Chapter 10: Plan

The plan was simple, she was at first not attuned to how the detectives thought, but she eventually caught on that they were more efficient at a tactical approach than stealth. So she developed a plan that would tackle them both. She knew the schedules of the courthouse, she knew every man that guarded it and she more closely knew the judge.

She use to execute those few that had chosen the option and she had always promised to make it quick. She also knew when Bane would be there, a time she chosen particularly so. She made sure that he was there when this... rescue plan? Escape attempt? She wasn't really she sure what it was, only that he was a man that needed to be there to witness what he had done to her, what Talia had drawn her to.

Ren wrapped herself in the thick black coat, pulling the hood over her head, a few natural curls sticking out from the edges. She pulled a cloth wrapped around her neck up to cover her mouth, beneath her coat strapped to her torso was a bullet proof vest, the commissioner didn't trust her with any weapons.

She easily walked past the mercenaries guarding the entrance to the courthouse, sliding through the crowd of people that always seemed to collect in front of the judge's podium. She stopped at the edge of the group and found herself staring at the single man who was about to be convicted. From this point of view she felt a completely different sentiment towards this individual. Usually it was pity and nothing more, then there was guilt, but only when she felt they didn't deserve what they were undergoing.

"Please! I didn't mean to!" The man begged, Crane shook his head in a mocking manner.

"Well, I don't believe you." He grinned and gestured for the mercenaries to take him away to be exiled. Exile recently had been walking across the frozen waters that sat between New York and Gotham. Ren's eyes lingered around the crowd and she caught sight of John, she nodded to him and he returned it.

It was her turn now, she had given herself a difficult task, one that would put her life in danger and the reason she did it was so that Bane would know. Bane would find her amongst the crowd of people and make his decision. She stepped out from the crowd into the open area that the group surrounded. Many would have recognized her if she wasn't so adamant on covering of her face.

"And What can I help you with, my dear? If you have a complaint, write one down and put in the box at the front of the courthouse." There was no box at the front of the courthouse, this was no longer a democracy so why should there be? When she didn't move, Crane dismissed the fact that she wasn't going anywhere and gestured to the mercenaries again as if they were his men, not Bane's. The mercenaries stepped in, about to take her away when she pulled her face cloth down and the room silenced. Her hood followed, she kept eye contact with Crane. Everyone knew who she was because she was always there somehow, her presence was always thick in the courthouse because of what her job once was.

"I have..." She took a deep breath, only hoping that the distraction would do good enough to keep attention from the escapade. "I have returned for my sentencing." Bane pushed himself roughly through the crowd, as soon as his ears picked up her voice, to stand at its center. His eyes were fierce as usual, his presence well know amongst others, he was glaring at her with such an intensity that she didn't have to think once to know that her life was done for.

"Sentence? I know nothing of this..." Crane lowered his glasses to the edge of his nose towards Bane. "Bane?" The loud rasp of Bane's sigh echoed into the loudness of the court room. He stomped closer to Ren, until he was just arm's length away from her.

"Indeed, betrayal and thievery." Ren dropped her gaze from Bane, down to the crystal clean marble flooring. She couldn't dare look at Bane again after that statement and perhaps she wouldn't have to. A loud gunshot sounded and the diversion was set, the crowd scattered in panic and a fire fight broke out between mercenaries and cops.

Ren saw a dropped gun on the ground and went to run towards it, her body halted as a strong arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her down onto her back. Bane stood above her, staring down at her, incensed by the sight of her alone. He hunched over grabbing the hem of her coat and lifting her up from the ground.

"Your punishment should be worse than death." Ren wrapped her legs around his arm and flipped around to kick him across the face. She dropped to the ground when his grip on her coat released and began crawling forward away from his towering form. More gunshots sounded and those of the resistance began an even greater commotion. People hurtled over one another to exit the court house, running, screaming and ducking from bullets.

Bane snatched Ren's ankle and dragged her back. She didn't know why he was taking his time, he could easily kill her with a quick snap of his wrist. "Your punishment will be me." He lifted her up and slammed her head down into the marble flooring, she immediately felt blood trickle from the impact. Her vision blurred and her mind went fuzzy, she fell onto her back and angled her head up towards Bane. He stood above her, not done yet. She didn't pray to any God because she didn't believe in God, only the hell that she would most likely be sent to when Bane granted her mercy. She, however, was not willing to be seen weak to die when every one knew she was strong enough to survive.

She pushed herself up onto her feet and tried to steady herself, the crowd continued pouring out as if it was never ending. Bane stood across from her, but did not make his move until the courtroom was empty. Crane was gone along with the cops that had started the diversion. Her job of the plan was to distract Bane and she had done a good job of it, but if Bane was such a problem she could have chosen a different time to set forth the plan. The cops would never know that, she didn't want Bane dead, but she didn't want him to die by somebody else who didn't deserve to defeat him. She could only hope that it was the same on his side.

Defeat was an honor depending on who defeats the other and Ren knew she would lose, but she was thankful that it was Bane she would be losing to.

"You shouldn't have come back."

"I knew the risk when I came here."

"You helped them." He stepped forward, she made no move to step back. She unzipped her jacket and slid it off her shoulders to reveal the clothes that John had given her.

"Undoubtedly." She held a hand up to the blood line that now had trailed down to her chin. She swiped some of it away and bit her bottom lip to withhold the pained sound it had brought.

"So Talia was right?"

"Talia wasn't right until yesterday, when I was saved by a police officer. You both left me out there to die, I had no one else and you all betrayed me."

"I will not apologize." He took a step again, expecting her to step back, but she held her ground. That was the resilience he respected in her.

"You don't have to."

"Do you want me to kill you?"

"You are going to do it anyways."

"There are other options." She stepped forward and was close enough to punch him in the gut. Her fist clenched up under the hard muscle there and she quickly regretted her choice in combat. It was noiseless as her eyes met his and she could easily see the rage within them. He snatched her throat before she could react and she closed her eyes, grabbing his wrist with both hands in a vice grip as her windpipe felt the slow closing of his palm. Bane lifted her up from the ground, his grip tightening, she tried to swing her legs around and kick him across the face again, but his arm was extended to close to his body and her legs couldn't reach far enough to harm him.

"I see now that you are pathetic, a simple vessel, just waiting to be taken from this world." He dropped her and she fell to her knees before him, gasping for air. Her head slowly raised, red hand prints forming on her throat. "But I won't let you be taken so easily." He crouched down to her level. "Soon you will understand who you really are to me." He punched a fist across her face and that was the last thing she saw before she went unconscious.