It was once again raining in Gotham. The clouds made the night darker than ever and the few streetlamps that were still intact did nothing to brighten up the paths. Not that it mattered; Bane had driven everyone inside with his gunned mercenaries patrolling the streets and the freed inmates committing more crimes than ever before. Those that did venture out for food or new shelter were eventually caught or brutally killed and left to rot.

Six mercenaries were currently searching one of the alleyways after seeing a figure disappear from their line of sight. Turned over bins were left in their wake as they tried to find whoever had given them the slip.

"Hello, hello, hello
Beautiful stranger
How familiar the danger
Slipping into the shadows"

A female voice broke their concentration. All of the mercenaries were mystified at the brazen attitude of their new would-be-victim.

"What the fuck? Have you seen this bitch?" The other five men turned around and began to laugh at the girl in front of them. She had one hand on her hip and a wide, crazed grin greeted them. Her eyes couldn't be seen as a black hood covered half of her face but her bright red lips seemed to light up her skin. A hooded top covered her torso whilst her lower half was much less dressed. White and black striped tights, with many holes and rips in them, slipped into a pair of scuffed boots. A black tutu skirt was lazily draped over her hips, barely covering much past her bum.

"She must be one of the crazies that escaped the Asylum." Her eyes narrowed at this but the smile never dropped from her face.

"Bane doesn't need any potential distractions from a nut-job."

"You think she'll be dumb enough to try something? We should just kill her and have done with it."

"She has come to us for a reason, friends. Let us see what she wants." A light chuckle fell from her painted lips.

"You want something, huh, freak?!" The shorter of the bunch stepped forward with open arms.

"'Tis true, 'tis true, 'tis true
Celebrities always do
Us in our shadows too
Us in our shadows"

"What is she talking about?!" None of the men had an answer as she stepped forward. Her boots dragged against the wet ground whilst her arms idly swung by her sides.

"Stop playing with us, freak!" She clicked her neck to the side as the word finally reached her ears. The new angle displayed a large scar that started at the right side of her mouth, ran down her neck and disappeared into the top. Her breathing became so heavy that it gave the impression she was winded.

"High stakes, three shakes, no breaks
Triple the wager
Three clicks in the chamber
Three chances to claim her"

The girl presented a silver revolver in her hands. She made no move to shoot at them and merely held it in her open palms. 3 gold bullets clinked against the cold metal.

"This bitch is really freaking me out!"

"Shut it, Craig! You want Bane to find out his newest recruit is a pussy?! He'll snap your neck for this performance!" The oldest of the bunch neared the girl and took the gun and bullets from her hand. She nodded and her grin stretched even more. Her white teeth glistened like knives as a flash of lightning lit up the sky.

"By the book, by hook, by rook
Shadow takes all, my pet
My, what a strange duet
Shadow takes all"

"Shadow? Is that some kind of codename?" He asked whilst loading the gun. She gave no reply.

"Does she realise she's just signed her own death warrant?" Her gaze snapped to the skinhead that just muttered under his breath. Immediately he shut up and just stared back. He made no move so her dark eyes moved back to the man in front of her.

"Cunning creatures
Slither front and slither back
Double dealers
Double-up for the attack"

"Shit!" One of them exclaimed as multiple figures crept out from the shadows. All of them wore ragged clothes and had wide eyes, although their gaze never seemed to focus on those that were before them.

"More of them! How can this many escape without us knowing?!" Her current 'friend' turned back around to find his allies and motioned for them to group together. The girl's attention never strayed from his back as he moved away from her, the gun held up at those that neared them.

"Boss! Barsad! Come in, anyone?!" The shortest mercenary frantically shouted into his walkie-talkie whilst the others raised their guns in a defensive motion.

"Let's just shoot them all!"

"I could say that I'm hurt
But it wouldn't be true
The knife in my back
It reminds me of you
You're my beautiful stranger
The game is afoot
It's the shadow's domain
So don't pussyfoot…"

None of the mercenaries noticed that she was creeping up behind them. She leaned up next to one of their ears and hissed.

"Shoot!"

This seemed like some kind of sign as the dirty, panting gang raced forward. Gunshots and screams of pain filled the alleyway. Mothers tried to calm their children as they sprang up in their beds screaming at the sudden noise. Dogs began to bark in the distance and thunder clapped in the sky. It was sounded like a horror movie, which was a common occurrence in the new Gotham. The mercenaries fired at the moving targets whilst the ex-patients hissed and let out shrill cries. The girl climbed onto the back of one of the men and began to claw at his eyes and bite at his neck. She paid no mind to the battle behind her and kept her attention on the man she had taken down. His gun slipped from his grip as he tried to fight off the girl.

"Agh!" He pushed himself forcefully against the brick wall, making the girls head crack against the bricks, the mercenary dived after his gun whilst his attacker watched him on all fours. She looked like an animal hunting its prey. Her hood hung lowly over her brow so it still covered her identity but the blood that began to drip into a puddle pointed out that she was hurt. A loud laugh left her mouth as his fingers fumbled over the trigger.

"Naughty, naughty little man. Craigy is too scared to play with me nicely…" Her lips pouted before she snarled and leapt at the man. Craig let out a whimper as the gun was wrestled out of his grip. The girl straddled him and made a pleased noise. She held the gun over her head and brought it crashing down into Craig's face. His head bounced against the pavement from the force of the blow. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to make a move for a while, the girl took advantage of her fallen adversary and glanced behind her. "Well done, darlings." She nodded her head as she saw what was left of her group retreat. Many bodies were riddled with bullet holes but she was pleased to see the lifeless mercenaries amongst the dead. Their guns and weapons were long gone as well as their thick jackets. Many of the men had been beaten to death but she noticed that the one that had spoken to her had had his throat ripped out. She knew exactly who was responsible for that. A noise at the opposite end of the alleyway alerted her to the new company. The hissing of a mask made her smile.

Bane.

She looked over at him. He did nothing but move his hands to grip the lapels of his jacket. A choking noise brought her gaze back onto the man underneath her. His eyes widened as she put the barrel of the gun under his chin. She didn't even flinch as his skull exploded and blood and brain matter covered her. With a nod she carelessly dropped the gun and rose. More mercenaries gathered behind Bane but he made no motion for them to apprehend her. With a satisfied smile she turned her back on the large man and made her way to the exit of the alleyway. She glanced behind her and blew a dramatic kiss to the masked man.

"Shadow takes all…"

AN:

If you couldn't guess, I was inspired by the brilliant scene from Devil's Carnival. If you don't know it then simply search: Devil's Carnival – Beautiful Stranger. I absolutely love this song and it was sung perfectly by Briana Evigan.

Now, it's half 3 in the morning and this is primarily meant to be a one-shot. However, I may carry this fanfiction on if I get enough people wanting to delve further into the mysterious main character.

I apologise for any errors but, as I've said, it's pretty early in the morning and I have no wish to strain my eyes any longer. Just let me know if there are any issues and I shall correct them at a later date.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Dark Knight or The Devil's Carnival, 'nor do I own any of the characters, except for my own. This will only be posted once so please refer to this for all future chapters.