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Disclaimer: I own nothing at all but Raelene, the plot idea of mine and the handful of characters that make up the gang Gotham's Underground
Rae bit her lip as she thought, Bane's crushing tightened and made her utter an involuntary cry "I'm waiting for your answer, miss Eaddows, don't make me lose my patience" He growled, his face a few inches from hers as he looked her over, and noted how fast her heart was hammering through the pulsing vein in her neck, and how wide her eyes were stretched, she was afraid and he knew it, he could nearly taste it in the air, there was something else there as well, some form of excitement, but he dared not dwell on it, he did notice, however, the slight dilation of her pupils "Alright, we're in" She spoke, Bane releasing his hold on her and she fell against the wall, her face mirrored the pain that was throbbing through her bones, Bane couldn't help but notice, and this pleased him
"Excellent, I'll send someone in the morning to fetch you and your group in the morning, we can start training then" Rae nodded and then turned, Bane speaking up "Do not disappoint me, little Raelene" She rolled her eyes and took Sid by the wrist and lead him back down the stairs, the teen giving her a strange look "I thought you wanted to join him? Why'd you put up such a fight?" Rae smirked a little "Play reluctant, makes it easier to get what you want" Sid quirked an eyebrow "I don't think that Bane guy would take too kindly to you acting and messing with his head" She sighed "I wasn't acting, those reactions were real" Sid nodded once and watched as his boss turned around and went up the 'employees only' staircase and followed it up to a heavy door that lead to the rooms Lemmy rented out to her and the gang.
She unlocked the door to the room she shared with Maddie, surprised to find him up there, his blue hair spilling over the pillow, it was still damp, Rae assumed he had had a shower before she had come upstairs. Slowly she closed the door and tossed her boots in a corner, removing her jacket and hung it over the back of a chair. She wandered over to the milk crates that held their clothes, stripping out of her dirty jeans and removed her dusty shirt and sweater. Rae slipped on a pair of boxer shorts and a loose tank top and slowly slipped in to bed with Maddie, cuddling up to him, instinctively he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head
"Mmm, how did it go?" He asked, Rae sighed and cuddled into his chest, nuzzling his neck gently "He wants up, we're moving out tomorrow to begin training" She murmured softly, Maddie smiled "That's great, I can't believe that we finally found someone with the same interests as us that wanted to help" He murmured into her hair, nuzzling her and peppering her with kisses, Rae jumped a little, her foot banging against Maddie's injured thigh and the man hissed, drawing back from her "God I'm sorry...how's it feeling?" She asked indignantly, Maddie giving her a look "Lene I got shot and you just kicked it, how the fuck do you think it's feeling?"
He spat, she flinched a little, hurt seeping in to her expression, that look nearly killed him "I'm sorry" She murmured quietly, looking down, he sighed and pulled her tighter against him "It sucks, alright? But I'll live, I didn't mean to snap on you, I know it was only an accident" Rae nodded and nuzzled in to the hollow of his throat "It's okay Maddix, I forgive you" She whispered, the blue haired man held her as close as he possibly could as a heavy draft blew through their hotel room sized apartment "It's going to start snowing within the next few days" "Mmm, that's nice, I love the snow" Rae murmured, Maddie sighed.
"So Lemmy wants us to stop paying rent on the rooms, says he makes enough as a club owner" He spoke, listening to the sounds of her breathing "Why? We help pay for gas and water, not to mention other things as well. Why would he object to a little financial aid?" Maddie swallowed "He says it has something to do with the pitter patter of little boots around the apartment" Rae sat up, forcing him to sit up as well, and she gave him a shocked look "Maddie! You told me you were on the pill!" She exclaimed, poking his lower abdomen for effect, Maddie pushed her hand away "Raelene I'm serious"
Rae's laughter died quickly and she became very, very quiet "I don't want to Maddie, not again" She spoke, her eyes downcast "You know I can't get pregnant, I'm incapable of having children" His look softened "Jeremy said you can, it happens all the time with first time mothers" "MADDIX! Drop it, alright?!" She yelled, breaking away from him and laying down on the far side of the bed, curling up in a ball, Maddie clicked his tongue "Rae I didn't mean it that way, I just wanted to help. I thought that's what best friends do, they help each other?" He whispered, gently touching her shoulder "Don't be angry with me, please" She shrugged away from his touch "Fuck off!"
Maddie sighed "Look, I know that was insensitive of me, I shouldn't have said anything" He murmured, pulling her close again, this time she didn't fight him and easily fell back in to the sanctuary of his arms, letting him pull her body tight against his, her head against his chest. Rae heard the rhythmic thump-thump of his heart beating strong, she nuzzled his chest and he gently kissed the top of her head, running his fingers through the wild, tangled curls "Have you ever thought about us?" She asked, Maddie looked down at her "We've been over this many times, there is no us, we are better off with the situation we have now then when were when we had a relationship"
Rae looked up at him "So...not settling down? You don't ever think of that?" Maddie huffed "With our current situation, it's an impossibility" Rae became silent, and it stretched on for a good fifteen minutes, then Maddie had an idea and stared at her "Hey Raelene, wanna make babies?" He hissed, doing his best imitation of Ollie Nelson, their scruffy, gravelly voiced mechanic "No Maddie, I don't" He gave a wolfish grin "Who the hell is Maddie? You know I always thought you were hotter then hell" He whispered to her huskily, running a hand down from her chin to the flare of her hip "The way your clothing clings to your body gets me so-"
Rae giggled "Enough with the Ollie impression! Don't you dare finish that sentence" He smirked and growled "It gets my motor running" He rolled on top of her and nipped her neck and collarbone, Rae laughing and trying to push him off of her, he let out another throaty growl and tore her tank top open "Ooh, what d'we have here? Lacy n pretty underwear? Damn that gets my-" Rae put a finger to his lips and glared "I swear if you finish that, I won't have sex with you" Maddie stopped completely and stared down at her for a few seconds "You never want to role play with me" He spoke, Rae running her fingertips down his muscled chest and stomach, tracing the outline "No because you're the only one I want, and the baby too" She spoke, giving his stomach a quick rub, Maddie rolled his eyes and pressed his lips to hers, he was going to show her that a little bullet wasn't going to put him out of business.
A harsh knocking sound awoke Maddie early in the morning, groaning he stood up and pulled on a pair of jeans, his hair a gnarled mess from the previous night's activities. He opened the door and an armed man greeted him "Get dressed and get moving, we leave in half an hour" Maddie gave the man a look that screamed 'are you insiane? It's four in the morning' and slammed the door shut, going over to wake up Rae then hopped in the shower. Rae groaned and groped the bedside table for her packet of cigarettes then found the pack, lit one and lazily got dressed, pulling on a plain black undershirt and pulled a graphic tee over top of it. It had a silkscreened skull and vertebrae on the front, nothing too terribly special. After that she pulled on her thick black hoodie and her leather jacket, Maddie tossing on whatever was clean and warm, his leather sliding on with ease.
They did up their boots, combed hair and brushed teeth, then they slowly left the room and started down the stairs towards the club. Rae opened the doors and was greeted by her family, she returned the greeting and sat down at a table, the armed man spoke "You have been contracted to do a very important job, like all that Bane has requested to work under him, you are required to do a job that caters to each one of your individual skills. Housing may prove difficult, Bane will probably request that you move in to the tunnels, or to the buildings around the plant, you will stay there without argument, regardless of opinion"
Ollie snorted quietly "Get a load of this pompous ass, who the hell does he think he is? Father arson from the church of anarchy?" Naomi giggled softly beside him, her white blonde curls bouncing slightly as she hid her face, trying to detain her fit of laughter "Shh, Ollie, you're making me laugh!" She whispered, looking up at the man speaking, Rae raised an eyebrow "What if we refuse to move? What will you do then? What if we don't want to obey?" The man shuffled a little, facing the angry glares bravely "You will be tested on your skills, do not disappoint or you will be terminated, is that clear?"
Rae stood up again "You will not harm any of my family, or I will terminate you, do I make myself clear? If you have a problem, take it up with me, if your leader has an issue with me, I'll deal with it, got it?!" She growled, there were murmurs around the room, most in agreement with Rae, the man swallowed nervously "Alright then, follow me" The group stood up and followed the man out the back doors, Rae sighing softly "This is ridiculous" She muttered as they were loaded in to the trailer of a shipping truck, Maddie nodding in agreement to her statement "Where the hell do they plan on sticking us anyways? We're a group of fifty strong last time I counted, housing is going to become an issue"
Rae took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze "We'll figure it out, after all, we didn't always have nice rooms to stay in" Maddie smirked "Those nights in the warehouse were strange, weren't they?" Rae nodded once and smiled at her family, they were busy getting settled in to the back of the trailer, the armed man shutting the heavy doors with a loud 'BANG!'. Naomi looked up from applying a bright red lipstick, her eyes finding Sid's "Sid are you going to make Molotov's for them?" She asked, Sid nodded "Of course, they don't call me Sidney Butane for nothin', you know" Naomi batted her eyelashes at him and Sid made a small growling noise, Rae shaking her head and leaned against the steel wall, the cold piercing through her leather jacket, Maddie pulling her close "I love it when it snows" He murmured, referring to the overcast skies this morning, winter was well on its way, that was for sure.
They drove for thirty minutes, maybe more, she couldn't have been sure, the road they had been on had been terribly rough, although not one member of her gang had said a word to her, she knew that they were all thinking the same thing. The truck rolled to a slow stop and the man exited the cab, taking a slow breath and opened the door, his eyes half closed, red and puffy "Follow me, leader up in front" He spoke, Rae stood up and exited the trailer, Maddie following close behind, flanked by Sid and Naomi, Ollie and Jeremy behind them, the rest of the group following closely. Rae quickly swept her gaze over the old saw mill, her eyes resting on a rather large hole in the ground "Down the rabbit hole, Alice"
The man taunted, Rae held her tongue and tried not to think of what viruses lurked on the ladder as she climbed down, wiping her hands on her pants as soon as she could and wrinkled her nose as the putrid smell of human waste assaulted her. Maddie groaned loudly "Who the fuck hides out in a sewer?" He demanded, Rae threw a warning glance at him and waited until their guide came to the front of the pack "Follow close" He ordered, the group following him through the damp sewer, the scent of mildew strong in the air as they followed the tight passage, slowing their pace as they came upon a large hole gaping hole in the wall. The hole that connected Gotham's underground tunnels and the sewer had rough edges, and it was most likely made with some low grade explosives.
The hole was large enough for all of them to fit through comfortable, although one still had to be careful, there were pieces of metal gridding that sticking out from the jagged cement hole, come dangerously sharp, Rae did her best not to think about what diseases lived on the rusty peg. "This way" The man spoke, Jackie rolled his eyes impatiently, a cigarette hanging from his lips as he carefully stepped along the loosely packed gravel floor, his eyes forward, Ollie approaching him "I think Rae's lost 'er mind" Jackie stared down at him "Do not speak ill of her around me, she has our best intentions at heart and you know that. If you would like to leave, than leave, no one is stopping you, but I will remain loyal to this family. Besides, one could say the same about you, Oliver"
He spoke, trudging along at a rather slow pace that irritated Ollie, Jackie's long strides and the strange gait he had when he walked made him seem like a lumbering idiot, carefree, but he knew it was the opposite. Jackie was the enforcer, a scary looking rude boy from Louisiana with a mean streak not to be reckoned with and emotions that hardly ever made their way to the surface "Jackie, you're a bitch" Ollie spat, Jackie stopped and grabbed the mechanic by his shirt and lifted him high above the ground "I ought to pound you in to dust, you slimy little-" Rae walked up to them "Enough, Jackson Andante you put him down right now" Jackie dropped Ollie faster then a dish rag on fire, the ornery mechanic picking himself up off the ground and dusted himself off, Rae turned to him "As for you, Oliver, I have had enough of this behaviour, I have told you numerous times to stop picking on Jackson and have you listened to me?" Ollie glared, Raelene tapped her foot "I'm waiting for your answer, mister Nelson"
He did not meet her gaze, he was being scolded like the naughty child he was "No ma'am" "Do I treat you with respect?" Ollie nodded, he had to agree, Rae was the sweetest girl he had ever had the pleasure of knowing "Yes, you do" Rae gave him a look "Then treat others with the same respect that I get, they are just as deserving of it as I am, and probably more than myself as well. I will not ask you again to refrain from antagonizing the other members again, do I make myself clear?" Ollie nodded once, he hated it when Rae got angry with him, it was embarrassing for him because rather then strike him, she scolded him in front of his peers. It was both humiliating and dominating, although he could see it in her eyes, she hated punishing any of them.
Not once had she used any force on any of them, not once had he seen her lay a finger on someone out of anger, no, instead she corrects this behaviour in front of everyone, and each time she did it, it degraded the hell out of him. The armed man made an annoyed noise "Let's hurry it up, alright?" He demanded, Rae ground her teeth in agitation and made her way to the front of the group, stopping to glare at the armed man "Talk down to us one more time and Bane will be receiving your skull as a birthday present" She barked, all of what she had once had for a good mood had completely gone, her positive energy dissipated until she was left an annoyed, short -fused time bomb.
Maddie could feel the anger coming off of her, but he dared not say a word about it, least he receive a verbal lashing. The armed guard stuttered at her comment then turned, leading them deeper in to the tunnels, Luna making a soft noise when it got eerily dark "I can't see a bloody thing" She muttered softly, she nearly tripped over her boots, Ozzy stopping to catch her "Careful" He murmured, resting a hand on the small of her back, Luna thanked him and continued on her way. Rae tilted her head slightly, the faint sound of rushing water tickled her eardrums and she found this a bit strange, normally one wouldn't hear such a sound this deep in to the tunnels, and as they rounded a tight right corner the dark lifted and the room opened up in to what looked like the inside of a mining operation, a massive, well lit cavern around them.
There were steel grate walkways everywhere and it lined the walls, forming caged pathways for the workers to easily walk from one end of the cavern to the other. Off to the right was a catwalk that lead to a sectioned off area with large computers sitting patiently, they were extremely dated but Rae assumed they were there for a reason. Her eyes soon fell on a man sitting with a very slouched posture, a thick novel in his hands. She then realised she was looking at the man who had recruited her and he looked frustrated, like he had just hit a deep plotline in the book that both infuriated him and confused him. The armed guard looked at Bane and cleared his throat, and those predatory eyes flicked up, the startlingly cold brown gaze landed upon Rae, and for a moment they made eye contact, her soft grey eyes no match for the pools of liquid amber and she broke his gaze. Bane stood up and approached them on the catwalk, his combat boots making heavy sounds on the thick grate, the armed man stared at his employer nervously, Rae let her eyes wander from his boot clad feet to his bare torso, her eyes lingering there for a moment longer then they should have.
With each step she saw the heavy muscles roll and move under his skin, the slight dampness from the cave and the light spray from the water fall made little droplets of water stick to his exposed flesh, adding strange effect to him. Her gaze then moved and made it up to his face, Bane made a quiet noise "Observing me quite closely aren't you, miss Eaddows" Rae felt her cheeks flush slightly, but she met his gaze bravely, unsure if the look in his eyes was annoyance or curiosity "I can't determine if you are my friend or my foe yet" Bane shook his head, she was lying and he fully intended to punish her for it, but later, when she was alone. If there was one thing he couldn't stand for, it was deceit "I see. You were looking for a weakness in me that you could use against in combat if the time arose. You may keep looking if you so wish, but I assure you, you won't find one" He spoke coldly, looking at them, scrutinizing each and every man and woman in the group.
"You will be split up according to the skills you have, those with experiences with explosives and pyrotechnics shall follow Saul" He spoke, motioning to the armed man with such grace it amazed her, how could a man with such a hulking physique move with such fluidness? She was snapped out of her internal thoughts when Sid, Jerri and Alannah looked to Rae, who gave her nod of approval and they went to Saul's side. This went on for almost an hour, Bane meticulously splitting everyone up based on skill, soon only three were left, the monster stepped back, allowing Rae to take the floor "Send them with someone that you see fit" He spoke, testing her to see if she had actually been paying attention "Lynda go with Patty, Jeremy you stay with me, Luna go with Samuel, I'm sure you'll all be fine"
She spoke, Bane gave her a cold stare, then turned his attentions to the man standing in front of them "What is your name?" He barked, the doctor met the gaze bravely "Jeremy Thorne" Bane put his hands behind his back and took half a step forward, Jeremy flinched and stepped back "I-I'm a doctor...sir..." Bane nodded once "I see, someone we can use!" He had spoken in a somewhat bright tone that had taken Rae by surprise "You may follow that walkway to the upper level, you will stay there until someone comes to collect you" Bane spoke, watching the confused and terrified doctor scramble away, loving how he didn't have to say a single threatening word to the man, he just knew how to act and respect him
"What do you want me to do?" Rae asked, he focused his gaze back down on the black haired girl in front of him "You, my dear, will be helping me plan for a heist involving the stock exchange in west Gotham" Bane spoke, turning on his heel and beckoning her to follow with a wave of his hand "Come along, little Raelene" Rae tread lightly on the grate catwalk until they came to a large area that jutted out from the rock wall, the floor was the same metal grate as the catwalk, the walls were made out of the same material as the floor, a tattered blanket acted as a roof of sorts, keeping the computer equipment dry from the moisture the waterfall produced. Bane took out a large envelope from inside the desk the computers sat on and removed a delicately folded blue paper from the packet and spread it out on another deck, tacking the corners down and beckoned Rae over beside him
"These are the blueprints for the Gotham stock exchange building, for your sake I have taken the liberty to mark all the exits and places where security guards will be stationed" He spoke, his breath hot on her neck, a large arm on either side of her, pinning her in front of him. Something about the situation didn't feel right to her at all "You will be stationed here" He spoke in her ear, pointing to a place on the map directly on a stairwell. Rae placed her finger where his had been just moments earlier, and she saw the muscles tense in his arm as he grabbed her wrist and flipped her, lifting her up and slamming her in to the wall, the suddenness of the attack had badly startled her, and her skull had bounced off of the grate wall, stunning her for a moment.
Bane raised his hand to grab her neck and she landed a hard kick to the center of his chest, startling him enough to take half a step back and loosen his grip on her wrist. Rae grabbed his wrist with her free hand and pulled herself as close to his arm as she could and kicked the underside of his arm and his ribs, He snarled at her and whipped her across the room, adrenaline coursing through his body, his eyes blazing with desire for one thing, dolling out punishment for the lie she had told earlier. He wasn't blind, he knew she was sizing him up as a potential mate, as all humans do to one another, but whether or not she realised she had gotten caught 'checking him out'...well that was a different story, and he didn't appreciate it much at all.
Rae's back collided with the grate wall and she groaned, rolling onto her stomach as Bane grabbed at her, she rolled onto her side and swept out a leg to catch him off guard. He went down on one knee and Rae kicked under his chin, his head snapping upwards as she went in for another kick and he grabbed her ankle so tightly she crippled under his grip and he pulled her forwards, twisting the ankle just hard enough to sprain it. Rae whimpered and ground her teeth, kicking at him again, the blow catching the large behemoth on the side of his head. If he could have smirked, he would have, this one had a fire in her, and it showed while she continued to fight him, however her defiance in not staying down was wearing thin on him.
He picked her up, then threw her to the ground, kicking her ribs and stomach. Rae looked up at him and gave one last desperate kick aimed at his knee, Bane grabbing her throat and lifting her up off the ground, blood staining her lips and chin. Bane reached up with his free hand and gently wiped some of the blood off of her bottom lip, which was spit wide open, Rae taking desperate breaths and he glared at her so fiercely her blood ran cold "Rule one, don't lie to me, it's a mistake that if made, could prove fatal" Rae panted and watched him, he let her go and she fell onto the metal floor, coughing and hugging herself, holding her ribs and checking to see if any were broken. Her fingertips hit an extremely sore spot and she inwardly hissed, he had broken a few of her ribs "Fuck" She spat, picking herself up off the ground slowly and leaning against the grate wall.
She felt as if she was going to vomit, or pass out, whichever came first, her face pale. Bane watched her with smug curiosity, pain was such an exquisite expression on her face, and with the added bloody lip and broken bones, it made him tilt his head, amusement making it's way in to his eyes, then he watched confused as she, one by one began to push the ribs back in to place, and rather stupidly at that. He observed this for a while, the decided to speak "Unless you follow the rules and guidelines that I set for you and your little gang strictly, three broken ribs will be the minimal punishment" He spoke, Rae glaring up at him with a look of pure hate. Yes, she was angry with him and he knew it, but it was a deserved punishment, he wanted to be able to trust her, and how could he with her denying his accusations? "Little Raelene, don't make me lose my temper again"
Aah, sorry if Bane seemed a little OOC in this chapter, I'm just learning how to write him.
If you are wondering about Rae's obsession with the germs, Raelene suffers from mild Mysophobia
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