Burn This Whole World Down
Three: Bewildered Little Girl
Take me I'm alive.
Never was a girl with a wicked mind,
But everything looks better when sun goes down.
I had everything, opportunities for eternity.
And I could belong to the night.
Ella could remember very well the day Bane broke Gotham into pieces. She was working on a night shift, her eyes weary and hair a mess. For some reason it was an especially hard night, the time seemingly going slower and slower with each passing minute. She was just visiting her last patient – a small 14-year old girl that had a bad case of fever, when the first wave of panic hit the newly rebuilt Gotham's General Hospital.
At first it was the amount of people that were taken into the waiting room. Doctors had their hands full with sea of people that were seemingly pouring in from every entrance, sending the hospital into a momentarily state of frenzy. Ella had seen busy days; people so badly injured that it made her stomach twist in place. But nothing, absolutely nothing could have prepared her for the horrors that awaited her for the next two weeks. Ever since the Joker attacked the city eight years ago and got caught, and the newly passed on laws in honor of Harvey Dent who supposedly, at the time, lost his life at the hands of city's vigilant hero Batman, everything in Gotham had been calmer almost tranquil. Sure, she still saw bad injuries – people in car accidents, beatings, burns, terminal illnesses, even occasional stab wound from a small crime.
But the sheer force of the devastation that Bane unleashed upon the city was nothing compared to what she was used to. At first she was too shocked to act, but once her doctor instincts kicked in, she was moving through the masses of people, trying desperately to help everyone she could.
And so the first day was hell on Earth.
People were dying right and left, the devastating cries of individuals that were still alive driving her almost mad. Ella could remember each patient she attended to in vivid detail; their names, their appearances, and in some cases the time of their deaths. It was by far the most horrifying thing she had to live through. And at that time, Ella had no idea exactly what or who had caused these horrors, but the murmurs amongst the survivors and those who volunteered to help were becoming louder and louder, all of them talking of a single individual.
A man with a mask called Bane.
And before Ella had even met him, before she had to struggle through two weeks of watching so many innocent people die for nothing and her brother James disappear, she was absolutely sure she hated the man called Bane.
Who would ever want to see such utter destruction go around the city and feel proud of it? Who could ever live with guilt of knowing he had had caused the deaths of hundreds of people, both adult and children alike.
Ella had never hated anyone before, but she was sure that if she was cable of it, she most certainly hated Bane.
She could not call Gotham innocent of course. The city was dark and corrupted, full of people that were willing to sell their souls for a better lifestyle. Even if Batman had made it better over the years, and the police had gained back some of the control, the city was still tainted, Ella knew this well. But with bad there was always good and Gotham had good. There were so many good people living in this city, normal, kind-hearted people that had never deserved such pain and destruction to grip their city and plunge it into the darkest abyss imaginable.
And so Ella often wondered if all of this could have been avoided, if this city still had the chance to go back to the way things had been before.
She blinked few times, surprised, coming back to reality of a dreary office room. Ella sighed, glancing around the room in hopes of finding some sort of escape route. Not that she would risk escaping anyway. All ways out of the city were destroyed and if she hid inside Gotham it would only take so long for Bane to find her.
The sound of door opening was what broke through Ella's thoughts, and she tensed, thinking that Bane was finally back. He left her alone in his office for almost fifteen minutes and she silently began to wonder if he had changed his mind about her and decided to just let her rot inside that room forever.
However, the sound of footsteps that she heard were lighter than Bane's usual ones, and she immediately knew that he wasn't the one that was currently in the room. Letting herself to relax just a little, Ella turned around to see who the person that just walked into the room was.
It was a man. He was middle height, in his late twenties or early thirties, with dark short hair and green eyes. He was dressed in the same military style the rest of Bane's men seemed to dress in. Dark browns, greys, and greens seem to be the dominating colors, along with a rifle gun in his hands. He was certainly more handsome than most of Bane's men that much Ella knew for sure.
"Hi," she broke the silence first, standing back up onto her feet.
The man gave her a nod. "Come. I was ordered to take you to your new residence."
Ella frowned faintly but obeyed, walking towards the man with cautious steps. He led her out of the room without so much as a word, leading her past the two guards and out of the building. She inhaled deeply once they stepped outside, enjoying the crispness of the air, the stoic man leading her across the street.
"So," she began slowly. "Do you have a name?"
The man turned his head to side slightly, catching her gaze with his, "And why would I tell you that?"
She clicked her tongue absentmindedly and moved to walk beside him rather than behind him like some dog. "Because I asked nicely?"
"I think you will have to find a better reason than that," he stated calmly, his lips twitching up vaguely.
Ella hummed quietly, glancing up at the tall building they were approaching. It was twenty-two floors, high-end building that Ella passed everyday to get to work as this was considered to be Gotham's City Centre. She was rather surprised that Bane chose this exact building as his HQ. This type of building didn't seem to be his style, but maybe that's exactly why he decided to use that exact building. It was a beautiful one, but not the type to draw much attention from people that may be snooping around.
"Come on," the man spoke loudly, and only then did Ella realize that she had a stopped to look at the building and her guard was already at the entrance. Ella sighed, looking around and realizing that once busy Gotham street was now practically deserted. And she couldn't help but to feel the hollow hole in her chest grow just a little more.
Gotham was far from perfect, but it was still her home.
So, after quickly catching up with mystery guard, she entered the tall building trailing a little behind him. As expected, inside of the building was as lavish looking as the outside; the massive front foyer floor was made out of white marble that seemed to be duller than it once was, the furniture mostly black and white adding to the futuristic feel of the building. Behind the main desk were no doubt a beautiful secretary once sat, was now a middle-aged man with white beard and a signature rifle gun in his hands.
The mystery guard gave the man a nod and the man behind the desk briefly glanced at her before pressing some type of button on the desk. The moment he did, the elevator door opened and Ella had to admit that having only one man in the foyer did not draw as much attention as having several more would have, and the man having control of who entered the building also proved to secure the location of their hiding place even more.
What Ella really wanted to know was why would Bane still hide when he had the entire city under his control. Perhaps, even after two weeks he felt the need to make sure that his plans were solid, and nothing could challenge his rule.
"Let's go," the man said, grasping onto her forearm and pulling her forward, although, much to Ella's surprise not harshly like the other man did.
He pushed her gently into the elevator and pressed the button to the floor before the last, almost exactly at the top. Ella couldn't help but to think that at least she would have a nice view, no matter how desolated Gotham now was compared to its usual self.
"You know you still haven't told me your name," she remarked coolly, hoping that some type of conversation may distract her from the dark thoughts that were slowly fighting their way into her brain. "You're really milking the whole 'dark and mysterious' thing."
The man grinned faintly, turning his head to look down at her. "I haven't had a woman so desperate to know my name in quite a while. Why don't you try and guess."
Ella bit her lip, and stared at the man before her. She always prided herself in being able to read people quite well, even if some were more of a challenge than others. The man in front of her was certainly one of the harder ones to read.
Her eyes drifted down his body slowly, trying to pick out some obvious tributes about him. He was tanned, but not a fake tan, a completely natural one. His hair was short and his stance as straight as a guitar string. He clearly had good manners because he treated her with some respect, he also held the gun in his hand with such familiarity that meant he knew how to use one well – better than some of the men she had seen work for Bane anyway.
"You were in military," she stated finally, just as the elevator let out a ding! and the door whooshed open. "Your family is a traditional one, so the name would be a common one, maybe John or Adam if they were religious too."
The man led her out, and gave her a slightly impressed look. "You're right, but it's not John or even Adam."
Ella let out a frustrated breath, but was still thankful that her mind was now occupied by something other than her miserable fate.
"Matthew."
"No."
"William?"
"Nope."
"Daniel?"
"Certainly not."
"Samuel?"
"Ha, no!"
"Urgh, I give up, just tell me, then I will tell you mine," she groaned, not even noticing that they had arrived at their destination and the-still-nameless-man opened the door for her and they entered the room together.
"I don't need to know your name," he said with a slight chuckle. "I already do."
Ella took off her coat and scarf right away, noticing the change in temperature almost instantly. It was extremely warm compared to the cold wasteland outside.
Military. Good family. A gentlemen. Think, Ella.
"This is were you will be working," he declared, gesturing around the room with his hand. "I was told everything you may need is already in here."
She glanced around the room quickly, critical eyes taking in every detail around her. She was not surprised to find the room fully stocked, every type of medicine and anesthetic already visible through the glass cabinets. The room itself reminded her of the foyer, every wall around them completely white. There were couple empty cots for patients and two doors on each side of the room; Ella suspected that both were cupboard rooms to keep the supplies in.
What really bothered her though was the fact that there was no way this room was prepared in the last twenty minutes. The room was fully stocked and ready for use; it's almost as if Bane was expecting this to happen, like he was prepared for this long before they actually met.
Another thing that bothered her was just how much preparation was actually put into the room itself. The type of chemicals and instruments in the room made Ella think that Bane was going to force her cut someone's leg off, and sew it onto somebody else.
"Bane has been looking for a doctor long before I came along, hasn't he?" she questioned curiously, carefully reading the labels on each bottle she could lay eyes on. Ella turned to look at her guard and saw hesitance clearly in his eyes.
No wonder there, really. After all, she was their prisoner, sort of, and telling her would no doubt be disobeying Bane's orders. But then again, it all depended on just how much Bane wanted her to know, really.
"Yes," he answered tightly, his eyes a little harder than before. "He made it clear that he was looking for a good doctor that he could have a constant access to, if needed be."
"Well, isn't he a lucky guy," she grumbled bitterly, fingering a set of plastic gloves that laid on the table.
Her guard did not reply and they stood in silence for almost few minutes, before she felt her rage cool down and decided that it was not exactly his fault that all of this was happening to her, even if he was willingly working for the terrorist himself.
She turned to look at him over her shoulder, "So, where is my—"
Ella felt her heart jump, and an unwelcome gasp escaped her lips when she saw Bane's tall frame standing in the doorway.
"Bane."
The word sounded curl; her lips forming a tight line, jaw tensing almost uncomfortably.
The said man moved forward slowly, his hands grasping the sides of his bulletproof vest, almost as if teasing her with his deliberate slowness. She wasn't quite sure if he was trying to purposefully draw out her reaction or if he simply enjoyed the feeling of power he clearly he had over everyone else, especially her.
"I hope the room is to your liking," he said calmly, stopping few feet away from him. "You will be spending quite a lot of your time here."
"The room is fine," she admitted, her eyes momentarily moving to rest on her guard.
Bane did not even move when he spoke, "Leave."
The cold, mechanical ring in Bane's voice made the fine hairs on Ella's arms stand up, and she had to respect the fact that her guard did not even flinch from Bane's tone, instead he gave her one more look she couldn't quite understand and left without another word.
"I truly hate them," he said, his voice dark, "Spineless; willing to do anything for a smallest amount of power."
"That's not a very nice way to talk about your pets," she told him carefully, feeling like she was poking a sleeping tiger with a stick.
"Ah, but Miss. Brown," he started, his voice sounding almost pleasant as if they were discussing weather. "You try to present yourself as the highly moral one, but deep down you're thinking the exact same thing."
God, she hated how he was able to read her so easily. All she could see were his dark, dark eyes that seemed to catch all the light in the dim room, so they seemed to glow with orbs of fire.
He breathed, a deep, metallic rasp being the only sound in the otherwise silent room.
"Why are you doing this to Gotham? What has this city ever done to you to be on the receiving end of your rage?"
It felt oddly satisfying to be able to ask these questions at last. Ever since this started two weeks ago, Ella wanted to ask these questions everyday.
Why? Why do any of this? What was the point in all of this pain and despair?
He titled his head ever so-slightly to the right, a hint of a mocking smile in his eyes, "I am doing what is necessary."
Shock was written all over her face, "Necessary? Is that what you tell yourself at night while innocent people are dying out there and it's all your fault."
A certain glint suddenly flashed through Bane's eyes, and if Ella did not know any better she would have thought that he was actually amused by what she said.
"Yes, I can see the resemblance now. So full of fire."
For a minute she was confused about who exactly Bane was speaking of, but when she finally understood, her eyes widened a little, almost comically.
Of course, her brother.
"However, you must be careful with all that fire in your veins, Miss Brown," he spoke, his voice deceptively calm. Yet, she still managed to catch a glimpse of something else, something cold, and cruel and terrifying, and she was once again reminded just why she was so afraid of him, why everyone was. "It may burn you."
"It's Ella." she gritted out, sick of being called 'Miss. Brown' all the time. It sounded completely ridiculous coming from his mouth, clipped by his distinct accent.
"Ella…" he said in the way that made her skin crawl, and a shiver run down her spine, and it was most definitely not a pleasant one. "People always paint me as the villain. But I'm doing this city a kindness."
Ella, lost in the moment, walked up to stand right in front of him, and some distant voice inside her head screamed at her to get back, and away from Bane as quickly as she could.
"How can anything you're doing to this city be considered a kindness?" she snapped irritably, almost immediately regretting the tone of her voice when Bane straightened to his full height, making her feel completely pathetic standing in front of him.
"And what is is so worth saving here?" he asked, "Look around the city, Ella. The crime, the grief, the pain. This isn't me. That's just humanity, just the corruption and greed of it all."
With the adrenaline and burn of anger gone from her system, the fear returned full force and Ella's hands began to tremble slightly, forcing her to fold them together in order to hide her weakness from Bane.
"Even if completely foolish, I respect you courage, Ella," he rasped deeply, leaning slightly forward, making her gulp uneasily under his intense gaze. "You're unique and I admire that, and perhaps that is why I allowed you to live even when you showed me such obvious disrespect," he stated tonelessly and Ella took a small step back, not able to hide her fear as much as she wished she could have. "But do not think that you can fool me, you ignorant girl. There is no such thing as decent people in an indecent world. And even if there was, you cannot save everyone with kindness."
Ella nodded slowly, as if agreeing with him, before she spoke again, "You're right, I can't. But there is more to Gotham than just corruption, and I refused to believe that this city is pass the point of saving."
And then, Bane did something that caught Ella completely off guard, he laughed.
"So naïve," he breathed, his voice having its usual mechanical ring that she could not imagine him without anymore. "You will learn soon though. When everything in your world will crumble and fall out of your hands, when every single memory you once held dear will cause you nothing but despair, then and only then will you know of true pain."
She stared at him, her breath stuck in her throat as she listened to him speak, his sharp eyes like razors, carving something unknown and dark onto her skin.
"You may be good, innocent on the inside, but you belong to the darkness now, and it's only a matter of time before it devours you, killing everything once noble about you."
He leaned back unhurriedly, his eyes keenly taking in every twitch of her muscles. For a long while they stood still, neither speaking, one because he did not need to, other because she did not have the words to express the mad mixture of her raging emotions.
The silence was broken by a sound of a hurried knock. And when a young man threw the door open, both Ella and Bane turned to look at him.
"Sir, you called for me?" he spoke awkwardly as he glanced rather nervously between them.
"Yes," Bane confirmed, walking steadily towards the boy, and Ella could see the growing fear in his eyes gradually shifting into panic. "You are to guard this woman and make sure she does not do something stupid like try to escape. If I hear or learn that anything has happened to her…well, we will cross that bridge when we get to it," he finished, sounding almost jovial.
Then Bane strode past him, walking out of the room, and leaving Ella still speechless with the young boy.
For a long moment she could not speak, the truth of Bane's words cutting deeply into her heart.
At least, in the end, he was right about one thing.
In this cruel, dark world Bane pulled her into, she was nothing but a bewildered little girl.
AN: HELLO! I am pleased to inform you that I am posting this chapter from my cousin's computer and that I have not actually proof- read any of this, so forgive any obvious mistakes. Also, I would like to say a huge thank you to ALL of you because, holy hell, we reached 100 REVIEWS! You have no idea how happy that had made me. You guys actually broke my record because last time it took me four chapters to get 100 reviews so congrats, you guys! You're all amazing fans!
Also, sorry about the weirdness of this chapter. I felt like the start was very description heavy, then odd with weird humour when I tried to show a little more childish side to Ella, and finally the moral argument. I actually really liked it, but I sort of feel like Bane came out a bit weird. What do you guys think?
Regards.
A.~
P.S. To people that have contacted me about the Beta thing, I want to thank you all because amount of people that have contacted me about it shocked me A LOT, so I will have very hard time choosing. And as I am in hurry right now, I will get back to all of you on Sunday with my final decision. So thank you for your patience.
