Oh, boy, this is going to be quite awkward, isn't it? So, it's been awhile…like a few months? Last time I updated it was Christmas…and it's now the middle of May… I get it. I am so sorry! Honestly, I am. When I knew I should be posting and I wasn't, I was feeling extremely guilty! I should try to be more consistent with my posts, but I found that extremely hard to do in the presence of this funny little bastard called school…and a minor teenage life crisis. In short, I have been otherwise distracted. BUT! As it is obvious I am back now with a new chapter, this one is long and took me awhile to get done…soooo I guess, I hope this can somewhat make up for my long leave of absence.

I don't own the Dark Knight Rises or anything associated with the Nolan-verse Batman.

Onwards!

Chapter 14:

Lucy's understanding of map reading was limited to what she had learned in her high school geography lessons and the few Dagget construction plans she had looked over with John. But even that should imply that she had enough common knowledge to interpret the layout in front of her eyes. Still, as Lucy glanced from John's sketch in her journal to the map of the city, as she turned her journal over and over and this way and that way, she knew she had to be doing something wrong. None of what she was seeing should be right.

"You must be joking…" Lucy muttered, roughly combing her dark hair away from her face.

But the realization only rang louder in her head, the longer she stared at the map. She was sitting underneath Wayne Enterprises. No, really. This entire time Bane had been building up his forces underneath the core of Gotham's greatest industrial power. From where she sat on the bed, Lucy looked up and out toward the circular atrium and domed roof where Bane's men still ceaselessly worked. Even now, Lucy was at a loss for what they were doing. Then again, she was still at a loss for anything at this point.

How many days has it been again? Four? five?

Bane did a mighty good job of keeping her in the dark.

As if she needed more to contemplate.

Quickly shaking her head, Lucy looked back at the drawings and map and let her mind be clouded with a different matter: escaping out of here. If Bane had a plan for Wayne Enterprises, for Gotham, and for her, she could not do anything about it sitting around here. Get out first and then help. Not the most intricate plan, but it would have to do for now. She had been here too long, and she could not wait for a saving grace. Lucy did not think she could handle not knowing what tomorrow will be like, especially for her. She was suddenly taken by an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia for her home…for her brother. She missed everything. She had to get out of here. She paused and re-thought her statement. They had to get out of there. She and Will. There was not an official agreement made between them. But Lucy knew what it was like for siblings to be apart. She wouldn't let someone else feel that way too. He said it was impossible; that they would die before they'd escape. But Lucy thought otherwise.

She had to.

Grabbing the pen in her boot, Lucy uncapped it and began to trace on both maps. First, she placed an 'x' on their current location and circled Wayne Enterprises on the city map several times. Then, she placed a finger on Dagget Industries and marked it similarly. She flattened the pages of her journal so the blueprint drawing was spread out well right beside the city map. Then, she measured the distance between Wayne Enterprises and Dagget Industries to be about the length of her thumb to the tip of her middle finger and estimated its scaled size on John's drawing to appropriately mark Dagget Industries on the sewage map. From that, Lucy was able to roughly trace out the possible routes that they had taken to the surface…there were quite a few. But it still let her cross off a few of passages since she could suppose that they were most likely guarded or were in constant use.

"But which ones are not guarded…" Lucy mumbled to herself, biting on the end of her pen in thought. Lucy pushed the maps off of her lap and clambered off of the bed. She walked over to the railing, grabbing the cold, wet bar in her hands, and leaned over it. Her eyes swept over each of the expansive levels of the atrium, searching for some way or opening that could service her.

But from where she stood, Lucy could easily tell you that it would not be that simple. Around every bend, corner, or opening, there was a constant flood of mercenaries and guards, like worker ants constantly marching. Lucy was almost convinced if there was even the slightest hole in the wall, Bane had it covered.

Lucy let out an exasperated sigh. Perhaps she should have heeded Will's words a little more seriously. Scratching her head, Lucy put her thoughts back in order before deciding to take another look. Her fingers began to drum on the railing as her dark eyes took to scouring deeper into each level. For awhile, she remained luckless, till she found her eyes suddenly drawn to the mist collecting at the bottom of the waterfall. Lucy tilted her head curiously as she watched the mist roll and cloud for a moment before dissipating behind the waterfall, as if something was sucking the air in that direction, like a vacuum or opening. Furrowing her eyebrows together, Lucy craned her neck to get a better look, but soon realized she'd have to go down there in order to get a closer look.

Carefully avoiding the ever-so watchful eyes of Bane's men, Lucy quietly made her way down. She veered away from the populated work area and slipped into the shadows near the waterfall, pressing her back against the nearest wall. Sweeping her eyes around in the poorly lit area, Lucy took quick note of the fact that there were little to no guards here; well, there was actually a guard a few feet from the foot of the stairs, but Lucy was sure he was either hammered or one hell of a heavy sleeper. Either way, Lucy was in the right mind to think he posed little to no threat.

Lucy began to edge her way along the wall closer to the base of the waterfall, where her eyes were drawn to the dark space just behind it. As she drew closer, the sounds of metal clinking and the tell-tale signs of men at work were drowned out by the sound of rushing water. The air became damper and heavier with the mist and underfoot, her boots began to slide a bit on the wet concrete. The lighting began to get worse here, as the workers probably thought this place of little priority, so Lucy kept her hands pressed against the wall to guide herself. Suddenly, she stilled as she felt heavy drops of water began to fall on her head in succession. Looking upward, Lucy realized that she was standing right underneath the waterfall.

With the waterfall directly before her, Lucy pulled away from the wall and turned to face it instead. Her heart almost sank when she found nothing but solid wall before her. But, quickly dropping a downhearted gaze to her feet, she found a thick cloud of mist rolling around her ankles. Watching it for a moment, Lucy followed the cloud till it reached the bottom of the wall and suddenly disappeared. She immediately dropped to her knees and began to feel around the wall. Lower, lower she placed her hands till she felt cold, slick metal against her palms. She quickly waved her hands through the mist, dispelling it from sight, to reveal a wide metal grate with a latched door. Peering through the rusting bars, Lucy could see another tunnel with a low level of flowing water.

This could be it. Lucy thought to herself. This could be our way out.

She reached for the latch of the grate and lifted it. The grate made a protesting screech as its rusted joints swung open. With a cursory glance over her shoulder, Lucy stuck her upper torso into the opening and surveyed the expanse of the tunnel. She found a ladder attached to the wall just below the grate and she used it to slowly lower herself into the tunnel. Her boots made a small splash as she landed in the tunnel. She straightened up, her head barely skimming the ceiling of the tunnel, and began to head straight down the tunnel, away from where she came.

The tunnel was straight and wide with no interconnecting tunnels on either side. It was big enough to fit both her and Will, though, he would have to hunch over a bit, but that should be the least of their problems. She splashed on for a few more minutes till she saw the end of the tunnel where another ladder was mounted upon the wall, leading up to a manhole cover. Above her, the ceiling rumbled and she could faintly hear the sounds of Gotham's streets.

Lucy's heart jumped and she felt a weight lift from her shoulders.

She was so close she could feel it. But she had to let the wait extend for a bit more. So Lucy quickly turned on her boot and ran back down the tunnel, quickly reminding herself that she couldn't forget where she was and who she was with. If she just up and left, Bane would surely notice and go after her, possibly hurting Will or worse in the process. Plus, she didn't have her bag. Leaving at this very moment, would be counterintuitive.

Easily finding her way back, Lucy swiftly hoisted herself up the ladder and in through the grate. After quietly latching it shut, she tip-toed her way back up to her make-shift prison cell. Luckily, no one had noticed her absence. Kneeling by the bed, Lucy started to fold up the maps and stuff them in her satchel. She grabbed her journal, tore a sheet out, and scribbled down a set of simple instructions to give to Will.

'By the waterfall,

In two days time meet me there.

There's always a way.'

Disregarding the fact that it was all in the form of a haiku, Lucy hoped it was clear enough, as she folded it into the tiniest square she could manage and closed it in her fist.

Lucy went down to the lower level, skipping over the still knocked out guard. She walked straight into the work and construction area, keeping a tight hold on her wits and bravery. Lucy knew she was trodding into dangerous territory, especially on her own. Regardless of what she told Bane and the cold comfort the gun at her side brought, she wouldn't sell any of these men short of attacking her. Lucy knew the idea and fantasies were dawdling somewhere in their minds. She could feel it radiating in their stares as she walked passed.

Her steps quickened as she skirted by, her face a mask of indifference as she searched the throngs of men for boys who looked to be around her own age. She had feeling that Will had a right mind to stick with guys of his own caliber. Her theory was proved right when she finally found a small circle of teenage boys, all of them looking no younger than fifteen years old and far too innocent to be here, playing cards on an upturned crate. Will was the one shuffling and dealing the cards.

Lucy cleared her throat, making herself known. Immediately, the card game came to a standstill and all of the boys shot up from their seated or slouched positions. They stood at attention, chests puffed out and heads held high. Confused, Lucy looked behind her but found no one. Perhaps, they thought Bane had come to catch them unawares. Last time she checked, she was less than half the size of Bane, with a little more than half of a grasp on remorse, and had yet to kill or hurt someone.

"Lucy?" Will spoke up, causing the rest of the boys to finally take a look at who had interrupted them.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Lucy said, regarding each of the now staring boys with a gentle glance and nod.

At this, they relaxed significantly but continued to ogle her in a mix of curiosity and wariness. They have heard of her presence down here, heard the whispers of Bane's plans for her, but none, save for Will, had gotten to truly see her and make their own judgments about her. Now seeing the particularly petite and seemingly delicate girl did a bit of a spell on them and they were unsure of how to react.

"It's ok, guys. You didn't interrupt, Lucy," Will said, getting up and breaking up the awkwardness. He handed the deck of cards to one of the boys and they all silently sat down and returned to their game, as if Lucy hadn't interrupted at all. Will came to stand beside Lucy on the outskirts of the card game. "They just thought—"

"I know what they thought," Lucy interrupted with an understanding nod. She didn't turn to face him rather she stayed poised forward, her eyes settling on the card game.

Catching her drift, Will mirrored her stance. The only hint of their conversation was felt in the light brush of their upper arms and elbows.

"Right…" Will glanced over his shoulder, before looking back at the card game. "What are you doing here, Lucy? Being down here isn't particularly safe…for either of us. We could get into a lot of trouble. You heard Bane."

"Of course, I did. However, if you recall, he said he wouldn't be lenient if he caught you up there with me. He didn't say anything about me coming down here."

Will skeptically peered at her from the corner of his eye, finding her words a bit far-fetched and stretched past misinterpretation. "Sure about that?"

"Not really." Lucy quietly replied, shrugging, "But can you blame me for trying?"

"Maybe not, if there's a good reason behind you coming down here."

"There is. I had to give you this." They then made a clean and easy exchange, passing the square of paper to one another underneath their folded arms in subtle movements and their clothing serving as a good cover.

"What is this?" Will mumbled, tightening his fist around the note as his eyes scanned for any prying eyes that may have caught onto them.

"You'll find out when you open it. Do it as soon as possible and when you are alone. It's important."

"Better be, Lucy."

"There's method in my madness, Will." Lucy murmured to him. She took a step back and quickly met his eyes for a short moment, and said, "Trust me."

Will gave an indiscreet nod of his head before leaving her side to casually slip back into the card game; however, not before Lucy saw him tuck his hands and the note safely into his jacket pocket. The gesture prompted Lucy to take her leave, reminding herself that she couldn't take the chance of staying down here for too long. Will did a good job of keeping things quiet and subtle, and she had to do the same.

"Well, well, well, look at what we have here, boys."

Lucy stiffened at the gruff, grimy voice.

Well, what are the odds of that.

Kind of boring, but I swear TENSION IS BUILDING AS WE SPEAK...or write?

So I am writing this late at night after having a choir spring concert, in which we danced like zombies and sang the Beatles. Odd, I know. I'm a bit tired but still felt the need to finish this. In the process of writing a new set of chapters, I realized that this one had extended for almost twenty pages…I felt like it was too much for one chapter so I decided to split it up. Side note, I am hoping that the way Lucy found a way out of the sewers was somewhat plausible. I did the best I could with what little knowledge I had of the sewage systems. Also, I figured it was time for an escape plan…Like Bane, we all know Lucy never could sit idly by…So the next part of the chapter should be coming soon, in which we see what Lucy is truly made of…and we meet someone new too! Yay!

Till next time!