the trial started. The judge slams his hammer down again, silencing the chaos as he prepares to read his verdict. Due to being found guilty of interfering with the plans of the Court of Owls, Batman and Robin get sentenced to death at the hands of the Talons right now. The judge asks if he has anything to say about his verdict, but cuts him off right as he is about to speak up. The spectators and jury start cheering and clapping as two of the Talons walk into the courtroom, each entering on opposite sides of the room. They take their positions in front and behind the two, unsheathing their golden weapons to prepare for battle. One member of the Court gets ordered to untie the Dynamic Duo in order to make the odds more fair as the rest of the crowd prepares to watch as the Batman finally gets taken down by the Court of Owls after so many years.
The Talon behind Batman strikes first and stabs him in the back, but his armor prevents the blade from piercing through his skin. He manages to reactivate his exosuit and turns around, ready to fight again as he pulls out a Batarang from his belt. His enemy strikes again, aiming for the exposed skin around his mouth instead, but Batman manages to deflect it with his own weapon. He uses the opportunity to slice the Talon in the arm, although this doesn’t phase him. Batman holds his hand in front of his face and casts a glance at the spectators, seeing they are all silently toasting for their demise with expensive drinks in their hands. His short distraction gives the Talon an opportunity to successfully hit him, but Helena deflects the attack at the last moment with her own weapon stick. He compliments her for being able to stand her ground against their opponents before continuing the battle. The Talon starts attacking more and more fiercely, slowly managing to weaken Batman’s defenses while coming closer to getting a successful strike on him. He tries his best to keep up with him, but Batman slowly starts to become weaker and weaker with every attack. Right as he is about to slash the Dark Knight in the face, the leader of the Court suddenly commands the assassins to stop attacking. Unsure of what to do, the Talons lay down their weapons for a moment as they watch what their leader’s intentions are right now. He mutters something about hearing a weird noise outside as he walks towards the window and lifts up the curtains. Batman tries to get a glimpse of the outside world to locate their hideout if they manage to get out, but he soon picks up the sound outside too; he hears the loud revving of an engine in the distance slowly coming towards them, accompanied by the sound of a car horn. The crowd gathers around the window to see what the commotion is about, but quickly runs away in terror as the Batmobile crashes through the wall at full speed.
Pieces of debris rain down everywhere as the vehicle comes to a screeching halt right in front of Batman and Robin. Chaos ensues in the room as each member of the Court desperately tries to make their escape, terrified of the imposing black vehicle which just crashed through the wall of their hideout. The door opens as the person driving the Batmobile beeps the horn, prompting them to jump inside. Batman kicks the Talon in front of him to the ground and hits the other one in the chest with several batarangs to give them a window to escape. He and Helena jump inside the Batmobile as he takes control of the steering wheel, closing the door right before the Talons can make their way inside. He puts his boot on the gas pedal and activates the rocket booster in order to make their escape from the Court. As they are driving through the streets of Gotham early in the morning, Barbara appears on one of the screens of the console, asking if they are alright. She explains that she left the Wayne Enterprises building for a short moment to check up on her case at the GCPD, but when she returned she saw the camera footage of them getting abducted. Although it was impossible for her to track them down at first since the Court of Owls covered up almost all of their tracks, Batman reactivating his high-tech suit set off a GPS signal which allowed her to pinpoint their location. With the help of a new modification to the Batmobile she was able to remotely control the armored vehicle for a while to reach the place and to help them escape.
Helena sighs of relief, tired of the confrontation they just went through when she says that they must’ve escaped the Court by now. However, right after she says this the two feel something landing on the roof of the Batmobile. Before they can react, one of the Talon’s golden weapons cuts through the armored material like butter, making an opening for himself to enter the vehicle. Batman stands up from his seat and orders Helena to drive despite her not having any driving experience yet as he deals with the Talon standing in the cramped open space in the back of the Batmobile. He makes his way towards him, feeling the cold morning air cut through his skin while he begins punching his enemy. After hitting him a couple of times the Talon catches his fist inside his hand, landing a couple of strikes on his face and damaging his cowl before Batman kicks him right in the stomach. The impact of the kick makes him land hard on the cold floor of the Batmobile, but before he can recover Batman leaps on top of him and starts pounding him in the head. He stops for a short moment to charge up his exosuit for a bigger punch, but the vehicle suddenly making a sharp turn to get outside of Gotham, makes him miss the Talon and denting the floor instead. While he recovers and tries to get another punch in, the other Talon lands on the front of the car and begins damaging the engine. Helena makes a couple more sharp turns in an effort to get him off the car but all it does is make Batman lose his balance, giving him a disadvantage in the fight. As smoke begins coming from the engine Helena loses control of the vehicle, prompting Batman to abandon the fight to prevent them from going off the road. However, he is too late; before he can do anything, the Batmobile crashes through the guardrail on the ride of the road, sending them all tumbling down a hill.
When Helena regains consciousness, she feels herself getting dragged out of the wreckage which was once the Batmobile. Pieces of wreckage are scattered everywhere as the smell of smoke fills her nose. Once she is at a safe distance away from the wreck, she is able to properly see the damage; the Batmobile is laying upside down with a fire having erupted in the engine as several important components of the car have been damaged or broken off. Suddenly, she notices one of the Talons crawling away from the wreck. His outfit has been torn and burned, with him being unable to walk because of the crash. Batman sees him too, and begins slowly walking towards him. The Talon notices this and for the first time he hears one of them speak as he begins pleading for him to put him out of his misery. Batman stays silent for a while before telling him to go back to the Court. He wants him to relay a message to them, warning that it will take much more than this to take down Batman. They tried their best to get rid of him, and they failed. If they try this again, he won't be taken by surprise like this time and warns that he will do whatever it takes to take down the entire Court by himself. The Talon begins crying out that the Court of Owls will just murder him for this fiasco, but Batman ignores him and turns around leaving him on his own. He calls Barbara to pick them up as he puts an arm around Helena, complimenting her for what she did today as the Batmobile continues to burn down behind them.
Roughly a week has passed since the incident with the Court. Despite Bruce and Barbara’s best efforts, they haven't managed to track down the Court again; upon returning to the place where he was taken to to be put on trial, he only found an empty and abandoned building with all of the furniture and decorations taken away. Barbara has taken the wreckage of the Batmobile back to the Wayne Enterprises building, developing plans to rework the vehicle into something else instead of simply rebuilding it.
During a boring evening at the Wayne Building, the regularly scheduled tv programme gets interrupted by a newsflash; A terrorist going by the name of Bane, suspected to be the person responsible for getting a majority of Gotham addicted to Venom, has attacked the Gotham Stock Exchang. In a publicly broadcasted video he revealed to have gotten his hands on a decaying neutron bomb which is set to detonate this Christmas Eve. In his video he directly challenged the Dark Knight, saying that he is only willing to stop the bomb from exploding if he manages to defeat him. Confident that he can save Gotham once more, Bruce suits up and sets out to bring down Bane. Helena offers to join to help take him down, but Batman declines as he fears not going to him alone could have severe consequences. Without being able to use the Batmobile to get around for the time being, he climbs to the top of the building and decides to make use out of his new experimental cape glider. He leaps off the structure as he spreads out his cape, which folds out in the shape of the wings of a bat allowing him to glide to the financial district.
After gliding for a while, Batman lands on top of the glass roof of the Stock Exchange building giving him a good look at the situation. Right below him he can make out the figure of Bane, surrounded by several of his goons, all guarding the neutron bomb. He uses a Batarang to cut a hole into the glass to grant him access into the building. After jumping down the hole he lands right in front of Bane, quickly alerting him of his presence. This is the first time he has gotten a good look at the terrorist; before him stands a very big and muscular man, wearing a black luchador-esque mask which conceals his face. Batman catches a glimpse of a big tank filled with Venom on his back with tubes attached to it, all injected straight into his skin and mask. His goons, all having taken some of the strength-enhancing drugs as well, point their guns at the Dark Knight but Bane tells them to lower their weapons. After telling them to step back he stretches out his arms, challenging the Dark Knight to a one-on-one fight. Batman agrees, taking off his utility belt and preparing for the fight. He laughs, his voice muffled by the mask, asking himself if he will be a match to him or if he will go down as easily as his other opponents as Batman charges towards him.
Batman strikes first, getting in several powerful blows, but it doesn’t even seem to phase his opponent. He pauses for a short moment and tries to continue the fight, but Bane catches his hand before it can hit him. Batman hears something crack when he clenches his fist, feeling that his glove has been damaged. Before he can recover, Bane grabs him with both arms and headbutts him with a lot of force. The blow almost makes him lose his balance, but his opponent grabs him by the throat before he falls to the ground and punches him right in the face several times. Batman starts to taste blood in his mouth but is unwilling to give up so easily. He releases himself from Bane’s grip and tackles him to the ground, using all his strength to kick him in the face several times. Again, his opponent is unperturbed by his attempts to fight back, simply taking the blows without flinching. As Bane doesn't fight back Batman becomes overconfident for a moment, not noticing as his arm reaches out for his leg. He grabs a hold of it and janks it towards him, making him fall to the ground again.
‘’You know, I used to admire you. Hearing all about your heroics back when I was growing up motivated me to be better than I already was. But now that I am not a bright-eyed and naive child anymore, I’m finally able to see you for what you really are; A pathetic elderly man, having to rely on some high-tech suit to even attempt to compete with me!’’
Bane raises his fists in the air, bringing them down with full force on the chest of the Dark Knight. Although his suit absorbs most of the strike to prevent his ribs from breaking upon impact, Batman still feels the pain from his attack and notices the armor on his chest having shattered.
‘’Over the years, I've dreamt of being the one who would kill the legendary Batman. However, I have recently come to the conclusion that killing you would only end your agony and silence your shame.’’
He attempts to fight back again and gathers his strength to reply to his opponent’s comments, but Bane silences him with a nasty kick in the gut before he can do so.
‘’I don't think you quite know who I am. I’m not some scarecrow or a riddler. I’m not a jester or a clown! I’m not a flightless bird nor a cryogenic scientist! And most importantly, i am not some rich guy playing dress-up!’’
Bane begins continuously stomping Batman in the face, slowly cracking open his mask more and more with each kick. By the time his cowl has been completely destroyed Batman has been knocked unconscious, having collapsed after all of the attacks.
‘’ I AM BANE! AND I WILL BREAK YOU!’’
As his goons cheer him on, Bane picks up the defeated body of the Dark Knight and raises it over his head. He slowly spins around like he’s showing a trophy to his friends, reveling as the realization that he has become the one to truly break the Bat begins to set in. Batman regains consciousness, but only just in time to feel himself getting driven down towards the ground as he collides with Bane’s knee.
With one nasty snap, he quickly finds his body in anguish as his spine has completely shattered. Bane drops him to the ground and commands his henchmen to take the bombs and go away, taking the broken mask of the Dark Knight with him as a trophy before leaving himself as well. Batman tries to move, but becomes terrified when he notices that he is unable to even move. With this one attack, Bane has paralyzed the Bat.
Quite some time passes before someone arrives to pick up the wounded Bruce. He gets taken to the Wayne Building instead of a hospital in order to preserve his secret identity, where he gets hooked up to some medical equipment to keep him alive. As the days pass by, Gotham begins to decay more and more into chaos as the threat of a neutron bomb decimating the city gets closer. Each attempt made by the police force to disarm the explosive has led to nothing, leading to many of the city’s residents deciding to get out while they still can. Despite Bruce being in no state at all to fight back against Bane, he stubbornly refuses to leave the city as he believes his back will he recovered enough before the bomb is set to go off. Along with this he also feels personally responsible for letting this happen and does not want Gotham to fall under his watch.
Less than a week is now left before the bomb is set to go off. Bane had taken his bomb to the city centre, where his henchmen are guarding him all day to prevent anyone from interfering with his plan. With no sign of his spine recovering in the slightest, Helena and Barbara are urging Bruce to leave the city with them, as they know nobody else is left to stop him. Barbara is close to converting the damaged Batmobile to an airborne vehicle and tells him it could be fit to get them out of there. However, he does not want to hear any of it and keeps insisting that he can find a solution. In an old scientific report about the Venom drug he read some time ago, he noticed it stating that taking the drug can completely heal severe wounds within moments. With his mind set on this new opportunity to save Gotham he asks Barbara to get him a sample of the substance, hoping this will put him in a position to fight back again. Despite her hesitation she agrees to do so, although she warns him that this is only a short-term solution for a permanent problem for him.
When she returns, Bruce has removed the armor from his arms and prepared a new suit to help him control himself while under the effects of the drug. Barbara reluctantly hands him a syringe filled with Venom, but before she does so she tells him that the scientific reports he read left out some important details. It's true that taking Venom can heal severe and permanent injuries in a matter of moments, but the catch is that once the drug’s effects have worn off the injuries will just return, sometimes getting even worse as a result. Bruce tells her he is more than willing to sacrifice himself if it means that he is gonna be able to save Gotham once more as he grabs the syringe out of her hand. Before any of them can react, he slams the needle into his skin and presses the plunger down allowing the substance to enter into his bloodstream. Bruce feels the effects hitting him almost instantly, and before he knows it he finds himself able to stand on his own again. While he struggles to keep himself from succumbing to the drug’s effects he puts on a new suit; an outfit plated with a gold-colored metal and with a reinforced cowl and cape. Ready for battle, he makes his way to the newly designed Batwing to take himself to the city center to face off against Bane.
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