Sympathy
She presses her hands against the rough skin across the jaw line of Bane's ruined face. A pair of serious dark brown eyes softens as they look into her eyes. It feels strange being so close and not feel afraid. Over the scaled skin of his mouth, her fingers trail. The skin infected badly so much that the skin is a deep purple almost black hue. The tip of Bane's nose is almost as dark but, the infection was not as severe. He winces as she touches him shutting both eyes for a moment. One lone tear slides down his cheek. The pain is more than he could bear.
She removes her hands from his face only to get the mask that rests on the floor. This is the first time that Bane allowed anyone to see him without his mask. Not even his men are privy to the sight. It is the only way that Lily would agree to stay underground. Trust is the one thing that he could not force. No matter how hard he tries her fear seems to grow. It infuriates him more than anything. The thought of snapping her neck crossed his mind for a moment but, he ignored it. Another dead body discovered in Gotham will bring more trouble than he needs now. As it was ten bodies lie in the morgue with broken necks.
Bane opens his eyes as even more tears slip down his cheeks. He clenches his teeth together as the sound of his breathing grows more labored. Lily lifts up the mask and places it over his head. The idea of helping her secure it in place crosses his mind but, the pain grows even more intense. Once the mask is in place the pain disappears as the Venom invades his system. She sits in silence as the veil is once again lowered. All emotion drains from his face.
It is not something that Lily can comprehend . Somewhere within him that vulnerability still exists. Those old deep emotions are forever present and not something that a person can just lock away. But, then there is nothing about Bane that she understands. They stare at one another for a moment before either one speaks. She wonders what he is thinking about. From all that has taken place in this underground lair, there is nothing that he is not capable of. The wheels with in his head turn in haste . All that it seems to take is one wrong word or one false move. Life does not mean much to him and that is what makes Lily's heart race.
"You are safe," he says to her, "if I wanted you dead, I would have done so." His words sound so empty that they mean nothing to her. Bane stands up walks away from the bed carefully. He picks up his clothing off the floor and begins to dress himself. Every inch of his body is pure muscle. Lily does not stare long enough to glimpse his nudity. She fears that it will unearth something dark from within him. The first time that he looked into her eyes it was there but, he tucked it away. That did not mean that the feeling outright disappeared.
Chapter 1
Lily Moss did not come to him willingly. It is one of those wrong places at the wrong time situations. She steps foot into the hallway walking fast. The hallway lit up by bright white florescent lights was empty. Carpeting underfoot smelled of cleaning solvents. A delivery of office supplies would be arriving right now. She imagines a stack of boxes with white paper, black pens and printer ink piled almost to the ceiling. Deliveries happened more times than that she could count. At any given day a man would be walking the halls decked out in a uniform of some sort. He would either be pushing or pulling a cart full of boxes from a supply company whose name was unknown to her.
She heads up the hallway expecting to see piles of boxes sitting by the elevators but, this time that is not the case. A dozen armed men gather around one lone person who towers above them all. On his face, he wears sort of facial mask strapped over his face. It resembles a helmet that obscures his face . All that she sees are portions of the man's tan bald head. Lily caught the tail end of a conversation about taking over the building. Each floor completely guarded. This particular floor is the only one that has yet surveyed.
The masked man speaks not only laying out his plan but, making the hairs on Lily's neck stand up. His voice does not sound real. There is a voice box in the mask that alters Bane's voice so much so that it does not sound real. But, the way that he assembles each word and phrase is remarkable. His diction is perfect almost to a T. There is eloquence to the way that everything that he says. Either way, something about him is not right.
These men are not paying any attention to her at all. She could be invisible and none would be the wiser. Lily decides to flee in the direction that she came from. This is not the smartest plan but, then again it is the best one at the moment. She can make it back up the hall if she would just not draw attention to herself. Lily walks backward with one foot behind the other. The masked man is pointing to one man who is in front of him gesturing about something. Just a few more steps until Lily will be home free. She pivots around a little too soon colliding into a man who was a mere four inches taller. The impact throws her off-balance. All that it takes is a push which sends her falling backwards. It feels like everything happens in slow motion. Before, she stop herself, her behind hits linoleum floor hard.
The man who stands before her has a smirk upon his hard tan face. It makes him look a lot younger than he is. Slight pain gathers at the small of her back. It makes a few tears fall on her cheeks. She wipes them away with the back of her hand cautiously attempting to stand. Once Lily is back on her feet, she brushes the dirt off her black dress. It is the one that she just purchased for work the day before. She cuts her eye at the smirking man. His facial expression deepens as he turns his gaze towards the collective of men.
Lily wonders what is so funny directing her attention to what is behind her. She notices that all eyes are on her now particularly the masked man. Two men step out of his way as he emerges from the crowd. He walks over taking long graceful strides. The sounds of his boots against the floor are like rocks falling down from a mountain. His eyes turn to slits staring straight at her. Lily stands with both feet apart holding up both fists. She does not divert her eyes one inch. What little courage that she possesses is present at the moment. She swallows pulling up both fists toward her chest.
He approaches with no intention of stopping. The closer he comes, the more that Lily realizes she is not the target. The pounding of her beating hear fills her ears with sound almost deafening her. She slides to the right out-of-the-way leaning with her back against a nearby wall. This space nestled between a stainless steel water fountain and a janitor's closet door. Both of her hands press against the wall. Lily's eyes are wide as everything plays out in front of her.
The smirking man's smile disappears as the masked man stops in front of him. All the color drains from his face. Before, he can plead his case a hand takes hold of his thin neck. It begins to squeeze causing the man to gag. Lily shuts her eyes and turns away. She does not want to see what is about to happen. A loud crunching sound like sitting on a bag of potato chips. A loud thump follows. He is dead.
A slight hissing sound draws her attention forward. The masked man stands facing her.
He holds the straps of the vest with both hands of his armor-plated vest hidden under a heavy beige coat. Lily looks beyond him to see two men walk towards the dead body on the floor. Together, they crouch down and pick up the body. Then in silence these men continue walking up the hallway. She hears their heavy foot steps moving up the hallway in the same direction that Lily came from.
"Where were you going in such a hurry," he asks her. The sound of his voice startles her. It does not seem real to have a cacophony of voices in the place of one. "I-I am on my way to the fourth floor," she replies looking up at him, "I have to pick up some papers for my boss." He cocks his head to the side. Her answer amuses him in some way because his eyes crinkle at the corners as though the man is smiling. There is no way of telling due to the mask over his face. It makes him look scary like something out of a science fiction movie.
Lily assumes that this tube helps the man breathe by the sound of his heavy hissing breaths. The mask appears as if someone in a lab took their time to create something that would fit this monster. One lone strap connects from the base of his skill over the top of his head. It hides his nose coming to rest on top of an octagon shaped voice box of some sort. It conceals the man's mouth which under something that looks like a speaker. There are eight tubes which include four at the top and bottom. A chin strap that is stretches from the box cover his ears, jaw and most of his cheek. The straps connect into the base of the man's skull along with a couple of tubes.
"What is your name?" The sound of his voice was calm.
"My name is Lillian. Lilian Moss."
He repeats her name several times before settling on Lily. The way that he pronounced Lily made her feel delicate like porcelain. She is a flower that this man could crush with one single blow.
One man comes running through the small gathering straight towards him. "Bane," the man replied stopping , "we have to vacate the building. The lookout says that there are police cars approaching fast." He did not answer him at first. Lily assumed that he was thinking. The man does not attempt to repeat himself. She assumes that he must know better. Bane turns to the crowd that was awaiting his signal and told them to move out. Most of the men disperse in opposite directions. Only three remain to await further instructions. One of which includes the man who someone calls Mika.
There is no way that he is going to leave her as a witness. His eyes fixated upon hers as a look of pity washes over him. Lily is not the least convinced but, she does not make it known. "Is everything in place, Noah," Bane asks. "Yes sir," replies a young African-American man with skin the color of mahogany. Noah wears a blue scarf around his neck. "I made sure that the crew disconnected everything before we gathered up here."
"Lily," he replies, "you are going to come with me now." Bane takes a step backwards as she lifts herself off the wall. All guns point at her as she approaches him. If there was a chance to run, Lily missed it again. Once she stands at his side, he grabs hold of hand into his gripping it tight. Without another word, the five of them start to walk up the hall. Why is the building so silent? There was either a silent evacuation or word spread for the employees to stay inside of their offices. Someone definitely forgot to send that memo to her office.
They reach an emergency door at the end of the hall. The third man whose hair is as dark as Lily's walks up to open the door and hold it. Maybe the alarm would go off and she would be able to escape. She realizes when the door opens that man wasn't kidding. They disconnected everything. The patient man enters the stairwell first descending the stairs. Bane pulled Lily through the door and down the steps behind him. His pace is faster than her own. There was no point in fall down the steps so she stared down at her feet.
The heavy foot steps behind her belong to Noah, man in the blue scarf who covers them from behind. She is down another flight before the door shuts and the sound of rapid foot steps are approaching. Lily says a silent prayer to herself for strength. She has no clue where exactly Bane is taking her. The idea is not to let the kidnappers take you to the second place. Yet, no one prepared her for someone whose temper is far more volatile than anyone she has ever met. Not to mention that it seems like it does not take much to piss him off.
There is a rumor circulating about kids turning up dead outside of the sewer system. She wondered what happened to them. The media had no explanation nor did the police. More importantly, all the kids had their necks broken. She wonders if Bane had anything to do with that. Those kids were boys who disappeared after the system could not find a place for them to live. The age of expulsion in Gotham's Department of Children and Family Services was 17. The group homes overcrowded with children. When a child reaches that age the only alternative is to go underground .
Bruce Wayne was the only person in the city that could help out but, he had become a recluse. Seven years have passed since the last time he walked in public. Not even Batman was around anymore. Some say that he murdered Harvey Dent in a fit of jealousy. Even Commissioner Gordon vouched for the story. Lily did not believe that one bit regardless of what the media said. The joker was the mad man not Batman. He set those fires to prove a point. It was a shame that a woman named Rachel died that night as well.
Everything happens so fast after they reach the last stair case. They run into an open van. Lily sits in the front with Bane and the driver. Once everyone is inside and all doors shut the long journey begins. She sits on Bane's lap sideways with her back to the passenger side window. All that she is able to do is stare out the windshield as the van races out of the parking garage. She does not move as the van turns around every bend. He has his arms secured around her to keep her still.
She is not wearing a coat so the cold air is ripping through her cotton dress and stockings. Her stuff is back at the building including her purse and cell phone. They are rushing to take her somewhere downtown. Lily does not even think to ask. where. The driver reduces his speed as they meet the traffic. People are on the streets walking up and down. No one pays attention to the cars as they gab on cellular phones which look plastered to their faces. A thin woman carries a large black leather bag on her shoulder teetering on high heels.
Lily feels a hand ran up her forearm only to stop at rest rubbing the fabric absently with his thumb. At some point, they will be alone. The muscles in her stomach clench at the thought. Somewhere, her mother Amanda sits in the kitchen awaiting her arrival. Dinner is cooking on the stove. It is Lily's favorite meatloaf. Little does Amanda know that tonight will be the first night that she eats at the kitchen table alone? The police are climbing the front steps to give her the news. Her only child is gone and not one witness knows where the assailant took her. Every camera in the building malfunctioned. Some one will say that it was some type of computer glitch overpowered the system. Every computer in the building is completely fried.
Amanda Moss stares in silence as the police men speak. Suddenly, the ground rises up to meet her face.
Out of the darkness, Lily emerges surrounded by Bane and his men. She walks forward across the floor right on a platform. Loud sounds drew her attention up. There are four level leading up to a high ceiling. In the distance, a waterfall flows down into a pit of rushing water. Bane leads Lily up a flight of steps across one platform where some men are sitting around in the darkness. They wait for orders. They stand up in place their eyes following him.
Men are hard at work above jack hammering on the second platform. They are attempting to break through metal pillars and sawing through various items. Some glance her way for a second before they resume their work. Women are not allowed in this place. She shudders at the thought of being the only woman underground with these men. Many have not seen the light of day in months let alone a member of the fairer sex.
They continue walking until out of the blue, he stops. Four men are standing around talking about something .Lily does not recognize the words. They speak fast in a language that sounds like an older dialect. She thinks that it could be eastern European of some sort. "What is the status," Bane replies without a hitch breaking the conversation.
"There is more work to do," a man with large eyes replies. He eyes Lily with a suspicious look. She is not paying him any attention. Many men stand around watching in silence.
Bane stares at the man until he has his attention. "What is taking so long," he without haste asks him. A tiny twinge of impatience is present in his tone as well. The large eyed man replies, "It is impossible." A small pin could drop and the sound of its impact would echo everywhere. All eyes are upon him and his feeble attempt at an explanation.
Bane let go of Lily's hand ushering her to some degree to the side. Noah grasps her arm guiding her away from him. In fact, most of the men have taken a step back far enough to give him space. "My directions were clear," he replied shrugging out of his coat. It drops down upon the floor. A boy about fifteen years old emerges and picks it up. The kid disappears into the shadows. "Why is it not done," he replied cracking his knuckles. It was a lot more painful to hear than to do. Lily did not look away.
"Like the saying goes," he replied, "if you want something done…." Lily has his attention for a moment. There was something dark present within his eyes. She bites her bottom lip fearful that this man will die in front of her as well. "You have to do it yourself," he continued, "Lily." This was a signal of something but, Lily could not figure out what. Bane laughs only to face the man again. He walks forward with the most erect posture that she has ever seen. There was no way that this guy's eyes could grow any wider but, they did.
Bane lifted up his hands and placed them on both sides of the guy's face. He turns the man's head to an awkward angle and his neck snaps. The body slams against the floor like a rag doll. Two of the men rushed forward to pull away the body. Lily stared at the floor in disbelief. The crowd disappears without a word leaving the four men who emerged from the van with Bane and Lily. She could feel the muscles in her stomach clenching.
"Barsad," Bane calls out. A man with brown hair and dark tanned skin steps forward on his left side. Lily recognizes him as the driver of the van. He did not say anything during the entire ride. Nor did he even look her way. "Make sure that," he replies, "the men finish their work soon." The tone of his voice is direct. Whatever it is that they are working on is important. So much so that it cost a man his life. "I will," Barsad replies. He glances over towards Lily a second time with a slight smirk on his face.
There is something that Lily is unaware of. As Barsad walks away, something in the air changes . It feels as though everything around her has stopped. She looks around and does not see a window in sight. There is no clock or anything to tell her what time it is. With everything that has happened, she never thought about time. It has become far more important than anything else.
Lily is awake sitting in the corner of a room. She sees that its filled with furniture, books and various articles of clothing. Not one spec of dirt or dust is on the floor. One lone light bulb in the center of the ceiling fills the room with artificial light. On her left ,there is a full-sized bed set up in an adjacent corner. It's covered by a dark grey comforter which is pulled up over black sheets. The bed's head-board stands about five feet high and made of mahogany. Long black drapes hang down to the floor over a window which is above the foot of the bed. What little light shining outside seen through a slight an outline. There is a desk with a pile of books upon it. Lily's unable to see the titles because of the leather chair that blocks her sight.
Two book cases that skim the ceiling resemble something out of an IKEA catalogue. They were set up next to the desks. Each book-case held five shelves and hundreds of hard cover books. A few of the Title included Huckleberry Finn, Moby Dick, Uncle Tom's Cabin and The Hunger Games. Somewhere within those rows of books exists at least one Twilight Saga Book. Lily made it her mission to look for it at some point. The idea of Bane sitting in the desk chair reading New Moon wiping tears from his dark eyes makes her laugh.
There are three worn out army green bags lay on the floor in front of the bookcases next to a wall. One of the bags which stand up tall leans with the draw string opened. A couple of black shirts folded resting on top of this bag. One pair of sandy brown boots is on the floor next to it. Lily's eyes wander around looking at each wall. Not one picture frame or even a painting hangs upon them. There are no posters of any kind either.
A man named Gael sits by the door staring at Lily with a furrow in his thick brows. He has a deep tan and dark blond hair and holds on to a handgun with the safety on. Every moment that she makes observed in silence. At first, the man's attention does not bother her. After a while she becomes uncomfortable. Lily shuts her brown eyes for a moment trying to imagine that she is anywhere else. Cool air blows from the vent above her head fill up the room slowly. The sound relaxes her for the moment like the wind blowing on a spring day.
The man at the door offered her food but, she refused. There was no telling what would be in it. Every so often the door would open and a different man would walk in. They would whisper to one another looking right at Lily. She stares right back at them unafraid. A few hours earlier, he had his men take her to his bedroom. This occurs without a word or a once of hesitation.
Lily stretches out her legs staring at a scuff mark on the right toe. Her boots were brand spanking new. Great.
The door knob turns drawing her attention to the door. It swings open slamming against the wall outside in the hallway. Assuming it is yet another visitor for the guy at the door, Lily continues staring at the scuff mark. A set of heavy foot steps enter the room crossing it. She glances up to see Bane walking over to the desk and setting something metal down on it. He turns his head to the right. "Leave." His tone is sharp and caustic. The man gets up and leaves. The door shuts with a soft creak and a click of a lock.
A subtle hissing sound draws Lily's vision back over towards Bane who is now facing her. He stands with his feet apart and both arms crossed over his chest. "My men tell me that you have refused many offers of food. Why?"
"I am not hungry," Lily replies bending both needs.
"Four hours sitting in this room and you are not hungry," Bane replies slightly raising his brows. She swears under that mask there is a smile on his face.
"No."
"And you have chosen to sit on the floor and not on the bed or in a chair," he says with a slight laugh shaking his head.
Lily does not say a word. Choosing words is a lot harder than she thought it would be.
"You are brave."
He turns to make his way over to the door to turn the lock. "In fact Lily, you are many things. You are 27 , college educated and the youngest daughter of Gotham's most prominent lawyers." Somewhere down in this lair a man sat down researching every facet of her life. Deep within her stomach there is a slight clinch. Her father is out-of-town now but, where he is that does not change the fact he is in danger. The image of Bane's men closing in on her father's hotel room makes Lily hug her knees tighter. More than likely, there is some one work in his firm on the inside already.
Your father led the charge convicting Gotham's most vile criminals. He did this via The Dent Act. Bane leans back against the door. She swallowed and broke eye contact with him to stare down at the fabric of her black dress. She remembered seeing her father's face on cover after cover. Her family had an interview with one of Gotham's top News channels GNN (Gotham News Network). A female reporter who was almost ten years older than Lily showed up at their home. She asked so many questions that they made her head spin. Everyone in the family answered each question.
Her older sister Jackie Kincaid is pregnant with a baby boy on the way. She is the wife of a stockbroker and a socialite. She also volunteers down at the local soup kitchens and food pantries. Lily's brother Andrew Moss is serving his second tour overseas as a Sergeant in the Marine Corps. Even her mother Amanda is a chair person on Gotham's board of education. The only person in the family whose life was not that glamorous was Lily's. She did not speak until the reporter asked her about life as the youngest daughter of Jordan Moss. Lily tailored her answer to sound as perfect as possible.
"Things happen for a reason, Lily. You of all people should know this fact. Why else would you apply at the one company whose boss is not intelligent enough to put two and two together?" It was her own choice not to allow her family name to open doors for her. She wanted to do it all for she no matter how hard it was to do so. True, her boss is not the brightest bulb in the house but, he treated her well. Some of her coworkers would whisper about the Moss family and she would chime in from time to time. Not one person put two and two together. She figured it was due to her appearance and laid back attitude.
"What do you want from me," she asked him. The question gave Bane pause. One memory of a brunette with innocent deep dark brown eyes ripples through his sub conscious. The woman is young with a sweet smile and an infectious laugh. Her chestnut-brown hair lifted off the shoulders as the wind blew past her. Smooth skin just a shade or two darker from a tan that she had acquired through years of living under the desert sun. She called out his name with her arms wide open. He wants to run over and pick her up. But, then the woman turns away walking in an opposite direction. No matter how many times he calls her name she does not turn back.
The small sound of laughter heard in the distance. One voice speaks of a plan but, the words do not reach his ears. That one voice morphs into two, three, six then ten voices. The noise deafened him. He covers his ears with both hands but, the sound grows louder. There is no one around him now. He is in darkness but, there are people present nearby laughing. No matter how much Bane tells them to stop they do not. It is not until he is on his hands and knees screaming that it all goes quiet.
The memory fades away like smoke after an extinguished fire. Bane comes back to reality facing Lily whose deep brown eyes are wide in fear. He pushes himself off the door unwrapping his standing up straighter. Darkness fills his system. Once again it grabs on more than the Venom running through his veins. "You are a guest here," he replies. "But, if you chose to continue refusing my hospitality, I will not offer it again."
Bane is sitting down at his desk reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It is one of the books that pile on his desk with his back turned. Lily watches him for an hour before her eyes grow heavy. She curls up in a ball lying on her left side with one of his pillows nestled under her head. He covered her up with a brown blanket that she pulled up to her neck. The room is silent except for the occasional page turn and his breathing. He is half way through the book and it has his full attention for the moment. It is more interesting that he thought that it would be. The words are not that hard to comprehend as he assumed they would be.
A knock at door jolts him out his literary haven for the moment. He glances up at the clock above his head with a deep furrow in his brow. "Enter," he calls out placing the book face down on the desk. Two men enter the room followed by a third. The last man known as Jacob spies Lily sleeping in the corner. Her breathing is soft but, it draws his attention almost immediately. His comrades are staring straight at the back of Bane's chair in silence.
He leans his elbows against the desk staring down at the spine of the book. "Bane," replies one of the men (known as Esau), "the triggers are complete. I tested them many times. One in particular keeps malfunctioning. It is the one that is…" The chair swivels around ninety degrees in slow motion. Esau's words are stagnant within his throat. A red tint runs over his golden brown skin as he attempts to calm himself. Bane sits slouched down in the chair facing them. Both of his large hands folded together resting against the tight muscles of his flat stomach. His vest lies on top of the bags nearby.
"Supposed to what?" Bane asks.
The second man known as Joshua replies, "...work but, Jacob…"
"Is far too busy staring at Lily to even grasp the dire need of this conversation?" Jacob still does not hear a word that Bane has said. He is daydreaming while staring at Lily with a glazed look in his dark grey eyes. A sinister thought crosses his minds as Lily shifts her body trying to find a comfortable spot on the floor. His lips move but, nothing comes out. At the moment, he's in his own little world.
Jacob does not hear the creak of the desk chair as Bane rises up. He is unable to recognize the heavy foot steps that are heading his way. Nor does he even see that his comrades have moved apart and turned around. The hissing sound that draws near ignored as he climbs deeper into the daydream. As hand presses against the left side of his face, he turns hoping to look into her eyes. A look of sheer bliss is upon his weathered tan face. His head guided to the left side as he awaits the press of her soft pink lips against his skin. Instead Jacob hears a loud crack and everything goes dark forever.
The body falls down hard like a bag of rocks upon the concrete floor. Bane turns around to look down at both men directly into their eyes. "Do not waste my time again," he replies, "fix it." The men stand looking at him for a minute in silence. Joshua breaks eye contact first to walk over to Jacob's body and grab hold of both arms. Esau follows suits lifting up the dead man's legs. They drag him towards the door which was left ajar.
Bane stands in silence flexing his hand right hand. His attention drawn to the corner where Lily sleeps. She stretches out across the floor with her thick dark hair hangs over her smooth face. He creeps over to her making sure not to disturb her. Something within him awakens opening one eye after the other and stretching. No one else will know if he just lets down the veil and submits to the desires of this nameless faceless emotion. It has been dormant for so long that the feeling is almost foreign to him.
There are occasions when he awakens in a cold sweat with every fiber of his being on fire. Every breath labored almost to the point of hyperventilation. During the tossing and turning,his dreams always lead to a release. One that leaves his sheets stained and skin moist with it. It is hard to focus on anything else around him. Shame is all that Bane feels as he peels himself out of bed in search of his clothing in the dark.
She is always present in the dream mocking and humiliating him. Her naked form is just a reminder of what he will never partake of. Try as he might this woman will never let him touch her. Even as he rises out of bed in the dream, she disappears into the shadows.
Many years have passed yet the feelings are alive. Upon first sight of her the predicament was born. All that he could do is sit and wait. A bit of hope sprang forth. There were other men who came from all over to become apart of The League of Shadows. But, it was clear that he was the most powerful and most important. Ra's al Ghul did not want just any man to stand by his side. He chose Bane out of respect for his loyalty and strength. Yet, he made a terrible mistake falling for her. She was beautiful and intelligent. Her strength matched his in every way.
Bane banishes the thought scooping up Lily off the cold floor. To not wake her, he rises up . The floor is in no way comfortable to for her but; it was where she chose to sleep. He lays her on his bed. She is light, weighing no more than 150 pounds. For the moment all is calm and still. Her face appears more youthful at rest as though ten years have disappeared. So much work to complete but, it can wait. She shifts her head over to the left side leaning it against his chest. The beating of his heart increases as for the moment the darkness seems to dissipate.
He exits the room making sure to lock it behind him. Trust is something earned and there are only few in his collective that are worthy of such a respect. One man in the hallway leans against the wall across from his bedroom door with rifle in hand. Bane gave the order to protect Lily at all costs. Traveling up the lengthy hallway, Bane passes nearly seven men in place. Not one looks in his direction. All that he can hear is the sound of his own breathing coupled with the machinery echoing in the distance.
"That is not a problem," says one man who walks past the hallway as Bane emerges. "I understand. Yes, but." The conversation ends. He falls into place standing at attention as the mercenary walks past. His eyes are dark and menacing at the moment but, seemed focused upon something else. Bane is tall but, every step is light. It would not take much for him to recoil and attack. The mask concealed something vile which no one of the men ever wanted to see. One soldier made the mistake of mentioning it and lost his life. A gun shot to the head and was thereby dumped into the water below.
This young man is new yet, he mastered the art of silence and obedience early. A young woman named Lily is resting within the room nearby. No one is to engage with her in any way except to ask if she is hungry or give her whatever she needs. Questions float around about her presence. Some say that she is only pleasure others torture. There are some who believe that Bane has an ulterior motive. No one is brave enough to voice these concerns for fear that Barsad or some other minions will hear. Even those who share the same pale white skin are snakes. Rather than make waves this kid stays on task.
Bane feels the eyes on his back as he walks through the hallway towards the outer platform. At the moment, that is the least of his concern. He takes a seat at his work bench unraveling a tangle of wire. It is a tedious job but, one should not have to explain to the others how to do this. It unravels only to tangle again in untrained hands. The hands of some imbecile who could not follow directions. Four men gather around him armed with high-powered rifles. They are silent but, present.
Heavy foot steps are approaching from behind dragging something heavy. He does not turn around at first assuming that it is nothing slouching over to further untangle the wire. A minute passes as the object upon the ground. Unless he is within the confines of his bedroom,Bane will have no peace. He turns and out of the corner of his eye, he sees two men standing over the body of another. "What are you doing here?" he asks rising up off the bench.
Lily awakens lifting herself off her back. She lets the blanket fall off of her turning to allow both legs to dangle off the side of Bane's bed. In the middle of the floor is a shopping bag filled with clothing. The idea of a Bane walking around in a department store searching through racks makes her laugh. Then she realizes that to buy anything someone had to know her size. Lily shudders at the thought of him touching her at all. The image makes her stomach clinch.
She lets her bare feet touch the floor as curiosity takes over. The bag over flows with folded clothing all variations of charcoal. Lily rifles through each any every article of clothing. She settles upon a pair of black jeans and a long-sleeved gray shirt. She undresses glancing at the door fearful that someone may walk in. The jeans fit well as does the shirt. Her eyes rove around the room looking for some sort of hidden camera. But, it occurs to her that if this was his main goal, it would not take much. No way in hell would she fight him. He was much stronger that her.
The idea of her mother burying her was not something that she wanted to think of. Death was no something that Amanda took well. Right now, she was completely out of her mind. Moss's from all over gather at her house praying for Lily's safe return. Her father was finally home trying to bury his sorrows alone in his study. Blaming himself for all that occurred in his absence. Little did he know that this was bound to happen in some way shape or form. It was the curse of being wealthy in Gotham.
The door opened and she took a step away from the clothing to lean against the door. One of Bane's men walked in that she did not recognize. He was as tall as she was with dark brown eyes. There was a scar above his right cheek. Bags built under his eyes creating small shadows on his sallow complexion. His dirty blond hair cut close to his head. "Bane," he replies, "needs to see you." Lily slips her feet back into her boots and follows this man out the door.
To be continued...