Disclaimer: I do not own and am not, in any way, affiliated with the Dark Knight franchise.

"Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die."

― Herbert Hoover

Chapter Thirteen

Audrey hummed to herself as she folded blankets and stacked them neatly in one of the big closets just off the big room.

"Shut your trap," Jack grumbled from his spot just outside. Andy had stepped out to get lunch supplies so it had fallen on him to keep an eye on her.

"Hm?" she murmured, only half listening. "Sorry. Didn't realize I was doing it."

"You're in an awfully good mood lately."

He would have been too, if his last two weeks had been anything like they had for her. But she didn't need to blow it by acting like a giddy teenager. She stacked the last blanket and rearranged her features into something more solemn. She shrugged as she stepped back into the hallway. "Guess I'm just getting used to this place."

Arjun hadn't come in that morning. He had been called out to an accident that had required mobile medical attention, information she had managed to wheedle out of Andy. It had been quiet, so she had decided to distract herself by taking care of housekeeping that had fallen by the wayside. "Do I have time to go through the cabinet to see what's expired before lunch?"

Jack opened his mouth to protest just as the front doors burst open. Barsad and Andy were dragging a man between them with a fourth mercenary she did not recognize trailing nervously behind them. From what Audrey could tell, the man being carried was unconscious and must have been bleeding because the other three were smeared with it.

"What happened?" she demanded, pushing past Jack to follow them into the clinic's main room where she went immediately for gloves. As they laid him gently on one of the cots she looked at both men and then back down to the- God, he's just a baby.

Her hand brushed thick black hair out of his face. If she'd had to guess, she would have put him around eighteen. She pressed her fingers to his wrist, trying to find a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. Adopting the detached, but calm, clinical voice she'd had to use so many times before she spoke again. "I can't treat him if I don't know what I'm getting into here. What happened?"

"We were patrolling and he was shot. Bloody idiot wasn't wearing his vest under his jacket. I've told him a thousand times…" Barsad drifted off. There was a tightness in his tone that Audrey had never heard before. She risked a glance at him and saw that the color had gone completely from his face.

"We didn't see where it came from so I couldn't tell you what kind of gun it was," the other added, twisting the end of his cherry red scarf in his hands.

"Jack, get a blanket," she barked. He was whispering something to Andy, both of them were staring directly at her. Andy jumped away from the taller man, face reddening. Though she didn't have time to dwell on it, the sight gave her a bad feeling. Jack straightened up and glared at her as he exited the room with Andy following in his puppy-like manner.

Focus.

The first thing she wanted to do was make sure the boy wasn't in any pain. She rushed to the medicine cabinet, hastily, but methodically, searching through the medications until she found what she was looking for. Morphine. She grabbed a syringe and needle, administering the drug with a silent plea that it would take hold quickly.

Grabbing a pair of shears, she cut through the jacket and t-shirt to reveal a pencil sized-hole in his distended stomach that was bleeding profusely. She carefully inspected for an exit wound and came up empty. Her eyes squeezed shut for one brief, pained moment; this was not a wound he would likely survive. But I'm going to try. She turned away, not wanting anybody to be able to read her face. This was not an environment where it paid to be expressive. His breathing was shallow and she knew he needed oxygen and fluid. She set him up on both and shouted, again, at Jack to get her a blanket.

Everything in the background melted away as her sole focus became stopping the bleeding and keeping him stable. If she could do that, Arjun could operate. This would be so much easier at the hospital. She quashed the thought; she didn't have the luxury of self-doubt or regret. Right now, she needed to concentrate because she was going to need every trick she knew to keep him steady.

Time was measured, not in minutes, but in the number of bloody, discarded bandages that piled up on the tray next to her. The important part was getting a saline-soaked compress to stop the bleeding. So far, nothing was able to stop it completely.

"Audrey." A hand fell on her shoulder. She spun around to face Arjun and her face lit up.

"Oh, God, I'm glad to see you. You've got to glove up- I don't think-" Her scattered, fast paced chatter ceased as she took in his appearance.

She braced herself for what was next.

"He's gone."

A single hard nod indicated that she'd heard.

This was always the worst part, the hardest part. Tears of frustration glistened in her eyes and she used her wrist to wipe them away. "I- I just need a minute."

"Take your time. I don't think I need to tell you that you did your best here. This young man likely would have been lost in even the finest medical facility." Arjun pulled her into a hug which she gratefully accepted.

After he released her, she headed for the bathroom. There she stripped her hands free of the latex and scrubbed furiously at them until they were raw and red. When that was done she splashed water on her face. She looked in the mirror, hands gripping the edge of the sink tightly as she took deep, steadying breaths. I'll have to tell his family.

Her stomach clenched at the thought, a standard practice from her hospital days. Anger tinged the corners of her sadness. Who is there to tell? Did he even have a family? The answer, she knew, was no. She wondered if Arjun had bothered telling Barsad or the other man who had brought him in but had a feeling she knew the answer to that too.

She found him in the breakroom, sitting in a chair that had been pushed away from the table. His upper body was slumped over so that his elbows rested on his knees, face buried in his hands. At the sound of her approach he sat up.

"Hey," she said, voice barely above a whisper. Her heart ached as she took in his appearance. His skin had gone ashen, eyebrows knitted together in concern above stormy eyes. "I'm sorry."

He looked her over before making a dejected sound and turning his face from her. "Right."

She inched cautiously toward him, gingerly placing a hand at the top of his head. When he didn't push her away, she raked her hand through his hair. He needs a haircut, she noted with some tenderness. Barsad leaned into her touch and, without warning, hugged her close, burying his face in her shirt.

"I really am sorry," she murmured as she ran a hand up and down his back.

The sound of the front doors opening and the squeak of boots on tile caused her to jump back. Barsad straightened up, all traces of emotion gone from his face as he stared behind her. She turned around to see Jack standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest and a grin on his face like a cat that had caught a canary. Shit. How long had he been there?

His dark eyes danced gleefully. "Boss is here." The niggling sense of dread she'd felt earlier returned tenfold.

The three walked down the hall and, not for the first time, Audrey felt like she was marching toward certain death. Her stomach churned at the sight of Bane standing next to the boy's cot. Andy stood next to him, his boot leaving a black mark on the tile as he toed at the floor. He refused to look at her.

"Leave us," Bane directed, staring down at her. A lump formed in her throat that would not vanish no matter how many times she tried to swallow it. From the corner of her eye she saw Arjun glare at Jack as they went.

And then they were alone.

"Tell me what happened here."

It was not a question.

She blinked at him, not sure she completely grasped what he was saying. "I-I don't think I know-"

"Do you feel you did everything in your power to save him?"

Everything clicked into place. Of course. Jack must have sent his errand boy out sometime while she'd been trying to save the boy's life. He had concocted some sort of bullshit story about how she'd caused his death. Who could verify? Not one person had been in the room with her through the entirety of it. What better way to punish her when he could not inflict actual pain himself? A wave of unease washed over her as she understood what she was being accused of.

Murder.

There was so much she wanted to say in her own defense, but she choked it down, knowing she had to choose her words carefully. "I do. You can ask Doctor Mahindra- there was nothing else I could have done that would have been useful. The bullet caused too much internal damage."

"Yes, the good doctor has already vouched for you. You understand, of course, I take these accusations seriously."

Her temper flared. "I would never have let him die on purpose! I'm not a monster!" Like you she did not add, but the insinuation was there all the same.

Cold sweat broke out over her body as he placed one massive hand on her shoulder. She trembled under the weight of it. "I suggest you control yourself." He ran his thumb down the length of her neck, but there was no sensuality behind the motion. No, this was a warning.

"He was just a child." Despite her fear, this came out in a stronger voice than she had intended.

"He was a man that your society cast out when he came of age," Bane informed her in an even tone. "We gave him a purpose. Fed him, clothed him, took him in as one of our own. Ask yourself: what would he have become?"

She said nothing, choosing instead to turn away from his piercing stare. She had seen what boys like that grew into. They either ended up homeless, in prison, or both until they were murdered or overdosed. Not exactly a pretty picture.

"If you allow yourself to see the truth of your city, Miss Campbell, you will better understand what we are working toward. The way Barsad spoke so highly of your work here, I had hoped that you would come around to our mission." He removed his hand and it felt as though the burdens of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. "I trust I will not hear of a matter like this again."

She forced herself to nod. His words echoed in her ears as she lifted her gaze to meet his for a long moment before he lumbered out of the room.

It wasn't until she heard the bang of the front doors that Audrey released the breath she had been holding. She reached out with a shaking hand, blindly grabbing the cold metal tray to steady herself.

She sensed rather than heard someone enter.

"We-ell!" sang a Southern accented voice, letting out a low whistle. "Wonder what that was all about?"

Without warning, she launched at him.

Before he could so much as react, his back hit the wall, her forearm lodged firmly against his throat. She vaguely heard the others scrambling around them, but all of her attention was on Jack. "You think you're so smart, don't you, you fuck?" she demanded, voice low.

Even as his face began turning red, he smirked wickedly at her as if daring her to see how far she was willing to go. I could do it, she told herself. She pressed harder as hatred continued to burn in her chest.

A pair of strong arms grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back.

Jack pushed away from the wall, rubbing the spot where her arm had been. The color in his face began to return to normal as Andy rushed to his aid, but Jack shrugged him off. "That's right, Barsad," he laughed with a wheezing quality that set Audrey's nerves on edge. "Get your bitch back on her leash."

With an enraged shout she propelled herself out of Barsad's hold and lashed out at Jack's face. A hand flew up to his cheek, eyes wide with surprise.

"You fucking cunt!" he roared. The back of his hand met the side of her head with a loud thwack. She stumbled backward, managing to upright herself before she fell.

With a triumphant smirk, she swiped the corner of her mouth. Her thumb came back streaked with red and she could taste copper on her tongue. Gotcha. Furious at having lost control, he lunged forward, dropping his hand to reveal the three long scratch marks on his cheek that were slowly welling up with blood.

"Enough!" Barsad stepped between them with a hand held out to prevent Jack from moving any further. Jack spat at Audrey's feet, his chest rising and falling heavily. "Andy," Barsad said in a quieter tone. "Get her out of here."

Dutiful as always, Andy grabbed her arm. She jerked it out of his grasp. "I'll show myself out. Thanks." He shrugged and led the way, shouting following them into the entry.

Sitting on the desk, she could feel him staring at her. Now you want to look at me, you creep? Part of her wanted to punch him, but it wouldn't have done much to make her feel better. When she finally looked up and acknowledged him, his face broke into splotchy pink and white patches. At least you have the decency to feel bad about it.

"I- uh- I didn't- when he-"

"Hey, Andy?" she interrupted. To her ears, she sounded as exhausted as she felt.

"Yeah?"

"Shut the fuck up."