Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews, especially to my avid readers, Bookluvr88, Shimmering Evil, The13thConspiracy, DarkFairy207, Gaara-Frenzy, Alya Kihaku, BrokenCalibre, and Mehguhn. I enjoy all of your reviews :D I enjoyed writing the last chapter. Hope you enjoy reading this one.
City in Pieces
Chapter Fifty: Travel en Route
Burgas, Bulgaria bordered the Southern Black Sea Coast. Chance had questioned Bane's particular insight about the city, and, since he was polylingual in the subject of geography, he gave her the description in a tourism-aspect. Chance hadn't been familiar with the country, merely because she had no interest in traveling there, and in her childhood was only dreaming of life in Italy, France, London, and Spain. Bulgaria, in other words, wouldn't have been her first choice.
According to Bane's tourist speech, Burgas was a fine time to visit at any time of the year. Built by the sea and surrounded by lakes, it was blessed with cool summers and warm winters. He told her that Burgas was surrounded by actually three lakes, but didn't give her detailed descriptions. Pavel wasn't a diver or a fisherman; he wasn't going to be interested in the luxuries of the bodies of water, but on the land.
According to Bane, Burgas had fifteen districts, but he had pin pointed the possible location of Pavel and his family to Slaveikov: it was a living area, which didn't attract tourists, no beach, and was surrounded by the 'Asen Zlatarov' University buildings. Bane had given the men the route to Bulgaria.
They were going to travel by plane, a direct flight there. Although flights were only current from London to Bulgaria, Bane had arranged a travel guide, another agent of the League of Shadows, who owned his own travel route. Apparently, this was the sort of transaction where a rich man could actually buy 'air'. Chance didn't feel the need to comment on such a topic: Bane was already up to date about how she felt toward the social elite.
After the plane landed, Bane had given instructions to selected groups of the League. All of them would use the central train station that was located in the very heart of Burgas, much like how Wayne Tower made Gotham's railroads run. In Burgas, the train was the travel-by way to get to summer resorts, villages, and of course the Center District where shopping areas and restaurants were located. Each group of men would end up in the designated city, searching homes inconspiciously, which was during the day while people weren't home, and establishments, such as the Universities and work places.
Bane advised the men to use the accepted ways to travel, which was by using the bus routes and hitchhiking. Apparently in Bulgaria, hitchhiking wasn't as bad as it was in Gotham. The odds of actually getting out of a car, unscathed, in Gotham were like ½. Considering the crime rate, rape was like the least amount of harm.
Since Pavel was like any other citizen, he wouldn't work and go home in that order. As a man of knowledge, it was very likely that he would sight see, so Bane handed the agents (and Chance), a list of what he could be seeing. Pavel would be visiting museums; according to Bane's information log, Burgas ad four museums: Ethnographic (arts, crafts, and dances); Archaeological (Ancient roman and Ancient Green antiques); Historical (history of other but most of the flower compositions stay for the public until the late summer.
Bane's advise to search the bars and clubs for Pavel was out of far stretches, but he hinted that Pavel, too, was, again, a man. Men loved to drink. Chance had pointed out that Bane didn't drink, and he had only given her a pointed look, indicating his mask. But nevertheless, he handed her the lists of social clubs: Addict (which was a disco, commerical music place); Alibi (retro parties, black parties, and disco); Broadway (a cafe and bar served with cocktails); Caribe (an open air bar lightened with Latino and pop music); Dover Strait (bar and cigars); Elita Poka Club (disco and fok music); and London Pub and Restaurant (homemade English food, local beers and wine, and actually owned and ran by the English).
When Bane finished, Chance merely stared at him.
"You did your homework," was what she could say.
"Long ago," said Bane, sitting behind the desk. "I already knew this from the past."
"Right, a good memory," said Chance with a smile.
"Yes." Bane said.
Chance sighed. She set the stack of papers down in front of him and plopped into a chair beside him.
"These twist of fates are starting to give me whiplash, Bane," Chance admitted tiredly.
"It keeps you on your toes." Bane said. "I didn't give you five years of my time for it to fly out one ear and out the other." He met her eyes. "You were playing hunter when you should have been playing the role of listener."
"That's why you wanted me in Italy in the first place, Bane. You said that you needed me."
"I did. I still do," he commented casually. "You passed my test."
"I still don't understand why you don't trust me." Chance muttered.
"I don't understand why you don't trust me."
Chance glanced his way.
"I trust you."
Bane shook his head.
"No, you don't." He sat up straight in the office chair. "Had you really trusted me, you would've let me take every last breath from you. Right now, you would cease to exist."
Chance stared at him.
"So if I let you kill me," she said slowly, trying to understand his meaning, "then that will show you that I can trust you with my...life?"
"No. That would be stupid." Bane stated.
"I don't understand what you're trying to say," sighed Chance, lying her head against the back of the chair.
"Fighting me was good," explained Bane. "I don't expect you to sit in front of me and take the beatings. It's your eyes."
"My eyes?"
"You're terrified of me, still."
"Isn't that what you want?"
"I actually would rather have your respect than your fear, Lieutenant." Bane chuckled. "What good are you to me if you can't follow orders because you're scared?" He didn't expect an answer. "What you are trying to do now is transition from being my second-in-command to being my equal. Sometimes, I won't be there to hold your hand; you'll have to make your own decisions."
"And when that time comes, you will cease to exist." Chance remarked softly.
"Why are you candid with me now, Chance? A few hours ago, you could say nothing."
"You're not talking to me in ranks, Sir," answered Chance. "You're speaking to me as if I am your friend." Chance shifted in her chair. "That's what you and Talia do, after all..."
Whatever Bane was going to say or not, it was forestalled when the large screen in front of them illuminated the otherwise dimly lit room and the picture came in. Chance already knew who it was going to be: Ace, apparently, had some news.
Ace had set up a monitor, apparently, where instead of being installed on a laptop, it was hooked into what Chance could make out was the visage of a video recorder. The familiar moving of the screen indicated that Ace was holding it. Bane and Chance said nothing as they both watched with curiosity. The light hit their faces, and they could make out the scene.
What was being filmed was the inside of a large bank. Chance recognized it as Gotham's First Bank: the marble floors, the pillars around the walls; fancy counters and well-dressed tellers; glass doors—well, remnants of a door. Chance watched as a large school bus slammed through them. What was going on was obviously an armed robbery, but on a much bigger scale. Chance and Bane, both intrigued, watched a goon be shot down. The dead man was wearing one of the face masks that Chance had the unpleasant opportunity to see. The camera was wiggling badly, showing the dead man. Suddenly a voice from behind caught the attention of the carrier, who aimed the camera lens steadily at a fallen teller man, dressed in a fine, brown suit.
Ace's voice was closest; she was the camera woman.
"Well, well, well, look at what we have here," said Ace's shrill voice; she obviously was enjoying herself. The familiar shriek delight followed afterward. Ace directed the camera at herself. Chance saw the wide smile before saw the eyes.
"Hi, Chance," said Ace brilliantly. Chance assumed that Ace could see them as well through a flipped out section of the camera: Ace might have stolen it from an electronic store, picking the most expensive one and taking it. Chance smiled at Ace. Bane merely watched from the desk. "Oh, and Sir," Ace aimed her voice at Bane. "You guys look comfy...Oh, look, he wants to talk..." Ace aimed the film toward the man who was down. His shoulder looked shot. He was glaring pass the camera, then his eyes glowered at Chance and Bane.
"There was a time when people believed in honor...respect..." he sputtered. Ace's scoff was heard from the side. But the man wasn't talking to Ace anymore. He was yelling at someone else. "So what do you believe in, huh? What do you believe in?"
Then a man came into view, hovered over the injured teller's body, and stuck a smoke grenade into the teller's mouth like a pacifier to an infant. Ace chuckled. Chance already knew who was wearing the goon mask before he took it off. He withdrew it. The camera jiggled as Ace apparently squatted down behind the man's body, aimed the lens at the uncovered face. After only about a month, Joker looked almost...well...
Sexy, Chance though to herself, staring at the man's face.
"I believe," remarked Joker, gazing down at the man, "whatever doesn't kill you...makes you...stranger." He gave him a smile. Ace held the camera to her face.
"Isn't he a funny man..."
From out of view, Joker's voice—
"ACE!"
"Coming, Boss!" Ace called out. As she ran toward what now was the school bus that bombarded the doors, Ace pulled into a back seat and aimed her camera at her face.
"Our first step," she said breathlessly, "is complete. How's your end?"
"It's a working process," said Chance, disgruntled.
Joker uttered something. Ace pointed the camera at Joker. Chance frowned.
"Hm. You look swell." Joker commented. He paused. "You look a little grumpy."
"I am grumpy," said Chance.
"That's unfortunate because I'm having some fun of my own. After all, it's all...part of the plan."
"You have no plans." Chance retorted, rocking back and forth in her chair.
"That's what you think. Ace, give me the camera. You're driving. I'm a bit tired."
From out of view, Ace said, "You got it, boss."
Chance watched the camera follow Ace up the bus aisles. She clamored into a seat, stuck the gear in DRIVE, and backed out of the bank. Chance saw school buses lining up through the right side of the street. They were among other buses.
Ace started counting down,
"One, two, three..." Wait for it. In a split second, a loud explosion corroded the silence in the bus, and the grenade in the bank blew up. Ace and Joker broke into fits of laughter. Chance glanced at Bane, who merely shook his head.
"Turn it off," said Bane.
Chance reached for the remote. The projector died as the light fell from the source. Chance sighed.
"Well," she said, "at least they're doing their part."
Bane nodded.
"When do we go to Bulgaria, Sir?" asked Chance curiously.
"Tomorrow."
"Then I'll start packing."
"Unnecessary," said Bane, waving a hand dismissively. "Nothing in there is ours, anyway."
Chance smiled.
Bane indicated the desk drawer closest to her.
"Go ahead and open that."
"Another one of your tests?"
Bane gave her look. "Just do it."
Chance opened the drawer slowly. In it, there was a bottle of Champagne and a long case.
"They're yours," he told her.
Chance took the long case questionably.
"Open it."
Chance did it without reluctance. She had expected some jewelry, which wasn't like Bane. Instead, she was given a better present: a large grin stretched along her face. Chance withdrew a gold-plated dagger, sharpened to a hard point. The handle was made of fine wood.
She looked at him. When she couldn't say what she wanted to do so, he merely sighed, popped out of the bottle, handed it to her, and said in a definite voice,
"You're welcome."
