Bane released Sophia's arm, allowing her to collapse to her knees as tears spring from her eyes.
"Why?" She screamed, her fingers grabbing at her hairs, grasping at the strands. "Why did you kill them?" Bane tilted his head to the side, watching the young girl that sat on the ground, her body racked with sobs. "Why punish them for what I started! Punish me! Punish me for what I did, not them!" She inhaled sharply, trying to control the sobs as they went through her. Her eyes staring at Bane's men as they started to carry away the bodies one by one. The rest of the rebellion had fled, running to get as far from the Masked Man as possible.
"My dear," Bane crouched down in front of the weeping girl, balancing his weight on the balls of his feet. He reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I am punishing you."
Sophia's eyes focused on Bane as she absorbed what he had just said, her vision slightly blurring as fresh tears slid down her cheek. He continued staring at her, his blue eyes never faulting as he studied her face. Sophia didn't know how long they sat staring at one another, all she knew it that it had felt like an eternity. Bane stood, grabbing her arm as he went and forcing her to her feet. Head walked towards a motorcycle that was parked along the road, dragging Sophia along with him.
"What, what are you doing?" She once again grabbed at his hand, trying fruitlessly to release his vice grip.
"You must be made an example of, my dear." He didn't look at her as he spoke. He stopped in front of the bike, pushing her gently towards the bike and motioning for her to get on. She looked at him defiantly, not willing to follow his orders after what she had just witnessed.
Bane rolled his eyes in annoyance and grabbed Sophia by the waist, placing her roughly on the bike.
"From now on, if I ask you to do something, you do it." Bane growled, climbing onto the bike behind her, his arms creating a cage on either side of her. She leaned forward as far as she could, trying not to feel the heat that emanated from his body.
Soon the were riding through the streets of Gotham, disobeying ever traffic law and turning corners at speeds Sophia felt wasn't all that safe. She had no idea where he was taking her and she couldn't care less. Her mind was occupied with the thoughts of what was to follow.
You must be made an example of... The words echoed through her mind.
She looked up just as Bane steered into a parking garage, the motorcycles roar echoing loudly throughout the structure. Once parked, Bane swung himself off the bike and watched Sophia, waiting for her to do the same. She did so slowly, wanting to prolong whatever Bane had planned for her.
Once Sophia dismounted the bike, Bane placed his hand on her lower back and guided her into the building that loomed before them. He directed her to an elevator and there they stood as it slowly climbed higher.
It was the most uncomfortable Sophia had ever felt in her entire life, Bane stood behind her, his mask hissing with every breath he took. She could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head but she refused to turn and look at him.
Soon, the elevator dinged and Bane's hand found its place on her lower back once again. He lead her into an condo room. It was huge, larger than anything Sophia had ever lived in. She looked around, the first thing you walked into was the living room, which connected to the kitchen. One way was a hallway, with what she assumed was a bedroom and bathroom, while the other way held a large master bedroom.
"Why are we here?" Sophia asked, watching as Bane stepped past her and removed his leather jacket, draping it across the back of a chair. Her heart raced as he turned slightly and studied her for a moment.
"Welcome to your new home." He spoke, pulling out a chair and sitting in it, before him lay dozens of folders, spread across the table top.
"With you?" She hadn't moved from her spot, her feet remaining rooted to the floor, she didn't know what to think of the situation. "Why?"
Bane continued to study her before speaking, his voice even. "You will be made an example of, but first I must break you. You have a fiery spirit and it needs to be put out. Until you are broken to my satisfaction, you will stay with me." He then turned to his folders, picking one up and intently reading the contents.
"So I'm just to stay here, doing nothing, like…" She paused for a moment before speaking again, "like your pet?" She could feel her anger rising as she stared at Bane. He continued reading for a moment before slowly closing the folder.
"In a way, yes, but I should hope you are to do something better with your time that to just sit around and do nothing."
She didn't know how or when it happened, but it was then that she realized it. She had become Bane's new toy, his pet, and she had a feeling he liked to break his toys.