The Azrael Saga, Part 2: Vengeance of Bane

In my previous post, I challenged myself to write a decent Azrael story, something DC Comics has failed to do for about 25 years--if not longer.  Part 1 has college student Jean-Paul Valley finding his father was an enforcer called Azrael for the Order of St. Dumas.  Jean-Paul takes up the mantle to find his father's killer, Carlton LeHah.  After LeHah dies, Jean-Paul returns to Gotham (or wherever) to resume his life and fight crime in the guise of Azrael.  Meanwhile, Bane and his henchmen Bird and Trogg have escaped from prison in Santa Prisca (somewhere in Central America) and are headed to Gotham.

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So we begin with the docks of Gotham (or wherever) with Bird or Trogg talking with a drug dealer.  Basically, Bane needs someone with the equipment so he can make his Venom and also wants a piece of the action in Gotham--or wherever.  While Bird or Trogg negotiates, Bane and the other henchman are hidden somewhere dark to watch and wait.

Suddenly, Azrael shows up, flaming sword blazing.  Jean-Paul beats up the criminals, but he keeps having flashes of memories to his training in Switzerland.  He nearly kills a couple of guys but barely holds himself back from doing so.  Bird or Trogg is nearly killed while Bane just watches; when the other guy pleads with him to intervene, Bane refuses, saying he needs to study this new variable.

Jean-Paul goes back to his dorm and stashes his armor.  Then he sits there kinda freaked out about it.  He decides not to put the armor back on until he gets a better handle on things.

Meanwhile, Bane and his henchmen return to their lair only for someone to be waiting for them.  Before Bane can kill the person, they hold up a very large gun.  And then explain that they can give Bane the equipment he needs--if he helps them by taking down Azrael.  Since Bane was already going to do that, he agrees.

The next day, Jean-Paul inadvertently (or advertently) stumbles into a support group led by a woman named Becky--after the Scarlet Knight's best friend.  The support group is for people who have been in mind-controlling groups and Jean-Paul eventually admits that he basically grew up in a cult and is struggling to overcome their mind control.  After the session, Becky offers to help as best she can, so they agree to meet up later.  (This is something missing from the comics--a love interest!)

Meanwhile, Bane's henchman has gathered a bunch of lowlife criminals.  Bane appears and directs the lowlifes to create as much havoc and chaos that night as they can to stretch the police--and Azrael--thin.  Those who agree will get a place in Bane's new order and those who don't will get their asses kicked.  After one tries to pull a gun and gets his ass kicked, the others agree.

That night, Becky meets with Jean-Paul for dinner and they talk.  She was in kind of a Scientology-type situation and struggled to break that programming, which led her to becoming interested in psychology.  They discuss strategies and such and Jean-Paul has never been so at ease with a woman in his life.

And of course that's when Bane's minions launch attacks all over the city.  Though he doesn't want to, Jean-Paul leaves Becky to suit up and take on Bane's minions.  He battles a few criminals while trying not to give in to "the System" or the Order of St. Dumas programming.

Near the end of the night, he's going to stop some crime when Bane appears.  Things do not go well.  While Jean-Paul is not "broken" like Batman, he's basically beaten within an inch of his life and barely manages to escape.  Becky finds him, removes what's left of the armor, and takes him to a clinic to have his wounds treated.

A victorious Bane and some henchmen go to a warehouse to get the promised stuff to begin making Venom.  But instead there's an Order of St. Dumas assassin.  Bane takes out the assassin and declares that the city is his now.

A few days later, Jean-Paul is a little better off, but obviously not fully healed.  Bane's henchmen have continued their rampage with police stretched too thin to completely stop them.  He wants to get back out there, but the armor is fucked and he laments there's no way he could beat Bane without giving himself over to "the System," and then he would be lost.  Becky helps him to access his memories of "the System" without letting it override his personality.  And then Jean-Paul knows what needs done.

He goes to an Order safehouse, where he finds Sister Lilha.  She confesses she tried to get Bane to kill him, but now they can't stop him.  Jean-Paul says he has a plan, but he needs some stuff from the Order.  Nomoz is also there and helps Jean-Paul build a cool tactical battle suit sort of like this one from the comics, but without the Bat symbol:

Later, Jean-Paul goes to see Becky and say goodbye.  He thanks her for everything she's done and they kiss.  Then he goes to find some of Bane's henchmen so he can find the man himself.

They finally meet in some big plaza or something.  Bane is charged up on Venom while Jean-Paul has his armor with dart launchers and flamethrowers.  There's a big epic battle and Bane is winning until Jean-Paul manages to break the Venom lines feeding to Bane's body.  It doesn't kill him or cause him to shrink or anything, but it's enough of a shock that it gives Jean-Paul an opening that he's able to take advantage of.  He pummels Bane, but holds back from killing him.  Instead, he lets the cops take Bane away.

Later, Sister Lilha thanks him for cleaning up their mess and asks if he'll come back to the Order, but he refuses.  Then he goes to see Becky and thanks her again for all her help.  They kiss and then he goes out to fight some crime because a lot of Bane's henchmen are still out there.

In the cookie scene, a black police officer is at the hospital as his wife dies from injuries sustained in one of the attacks.  Later, he's confronted by Sister Lilha, who asks if he wants revenge for his wife on the man responsible:  Azrael.  The man says yes.