The Dark Knight Series © Christopher Nolan
Fire in the Blood © Hurlstien
– 4 –
Feo's cry rang out across the hilly plain of Georgian grassland. Her fist collided with Bane's forearm and he blocked and deflected as she wildly swung in for another.
"Have some finesse," he said, obviously enjoying this.
Sweat poured down the girl's brow, beading from her cropped hair that had grown a little since it was cut over a month ago. Her skin was no longer pallid, and shone a light tan in the sunlight from weeks of travel. Half-length, baggy pants made of cheap linen hung low around her waist, while a dark grey tank top covered her chest. There was a small amount of fat around her hips now, her legs were a little thicker and didn't look like twigs anymore, and her breasts, though naturally small, had a little more shape to them. She had made a vast improvement under Bane's care, and now, after two weeks of training almost every day, she was pitting herself against him, trying to recall and solidify the techniques he'd taught her in her mind.
Bane's hand came out of nowhere and clouted Feo across the jaw. She twisted from the force and fell to the ground on her stomach. She remained there, breathing hard as she looked up and saw dark clouds on the horizon. A storm was coming.
Bane's bare chest glistened in the dim sun, sweating simply from moving in the humidity and not from any threat posed by Feo. He lifted his arms, spread them wide. "Is this all you have to offer?" he reached down and pulled her up by the arm. He made to strike her and she flinched, but the knife of his hand stopped millimetres from her neck. "Will you not defend yourself?" He let her go and backed up as she straightened.
Wiping away sweat and dirt from her mouth with the back of her hand, Feo watched Bane with a fire in her eyes. Ever since their lessons had begun, Bane had noticed this, had noticed the intenseness of her grey irises as her emotions began to surface. Frustration. Annoyance. Anger.
She rushed at him. Mouth open, fangs bared. She aimed a jab that Bane deflected, then kicked the inside of his right thigh aiming for the femoral. Had she been stronger, and had he not been so wrapped in muscle, the attack would've had an effect.
"Anger is a powerful thing," he batted away another punch. "But it is your downfall."
She was about to kick at his knee, but Bane gripped her arm and twisted her around.
"Control your emotions - they do not own you, you own them."
And suddenly she was spiralling– flipping. She felt Bane's shoulder against her chest and then she was in the air, flipping and landing hard on her back in the grass, her arm still in Bane's grip. He dropped her limb and she let it fall to her side as she gasped for air.
"This is what you wanted," Bane said, turning from her and slowly pacing away. "I warned you there would be pain. Yet still you insisted I teach you to fight."
The clouds on the horizon grew closer, the rumbling of thunder shuddering through the air. Feo rolled onto her side, catching her breath as she pushed herself to a hunched stand. Bane stopped, and Feo watched his broad back as it turned and she slowly straightened. Surprise was in his eyes; she was back on her feet already, and she was staring him down.
He couldn't help the wide smile beneath the mask.
Feo rushed in again, aiming punch after punch. Bane blocked each one, watching, fascinated at the girl's determination, until he'd had enough playtime.
"You have fire," he nodded, then snarled: "But that won't help you against me."
Faster than the lightning that flashed above them, he had her head in his arms, ready to break her neck.
Feo didn't think she'd ever felt so vulnerable than she did at that moment. She daren't move. She could feel the warm muscles of Bane's arm tense around her throat, one hot hand curled over the top of her head, ready to pull. Her hands were hooked over his thick forearm, but it's not like that would do her any good. The tips of her toes brushed the grass below as he held her, and for a second, she thought he was actually going to do it.
"Try again." He released her.
Feo stumbled forwards, coughed and spun, not willing to have her back to him when they were sparring.
If she didn't know any better, she would've thought Bane only entertained her like this because he wanted to show off his own skills. In fact, she had believed as such during the first week or so. But now she was beginning to realise; this was all for her. Experience of fear, experience of pain, experience of having her life in danger. She learnt early on that Bane was not a vain man, neither was he shallow or insecure enough to beat up a fourteen-year-old just to make himself feel stronger. He was better than that– knew better than that. Everything that was happening now was for her benefit and hers alone. So what if he got a bit of sadistic glee out of it? It didn't change the fact that she was so very grateful.
Her hands came up and she shook her head a little, getting her eyes to focus. Slowly, she circled him, gradually drawing closer. She shot a cautious left jab, hoping to draw the man into reacting, but Bane was far past such cheap tricks. He simply did nothing. Growing tired, Feo kicked out at his shin, but Bane slid his foot back. This simple move caused Feo to fall forwards, losing balance and Bane wasn't about to let that opportunity slide. His hand swooped under her chin, the 'C' between his thumb and index catching and gripping her neck and he lifted her from the ground as her own hands clawed at his wrist.
"When your life is in danger, all is permitted," he said, "Even murder."
Just as her head began to feel tight and light, Feo swung her body up. Her left leg hooked over his right arm that held her, and she used her new purchase to swing her right leg up, colliding roughly with his mask. The attack was fast, and even though Bane had seen it coming, it still shocked him enough that he didn't make a move to stop her.
She was dropped like a poisonous snake, and landed coughing in the grass as Bane stepped back and turned away from her, checking his mask for damage. When he found there wasn't any, he glanced back at the girl who was already trying to push herself to her feet. He watched her thighs shake and her arms cautiously leave the floor, trusting her legs to hold her as he ambled over.
Feo barely registered his presence, until his tented fingers were on her shoulder and she felt gravity shift as he pushed her over. It was so effortless; he may as well have done it with a feather. Flat on her back in the grass Feo finally picked up on all the pain flares her body was sending to her brain. Her lungs burned, her legs ached and her arms felt like jelly. Not to mention the warm welts that bloomed along her jaw and forearms from the hits she'd blocked and taken, she knew he'd been pulling his punches – if he hadn't, she'd be in a coma by now – but they still packed a wallop.
Bane stood over her, lightning cracking the sky behind him. "That's enough for today."
…
"Make no mistake: here, you face death."
What Ra's had told him that day never really sunk in until about a week into his training. And even then he still felt it was nothing compared to what he'd already been through. So when it came to his test, it was as easy as breathing.
Blocking a katana with his armoured forearm, Bane spun inward, jabbing his elbow back into the covered face of his assailant. He felt the crunch of cartilage, before deflecting an incoming fist and pumping his own into the owner's stomach. Finishing the man off with a left hook, he ducked, sensing the incoming stab from behind. The blade skimmed the padding of his shoulder, before he pivoted and hooked his assailant's calf with his hand, pushing his forearm into the hip to shatter the attacker's balance and send him slamming to the ground. Bane swiftly stood and stomped on the fallen man's stomach to keep him down, then turned to address the next assailant. His style was strong and fast, it wasn't pretty but it had its own beauty; a deadly grace like that of a shark – powerful, sleek and unstoppable.
It went on like this for four more minutes before there was no one left to fight. Bodies wrapped in black lay groaning and twitching on the floor around him as he stood, tense and breathing heavily. His eyes found Ra's al Ghul stood off to the side, his arms crossed as he leant against the wall. Pride bloomed in Bane's chest at the carnage he'd wrought. No one was dead. No one was seriously injured. He had shown self-control and his attacks had been smooth and quick.
His breathing came ragged through his new mask like rusty nails, and he couldn't help the hopeful look in his eyes as he awaited approval.
Ra's looked down at the floor for a moment, then back to Bane. "You are still not strong enough."
Al Ghul left silently, disappearing into the shadows he'd built. There was nothing more to say.
…
The storm passed them by, rolling low through the sky towards the mountains north of them. Bane watched them go; an unreadable emotion in his eyes as the echo of Ra's al Ghul's footsteps fell into his ears and rattled down through his ribs like used coppers. Then he turned and walked over to his bag that sat slumped in the shade of the cluster of trees nearby. Feo, having caught her breath, was still flat on her back, eyes closed and breathing calmly when Bane called her over. She got up and stumbled towards where he crouched, wanting nothing more than to simply rest. But when the cold metal butt of a gun was pressed into her hand, the warm tiredness cobwebbing her mind was frozen over and broken away, making room for clear confusion and a little apprehension.
She stared at the weapon, not saying anything as she turned it over in her hands. What did he mean by this? And as if to ask him, Feo looked up to find Bane watching her.
"It is merely a precaution," he said, standing from his crouch and ushering her to follow him. He had something in his hand, a thin black box shaped like a tilted rectangle, but she didn't ask, simply followed. They stopped around ten feet away from a nearby tree where Bane held up the little box and took the gun from her. "This gun is a semi-automatic CZ-99 pistol, and this," he held up the little black box, "is its magazine. It holds the ammunition." He then showed her how to load the weapon, sliding the magazine up through an opening at the bottom of the grip and pulling back the slide at the top. "Then you fire." He held the gun with both hands, pointing it at the tree ahead of them and pulling the trigger.
The resulting blast echoed, but was lost in the rumbling thunder of the storm. Bane nodded to himself, knowing that the noise of the storm would mask any shot they made. The pungent scent of sweet, hot metal hit Feo as she watched smoke scarves wisp from the barrel.
Bane brought his arms down and when he turned to Feo he found her staring at the weapon in his hand with a strange look in her eyes. She seemed entranced by it.
"I acquired it for emergencies," he said, and held it out to her. She didn't take it.
"But… but why me– why do I have to…?"
"Like I said, my dear, it's for emergencies."
Feo swallowed. She'd never before been trusted with something so dangerous. She looked from Bane to the gun in his outstretched hand, then she took it. It was like carved granite, heavy and cold, hard and sharp. Bane had her take out the magazine and re-load it to get her used to the action.
"Now, shoot the tree," he said, pointing to the target. Feo took the gun in both hands and Bane checked her technique. "Keep your grip tight. Make sure your thumbs are clear of the hammer," he pointed to top back end of the gun. "When you are ready."
Hesitantly, Feo fired the gun, and missed the tree by a few feet. She hadn't been expecting the jerk back to be so hard and she almost dropped it as the burning scent came to her again.
Bane nodded. "Try again. Make sure to keep your grip tight."
She pulled back the slide, aimed and pulled the trigger. She missed again. When the third shot missed, Feo sighed.
"You are getting closer," Bane appraised, his tone suggesting he wasn't as put out as Feo at her poor aim. "But I'm afraid that's all we have time for," he said, looking to the horizon to find the storm withering and drifting further away from them. "If we carry on we risk people getting curious," he said and began to walk away. Feo looked from the bruised clouds to the gun and connected the dots.
They walked back towards the cluster of trees where their bags had been left, the coming night making itself known to the east. Once they arrived, Feo tried to hand the gun back to Bane, but he wouldn't take it.
"It is yours now."
Feo looked confused. "But… you are teaching me how to fight. I don't need a gun; you said it is just for the emergencies."
Bane nodded. "I did… But you are not yet strong enough to rely on just your body to protect you."
The girl's shoulders slumped and she looked at the gun in her hand. 'He's giving it to me because he doesn't need it… Of course he doesn't need it,' she looked up at Bane, 'he's invincible.'
The last time Feo saw a proper bed was over a year ago. So as Bane opened the door to the hotel room they'd be sharing, the first thing she did was dump her things and make a running leap, landing on the faded flower pattern covers and bouncing on the mattress. Sunlight streaked through the windows, complimenting the plain vanilla walls and dark red carpet. Pictures of fields and horses, country lanes and mountains hung from bent, dusty nails like worn family photos, bringing a certain comfort to the room.
"You insist you're fourteen, and yet you act like a four year old," Bane said as he closed the door and ambled over, his large frame making the room shrink. Feo stuck her tongue out at him while he dumped his bag and bed roll at the foot of the second bedstead.
"So what is this work you have to do?" Feo asked as Bane perched on the edge of his bed, sinking the mattress.
"It's mercenary work. I'll be acting as a body guard for a month," he said, running a hand over his shaven head and mask straps. "Nothing difficult."
Feo hummed, planting her chin in her hand.
"And while I'm doing that, you need to keep up with your studies," Bane reached down and took a notepad and pencil from his duffle bag. He flipped to the ten math problems Feo had been trying to complete the night before and the girl pulled a face as he dropped it on the blanket in front of her.
Over the past month, Feo had made progress, both in her lessons and training. She had finished the book Robinson Crusoe, having comments about how she didn't much understand the religious concepts and admitted that a few things went over her head, but that she'd seen a lot of herself in the character Friday. Bane had been surprised and, he couldn't deny, impressed that she'd picked up on this, and told her that once his next job was over he'd get her another book, though, perhaps something more modern with less complicated language.
So for the next two weeks, Feo practised her two-times-table and learnt how to spell words like 'miscommunication', while Bane posed as a VIP's guard. On the third day she'd asked Bane to get her some string so she could make a bracelet, and the man had shrugged and left the room, returning hours later after his guard shift with a ball of thread in hand. It was this she now fiddled with as she perched on the wide windowsill and watched the moon as she awaited Bane's return.
The bracelet she was making was something Hans had taught her how to do when she was nine. It resembled a hair braid and was made in the same fashion. She was happily humming to herself, twirling and weaving the three intertwined threads as the moon was obscured by clotted cloud.
Then the door opened and cracked against the wall, and Feo snapped her head round to see Bane stumble through, his hands covered in blood.
I love all your reviews, so please tell me what you think and feel free to point out any grammar errors and the like! I'm off for some almond milk.
