"Wake up, Ryder." A voice singsonged.
What's going on?
"What happened to his face?"
"He fell."
"Never read any of his stuff. Too tabloidy."
"Does anyone else think he looks a little creepy." Another voice chimed in.
"Never trust a reporter." Someone laughed.
"What's happening? Where am I?" Jack groaned. He was sitting up, but he couldn't see.
"Welcome back, Mr Ryder. Apologies for not finishing your meal."
"Who are you?" He groaned.
"It doesn't matter who we are. We are no one. We are the dirt beneath your feet."
"Why am I here? Is this about the article on Roman Sionis? I didn't think anyone even read the tabloids anymore." He grumbled.
"No, nothing like that. We are here for something else. Someone you tried to deface with your words."
"Okay... can someone explain to me in plain English what the hell I did? I haven't written anything since-"
"Since you tried to fuck my sister!" A voice bellowed.
He jumped in his seat. He almost wet himself.
"Fitz, you gotta keep your cool." Someone whispered.
"Shut the hell up! I don't have to do a damn thing."
"Except complete your task."
He could feel his glasses sitting on his head.
Someone reached over and placed them on his nose so he could see.
He almost thanked them before he saw the man before him.
"It's you." He whispered as the masked man from the stock exchange stood before him.
"Indeed. Welcome to your final resting place." He gestured around him.
They were in a small room, made smaller by the amount of people in it. Scary looking men with rifles bigger then his leg.
"W-what?"
"Patrick here has some unfinished business with you."
He stood aside to reveal a crazed-looking blond man. He was staring at him without blinking. He looked a little familiar though.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the guy that's going to cut your fucking head off."
Jack couldn't breathe. What was happening? Was he being punked?
"Is this a joke?"
"He doesn't believe you Patrick." The masked man goaded him.
"It doesn't matter if he believes me. All I need is his head and then I get to join your brotherhood or whatever you guys call yourselves."
"The League is more than a brotherhood. It is a way of life. A life, you would do well to remember, that will become your whole sense of self, should you pass."
Was this a cult or something? Jack tried to wiggle his hands free.
"I know what I'm getting myself into. I accept the terms."
"Good. But before you kill this cretin, I have one question to ask Mr Ryder."
"Okay, but be quick. I don't want to lose this feeling." The guy with the knife was bouncing on his toes.
The masked man walked up to Jack. He swallowed as the man crouched down to his level.
"Do you know why you are here?"
"Did I write something you didn't like?" Ryder's eyes widened. "Wait is this about the article I wrote about you after the stock heist? I only called you a gimp because of the mask." Ryder continued to struggle.
"This is not about me. It is concerning someone else. Someone I believe you remember well."
"And who is that?"
"Grace Fitzgerald."
A dark look washed over Jack Ryder's face.
"That frigid bitch cost me everything." He whispered lowly.
Bane didn't even hesitate in sending a swift punch to his gut.
Ryder grunted and coughed in discomfort.
"Don't tell me she has you fooled too?" Ryder wheezed. "That little tease knew what she was doing that night, any man would have done the same. Even you can recognise 'fuck me' eyes."
"And what did you do?" Patrick held the dagger in a death grip.
He was ready to kill.
"I tried to give the lady exactly what she wanted. A good lay and something she can put in her spank bank for a rainy day. Then she goes all psycho and accuses me of rape."
"Can I kill him yet?" Patrick was bouncing on his heels. Too eager.
"Not yet." Bane stepped towards Ryder again. "You took notes. You were going to write about your exploits in your column."
Ryder scoffed.
"The last thing I would ever write for that paper. As soon as it went online, there was a call from Gotham P.D. I had all my stuff in a box before lunch."
"Serves you right." Barsad muttered.
Bane turned and gave him a look to keep his feelings to himself. Barsad nodded and remained quiet.
"This is the kind of thing women like her do to men like me. They accuse and can get away with it because CCTV footage can make any consensual encounter look like attempted rape." He looked around at the other men for any sign of agreement. "She wanted it at first. Trust me."
"So you have no remorse for what you did?" Bane summarised.
"I never raped her! I didn't do shit!" Ryder struggled in his bindings. "Alright, maybe I smacked her around a little, but that doesn't mean I deserve to die!"
"That is not up to you to decide." Bane finally turned to Patrick. "You may wreak your revenge." Bane stood aside.
Patrick, full of bravado before, now stood before the man he hated, and did nothing.
He stood before Ryder for a full minute.
Turning the knife over and over in his hand.
"What are you waiting for?" Bane grew impatient.
"This…isn't right. This man is a class A dick. But he never raped Grace." Patrick turned the knife towards Bane. "You on the other hand…" A crazed look settled on his face.
Bane looked down at the sharp dagger and back towards the raging man.
"Reconsider what you are about to do, before I make you regret it." Bane warned him.
"You told me that I would have the chance to kill the man that hurt Grace." He tilted his head towards Ryder. "She ruined his life. I mean, come on, he has nothing anymore. You said he was living in my old shithole apartment for Christ's sake."
"That was your old apartment?" Ryder wheezed out.
"I would rather kill you than him."
Everyone in the room was silent. No one moved.
"Give me the order and I'll drop him." Barsad had his gun pointed at Patrick the second he turned his dagger towards Bane.
"No need." Bane took a step towards Patrick. "He will not kill me."
"What makes you so sure?" Patrick gritted out.
"You said so yourself."
Patrick glared and clenched his fist around the handle several times.
"You would rather kill me. But then you will most certainly die the moment you step foot in my direction. You will die before you get within an atom of me." Patrick let a tear of frustration leak. It was probably from not blinking for so long. "And if you were to die, what do you think will happen to Grace?"
"She was never meant to get involved." Patrick sniffled.
"I know." Bane reasoned. "But we cannot change the past. The future, however, is still in play." Bane gestured towards Ryder who, up until now, looked like he had been enjoying the show. "I will uphold my word and you shall have a place in the League of Shadows. This man will die today. By your hand or mine."
Patrick looked from Bane towards Ryder. Deep in thought.
"I'll do it."
Ryder's eyes almost bulged out of his head.
"Help!" Ryder began screaming and whimpering in his chair. "Someone! Please!"
"But I want Grace to be here when I kill him." Patrick looked determined.
"Very well." Bane nodded at Barsad, and the group waited while Jack screamed.
Xxx
Grace was in the middle of another nap when Barsad entered the room and practically dragged her away.
"Barsad? What's going on?" He didn't answer. "Where are you taking me?"
She was worried that she was heading for her death. Perhaps Bane was finally sick of her and Patrick.
When they rounded the corner, a bloody and whimpering Jack Ryder was not something she expected.
"What's going on?"
"Grace." Patrick was standing beside Bane.
"Patrick?" She went to run over to him, but Barsad held her back.
"Don't." He whispered.
"I couldn't protect you back then. Maybe I'll be able to protect you now."
He went to stand behind Jack.
"What are you doing?" She noticed the knife. "What's going on?"
"Grace! They're going to kill me!" Jack screamed at her.
"Mr Ryder is about to understand what happens to men who like to hurt my sister."
She understood what he meant.
"She ruined my fucking life. I've suffered enough."
"He's right. I don't want this." Grace tried to pull away from Barsad.
"Nevertheless, your brother must complete his task if he is to join our society."
"This is what you make your followers go through? You make them become murderers?" She was in disbelief.
"It is our way."
"Patrick, please don't do this." She begged.
"I have to." He held the knife under Jack's chin.
"Please don-"
"If he doesn't, I will." Bane interjected.
Grace looked on helplessly as Jack cried.
"Grace, I'm sorry. Wait!" Jack thrashed in the chair. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. I thought you wanted me too. If I could go back I would neve-"
He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. Patrick ran the knife across his throat.
She turned into Barsad and cried into his chest as she heard Jack gurgle out his last breath.
She pushed harder against Barsad until they were almost against the wall.
"It's nearly over." Barsad whispered.
She tried to block it out.
Jack's gurgled breathing was getting shallower.
She heard Jack slump against the chair.
He was dead, there was no way someone could survive that.
"Grace." A voice whispered.
"No." She shuddered.
Barsad tried to push her away, but she didn't let him go.
"It's over." Patrick tried to take her hand.
"NO!" She slapped it away. "Don't touch me." She sobbed.
"Leave her." Bane ordered.
"Grace I had no choice." He tried to get closer to her. It was Barsad's hand that stopped him. He finally seemed to get the message that she didn't want to be near him. "I'll talk to you later." Patrick sighed dejectedly.
"Remember, you belong to me now." Bane reminded Patrick. "I have the evidence should you betray us again."
Grace heard the tell-tale sound of a recording of the murder that just took place.
It ended just as Jack began to beg.
Grace tried to bury herself closer to Barsad.
"I live to serve." Patrick snarked quietly.
"Careful, brother." Barsad warned.
Patrick moved out of the room with the rest of his IT team.
"Get rid of that." Bane gestured to Jack Ryder's body.
She could hear the lifeless body being lifted and carried away.
It was just Grace, Bane and Barsad left in the room.
She hadn't let go of Barsad. She didn't want to.
"Release her." Bane ordered.
"I've tried to." Barsad winced, trying again to push her away.
Grace just held on tighter.
"Come along, my dear. We have much to discuss."
"I don't want to go anywhere with you!"
"You will learn quickly that we do not always get what we want in this life."
xxx
Bane made to grab her, when Barsad wrapped a protective arm around her and brought her close.
Bane turned his attention to Barsad.
"Bane." He warned cautiously.
"Something you wish to say?" Bane took a threatening step forward.
"Gi-give her a minute. She's been through a lot." Barsad felt Grace shudder against him. "I'll bring her back to her room when she's calmed down."
"Very well." Bane turned to leave. "But bring her to my room instead." He called as he left.
When Bane left he felt Grace let out a sigh.
"Thank you." She whispered against his chest.
"No need to thank me."
She sniffled.
"He isn't going to be happy with either of us when we leave."
"If he was unhappy, he wouldn't have left us alone." If Bane wanted her, he wouldn't have allowed her to stay.
"Why did he have to do that? Why did it have to be Jack?"
"He hurt you."
"And I ruined his life. I got my revenge. I never wanted him to die." She sniffed. "This wasn't justice."
"There's no use in trying to wrap your mind around it. Your brother needed to pass the test. Now he's a member of the-" He nearly slipped up.
It had been so long since he'd had a woman in his arms.
"A member of what?"
"Nothing." She lent back to look at him. "I'll just say that he's now in the inner circle."
"So what does that mean now?"
"Patrick now belongs to Bane."
"What about me? What happens to me now?"
"I don't know."
"Can you tell me anything about what's going on?" Grace whispered.
"You know I can't."
She went back to hugging him.
"I don't know how much longer I can hold on."
"You're going to be okay." He rubbed her back gently.
"You're soft." She whispered against his shoulder.
"Okay." He stiffened slightly.
"Bane isn't." She spoke quietly.
Her hand flittered down to his.
Tentatively touching his skin.
He didn't know why, but he turned a gentle touch into a firm grip.