Bane's Sewer Mouse
Chapter 2
Ooo
"Well, it looks like our little mouse crawled her way out of the sewer."
Promising herself that she would be strong, Ann turned, facing them directly, and stuck her chin out a bit. 'Don't let them know you're afraid' Ann said to herself over and over again, willing her face not to contort into terror.
"Miss Todd, you shouldn't have left the bed. It's very easy to get lost here," the giant said patiently, like she was a child, giving her a chance to respond. Still, Ann said nothing. She rationalized it made her look strong and imposing, but doubted anyone could impose upon this man.
"Now Miss Todd, I know you can speak. You did so quite well yesterday," He almost purred, making the air on the back of Ann's neck stand on end.
'Yesterday? Oh my God, how long have I been out?' Ann thought, still trying to keep a straight face even though she feels like crying.
"What happened to your hair?" He asked, huffing air through that awful mask. She shot a hand up to her head, feeling her still braided hair from the performance. The wig cap was long gone.
"It was a different color before," he continued inquisitively.
"It was a wig," she snapped at him before she could think about it. She really was acting like a frightened little dog and was ashamed of it, but that didn't make her stop.
"Ah, there it is. I must say, it was much more pleasant on stage." Was he trying to be funny? That just bristled Ann up even more.
"Yeah, well, I was a lot happier then," She replied bitingly, wishing she never spoke in the first place.
"Aw," One of the other men interjects mockingly, "the kitty has some claws." The men burst with laughter, and the hearty sound of the hulking man's laugh through the grate just infuriated Ann even more.
"Shh," The man calmed the others down, even as he chuckled a few more times, "come with me, Miss Todd." He wasn't asking. He started to walk forward and past her, down the corridor.
"Fuck you!" Ann shouted, letting her anger and frustration burst forth, wishing her voice didn't crack from fear. He obviously heard it, and the whoosh of air through his mask sounded close to a small laugh, but she couldn't be sure.
"Fine, stay here. You won't make it back on your own. I trust my men keep their beds warm enough," He said lazily, dangerously, waving one hand over his shoulder as he walked away. Seeing his retreating back made Ann panic. He was obviously a leader, he must know what was going on. He could get her home.
"Wait! No! Please stop," Ann ran after him, grabbing him by the arm. "Take me back."
He looked down at her hand, which barely grasped around his bicep. Blushing, she quickly took it away.
"I will," He says flatly, turning around and walking once more. Taking a look at her options, the three silent men (one of which responsible for the crusty blood in her hair) or the giant, who, up to this point, had been patient and calm with her, despite his terrifying appearance.
Slowly at first, she starts to follow behind him. But the shadows quickly swallow him up and his footsteps echoing off the walls make it seem to be coming from all directions.
"Ow!" Ann ran into a stone wall for the second time that day. The path that she was walking forked, and the sound of his boots could be coming from either way.
"Excuse me!" Ann shouted, "Mister!"
"My name is Bane," The hissing accent seemed to seep out of the walls, making it even harder to get her bearings.
"More like the bane of my existence," Ann whispered to herself.
"I suppose you think that was terribly clever," He responded. Ann was amazed that he could hear her and she wondered just how good the acoustics were in there.
"Bane," She carefully called, testing out the name. It felt strange in her mouth. "I don't know which way to go."
From the shadows, the large man appeared. His fingers were hooked in the arm holes of his vest, which only made his chest look even larger.
"Follow closer, then," He said amused and patiently. He was treating her like a skittish kitten and it made Ann furious.
"I want to go home! Take me home!" Ann shouted at him, not really knowing why she thought she could boss this man around. It probably only made her seem like more of a child. In her frustration, she stomped her foot. She forgot she was barefoot and her foot came right down on a sharp rock.
"Oww, ow ow ow," Ann howled in pain, falling to the floor. She tried to check her foot, but it was too dark to see anything. Bane walked forward and crouched next to Ann, taking her arm. Glancing at it, she realized that his fingers easily wrapped around her arm, with room to spare. It terrified her, but not enough to stamp down her anger.
"Don't touch me," She spit at him, trying to yank her arm free. "Don't ever touch me!"
He sighed and Ann could see his patience with her is running thin. 'Good!' She thought. 'Then he'll let me go.'
'Or not,' that though continued, 'He could just kill me.' That thought made her shiver. But it didn't stop her from freaking out when Bane lifted her into his arms, cradling her. With any other man, this might have been romantic, but with this one, Ann realized it was just so her flailing arms and legs wouldn't make him drop her. She gave up struggling after a few moments, but remained stiff as a board. She then stared openly at his mask, close enough to her face to see the puffs of warm air coming from it. She wondered what it was for, but she was damned if she was going to ask.
In another minutes, she was deposited on the same cot as before. In a moment of horror, she realized it had to be this big. It was his.
He had walked away from her, and in another minute, a few candles were lit. There wasn't much in the room, as she figured before, but there was more than just the bed. Across from her, a desk with a computer sat against the wall with a chair pulled up to it. To her left, there was a long couch and a table with stacks and stacks of books and pamphlets and other loose paper. To her right was the corridor.
"What are you going to do with me?" Ann asked, trying to put power in her voice. It failed.
"A few things," Bane answered, lighting one last candle on the table. Warily, Ann watched the flame dance a little too close to the paper.
"What does that mean?" She pushed.
"I suppose you want me to say that we will be letting you go. And we will. Eventually." Ann was starting to get incredibly annoyed with his cryptic speech.
"What does that mean," Ann said through bared teeth.
"It means that when we are done using you for what we need, you can go back to your life."
'Using you for what we need.' That phrase made Ann feel like someone dumped cold water on her. She crossed her arms in front of her, as if shielding herself from the implications of his last statement.
"Us…using me for what?" She stuttered, not caring anymore if she sounded afraid. She was.
"Oh, you want me to just tell you our whole plan?" Bane asked, standing at the foot of the bed. He comfortable stance must be with his thumbs in his vest, because that's how the stood now. His feet were spread far apart. In the back of her mind, Ann thought he looked like a statue. No real person looks like him. No one has muscles that big and that defined. No one has thighs like that, which must be bigger than her waist.
"Just with me, please. At least tell me that. What are you going to do with me?" Ann pleaded, figuring she can't be the sole reason all of this is happening, there has to be something bigger going on.
Bane took a moment to look at her and then gave a resigned sigh. He turned and sat down on the edge of the cot with his back to Ann. And once he started talking, the normally retort-full Ann was stunned into silence.
"You have been selected through a list of criteria and past many other candidates to be brought here. You have poise and your body type is strong, lithe but not skinny. You could have been a good fighter if you trained at all.
You're attractive, but not overly so. Hips to bear a healthy child, but they're not big enough to get in the way. A few other things as well. In the end, it means you have been chosen to have my child. You will bear it, born it, and hand it over to my men. And then you can go on with your life."
Ann was stunned. He said it just so casually. Speechless, her mouth opened and closed a few times, willing something to come out. A few minutes passed in silence before Ann found her voice again.
"I won't do it," She said defiantly. "I won't."
"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice, Miss Todd," Bane replied, and from the tone in which he said it, it didn't seem like he had one either.