A/N: So this chapter took longer than expected because I wasn't sure whether I should introduce a certain element this early on in the story. You'll realize what I'm talking about after you read the chapter. Ultimately, I decided to go for it, because what matters is the aftermath and how Bane copes with the discovery. Warning, I'm reaaally playing with canon here. I also mess around with the temporal scheme in a subtle way. Basically, this is AU in the biggest sense. So I hope you can swallow that.
Many, many thanks to the awesome people who reviewed and to the anonymous reviewer, BeautifulAngel (I'm happy you like Jen so far, I hope I can keep writing her consistently).
Enjoy :)
"Come here, Mouse. Let me give you a kiss."
Jen dodged the knife before it touched her face.
She could see the man was not playing anymore.
Barsad licked his lips, grinning. His face contorted in pain. He'd forgotten he shouldn't smile. The bandages made him look like a much older man.
"Let me take your lips. The way you took my nose."
Jen pushed herself against the wall and jumped over his body. She rolled on the floor towards the other end of the room.
A few men were watching them, cheering wanly. She didn't know whom they were cheering for.
The air in the room was stale. It smelled like shit and dry piss.
She wondered if she should stop running and just let him do it. They'd been going at it for the better part of an hour. So far, she'd earned five scratches, two blows on her back and a nasty bruise under her ribs. Barsad had forbidden the other men from touching her. He said he wanted to "carve her pretty little face" himself.
She was tired and hungry. She would have been scared too, but she was moving too fast. Everything was happening too fast. She didn't have time to think about anything else.
She had already tried to make several escapes into the tunnels, but the men always pulled her by her legs and threw her back into the "ring".
She was their new toy.
And Jen knew what men did with their toys.
She straightened her back and prepared for the worst as Barsad launched into another attack.
She growled and climbed onto his back as he lifted her over his shoulder. He jeered and spun her in his arms, as if he were carrying his bride. The men jeered with him.
Jen felt her head spinning too.
She kicked him in the shin-bone and they both landed on the floor, where they wrestled each other, arm to arm.
Barsad overpowered her small body. His hands were around her neck and this time, it looked like she would stay put. The blade was cool and damp on her chin. Maybe she was ready, after all.
Would it hurt that much?
She knew he wouldn't kill her. He just wanted to get back at her, tooth for tooth. If she grit her teeth and shut her eyes and made her body stand still, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I mean she'd suffered worse injuries, except no one had done anything to her face before.
Her hands traveled down to his chest. He was broad, but slim. She almost smiled. Her hands traveled lower to his stomach.
"Now, don't move, Mouse," Barsad mouthed, running the blade smoothly against her lips.
The skin broke. Her head shifted to the right, but he held it in place.
Her fingers slipped across his length and reached their destination. At first she only cupped them, but when she suddenly wrenched his balls, Barsad dropped the blade and yelped, as if he'd been bitten again.
She squeezed him tighter. He almost collapsed over her body, but she held a hand over his chest.
"You don't wanna get up quickly. I don't need a knife to rip them off. I've done it many times. Broke some fingers. It was worth it," she told him calmly, watching his panic-stricken face with interest.
"Don't," Barsad moaned.
"Pick up the knife you dropped. Pick it up. That's it."
Barsad held the blade with trembling fingers.
"Put it in my pocket," she instructed him gently. "Yeah, the one on my shirt. Now, listen. I'm sorry about your nose. I didn't wanna hurt you. But I can't let you cut my lips. I need them, for now."
Barsad closed his eyes when her fingers pinched him again.
"I'm gonna count back from three. When I reach one, you're gonna slowly get up and walk away. I'm not gonna do anything. Okay?"
Barsad seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then nodded his head in compliance.
"Okay. Ready? Three. Two. One –"
Barsad felt her fingers untangling from his testicles. Anger welled up in him and he reached back for the knife in her pocket. He wasn't going to give up just cuz a little girl had threatened his manhood.
He was fast, but not fast enough.
Jen was expecting something like this. She didn't like it, but she was ready to do it.
"Sorry, Barsad."
She knew the exact movements, the precision required, the pressure. By the time he got back the knife, she'd already locked his waist between her legs, opening up for him.
And then, in a matter of moments, she'd brought both hands on his scrotum and blood started spurting from the fresh wound.
The desperate cries he made as he fell back in agony were hard to listen to.
He started wailing and screaming as the blood kept pouring out.
Jen closed her eyes. She hated this part. Then she lifted herself up and wiped her hands on her pants. Her fingers hurt. She couldn't move them well.
All the men around her had stepped back in awe and disgust.
"He needs to go to the hospital. He needs to go now," she informed them, her voice barely audible over Barsad's howls.
She picked up the knife that had fallen on the ground.
When she turned to leave, no one stood in her way. She made her way out through one of the tunnels. No one followed her. They didn't have to.
There were henchmen positioned at every exit.
She had nowhere to go.
Jen collapsed against the wall of the tunnel. She turned on her stomach and opened her mouth to vomit. She hadn't eaten in days. She had only slept four hours in three days. And it was going to get much worse.
She took out the knife from her pocket. She's promised Selina she'd never do it. But this seemed as good a time as any.
And anyway, she wouldn't hate her for it. Anyone would do the same in her position, wouldn't they?
If I don't die now, I'll die later, she told herself. She was already starving and exhausted. She'd maybe survive one more day, but what was the use?
Selina, a voice in her head reminded her.
No, Selina will have to take care of herself, she argued.
But she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure if the only friend she had in this world would be able to take care of herself, after all.
She hesitated. Selina was just as alone as she was.
The choice was taken out of her hands. She passed out.
This was the second time she was waking up in an unfamiliar place. She was lying on a shabby looking bed. A blanket covered her legs. She was naked from the waist down, only T-Shirt and panties. The room looked cozier than anything she'd seen so far. Maybe Selina had found her. Maybe she was back home, or the closest to home she'd ever been.
"I know you are awake."
Her head was pounding. The beast was looking down on her. He was just as tall and strong as she'd remembered. His mask looked like a giant spider.
"Why am I half-naked? I mean, I don't mind. Just wondering," she said, pulling the blanket around her as she sat up.
"Your other articles of clothing couldn't be salvaged. Too much blood," he explained.
"Oh. Got it," she said, rubbing her bleary eyes. "Thanks, I guess."
Then, she smiled bitterly. "Why did you bring me here? This is your room, right?"
Bane chose not to reply. He was standing with his back now, busying himself with a saucepan on a table in front of her.
"If you want to have sex, it's fine. Just ask. I told you I'd do just about anything to keep Selina safe."
His movements stopped abruptly. His shoulders rose.
"You entertain absurd notions, child."
Child.
The word seemed to suggest she was far too young to be speaking of such things. She rolled her eyes. She was twenty-three, but you couldn't tell from looking at her. Most people thought she was seventeen.
He suddenly turned to her and walking to her bedside, set down something on the nightstand.
It was a bowl filled with a viscous liquid.
"You should eat."
Jen almost toppled over the bed. She grabbed the bowl without being told twice. She didn't care what was in it. Her stomach was growling.
Bane eyed her with curiosity. He sat on a long bench, grabbing the barrel of a gun and a piece of cloth. He started cleaning.
Jen emptied the bowl surprisingly fast. It was some kind of stew.
"More," she croaked and raised the bowl.
Bane's eyes crinkled in amusement. She was so demanding. She didn't seem to care he was holding so many weapons.
"Already?"
He got up and walked across the room.
"You'll get another one after you answer my questions."
Jen pulled back the dirty strands of hair from her face and tried to stay alert, despite the fact that she was on the verge of falling asleep again.
"Yes?"
"Who taught you how to do that?"
"Do what?"
"Don't play stupid now, Mouse."
Jen swallowed. Her mouth tasted like acid.
"And don't tell me it was Miss Kyle. She would never get her hands so dirty. Limb separation is a fine, but gruesome art. Very few practice it."
Jen lowered her eyes.
"You'd be surprised what she can do."
"Who taught you, Mouse?"
"No one," she replied, raising her chin. "I picked it up by myself. It's not an art."
Bane shook his head.
"If you are going to use such advanced skills, you'd best learn how to hide them."
Jen rolled her eyes dramatically.
"You make it sound like I'm some kind of ninja."
"Who taught you?" he asked again.
"Santa Clause," she replied stubbornly.
"Either you are very stupid or very stubborn. Do not make this difficult."
"I am telling the truth. He's got a training camp at the North Pole."
"I know your weakness, Mouse. Miss Kyle is sleeping in her apartment right now. I can even tell you how many breaths she's taken since she's fallen asleep. I am watching her."
Jen clenched her fists in her lap.
"Is Barsad alive?"
"Don't avoid the question. It will only make me less amiable."
"As if," she scoffed.
His demeanor changed from slightly amused to downright furious in moments.
"Do not provoke me."
I can't – I can't tell you," she said, turning several degrees whiter.
Bane's eyebrows furrowed.
"It's not a question of what you can or cannot do. You must tell me."
Jen remained silent.
"You are treading on dangerous waters."
"I'm sorry, I can't –"
"Enough! When I tell you to speak, you speak. When I tell you to die, you die. I hold your life in my hands. I hold all of Gotham. Including your beloved Miss Kyle."
"My father," she croaked out at length.
Bane raised his eyebrows.
"Your father?"
Jen nodded, her face ashen. She'd never spoken about him to anyone, not even Selina. But Bane was a different matter.
"He's not around anymore."
"Who was your father?"
"Some crazy old fart," she muttered, looking down at the scratches on her thighs.
"You'll have to do better than that."
Jen made a face. "You don't get it, bad things happen when I mention my dad. All you need to know is that he was insane enough to teach me that stuff."
"I see he didn't instill a sense of discipline in you. Nor did he advise you to speak the truth to your superiors."
Jen threw him a look.
"He always told me to lie through my teeth."
Bane's eyes crinkled with amusement again.
"Tell me his name."
Jen ran a hand through her hair. It felt like a giant nest. She really needed a shower.
"You don't want to know him, okay? He's dead. What's the point, anyway?"
"You don't have to understand, Mouse. I simply require a name."
Jen was at the end of her tether. She really wanted another bowl of soup, a hot shower, a warm bed and maybe some peace and quiet. But you can't have it all.
"I do not wish to harm Miss Kyle, but I will."
Jen squirmed, but remained silent.
"You would sacrifice the beloved friend you hold so dear?" Bane asked, feigning surprise.
"No."
"Well then?"
Jen suddenly threw the blanket away and jumped off the bed. She reached out for one of the guns he'd been cleaning, but she was lunged back on the mattress. She should have known he was not one of his henchmen.
He'd grabbed her by both legs before she had time to make another step.
One hand was holding her by the ankles, the other was wrapped around her neck. The enormous fingers looked comical across her tiny body.
His mask now appeared to her like a giant octopus, ready to suck her in.
"Were you trying to kill me with my own guns?"
She shrugged.
"S-Something like that," she sputtered, trying to get air in her lungs.
"Do you really want this to be over, Mouse? I can make it happen. I can turn off the light on both you and Miss Kyle in the blink of an eye."
Jen felt tears prickle her eyes. The dirt made them sting.
"I can't say his real name. But they called him Henri Ducard."
Bane released her so fast, she almost lost her breath.
Jen rolled to the other side of the bed, coughing.
"So yeah," she said, "I hope that satisfies your goddamn curiosity."
Bane had turned away from her.
"You lie."
Jen stood up, gaping.
"What?"
"You wish to confound me, you stupid little thing. What did I tell you about lying to your superiors?"
Jen blinked. "I wasn't – what the hell are you talking about? I'm not trying anything. I'm scared shitless. You asked me to tell you."
"Your father cannot be Henri Ducard."
Jen sneered. "Trust me, I'm not exactly proud of it. You were the one who pushed me –"
Bane was now pulling her by her hair.
Jen yelped in pain.
"Tell me who your father really is. No more nonsense."
"I told you! It's Henri Ducard!"
"Do you even know this man you speak of? Do you even know who he is?"
Jen blinked back more tears.
"He's the guy who kept me locked up in a monastery since I was three. I got out when I turned fifteen. That's it. That's the truth."
Something like recognition flickered across Bane's face.
"A monastery."
"It was destroyed. Someone must've realized it was batshit insane."
Bane held her chin up, looking into her eyes.
"Do you know what that place stood for?"
She frowned. "How do you know it–"
"Tell me. Tell me what it stood for."
Jen bit her lip. "Father used to call it The League of Shadows. Shitty metaphor for something."
Bane lowered his gaze to the floor. It was the first time he was not looking straight into her eyes.
"You – you've heard of it," she surmised.
"If you can speak about the League of Shadows, then you may utter his name, child."
Jen drew back from his grasp, her eyes betraying terror.
Not fear of Bane. Fear of the name, fear of her father.
"I can never say his real name. Don't make me. I'll swallow my own tongue if I have to."
And that's when Bane realized she was speaking the truth.
For no man or woman who had met Ra's al Ghul intimately could ever say the name lightly. His name held a power beyond the grave. His name was death itself.
"Did you know him?" Jen asked when the silence prolonged for too long.
Bane nodded, seeing no reason to conceal this from her.
"Then…then you understand," she said, pulling her knees to her chest.
Bane's eyes looked troubled.
"I was going to use you as leverage for Miss Kyle, Mouse. But it seems you are going to serve as something else."
Jen raised an eyebrow.
"What, I'm suddenly worth more now that you know my dad was a psycho?"
"No. You're worth more since you have a sister."
A/N: Note that this is the Batman Begins! Ra's al Ghul I'm talking about here. I know the comic book character had another daughter, but I'm not turning Jen into that particular character. Anyway, let me know what you think!