In This We Found the Darkness

Simone pressed her back into the wall and listened to the heavy shuffling in her apartment. She stayed quiet and pulled out the slim Jim from the back of her pants. Whoever was in there was about to get a nice big smack to reality. Just because Simone was a girl it did not mean that she would cower and run away. She had gone against worse, seen worse, and definitely did worse than any kind of thug in Gotham city.

With her heart jamming into her chest she took a deep breath and prepared for a fight. She kicked her red door open and held the metal in her hand up above her head. It was still completely dark in her apartment but the light from the hallway helped her make out the general shape of the people. Not person but people. She counted four when she spotted them and they were quick assholes when they dispersed. She jumped over the big leather couch and swung her weapon at the closest person.

The tall person ducked and grabbed her wrist. She swallowed her scream of pain as the man twisted her wrist until she finally dropped the weapon and a loud thud echoed through the room. She kicked the intruder in his chest and turned with a swinging fist at the next opponent. He was a bit smaller than she expected so she ended up close-lining him but she didn't care. As long as she got them to drop that was all that mattered.

“Not the gun. He said alive.” She heard a certain thick accent and couldn't believe it.

The League of Shadows in her very own apartment. They must have been looking for her and not her belongings.The man who was talking wasn't just some street thug. He was Bane’s second in command and his name was Barsad. He was someone that Simone had gotten close to. Someone she confided in and trusted. But that was years ago. Over 7 years at that and Simone really didn't feel like going back.

So she kicked herself into high gear, embraced the adrenaline that was soaring through her veins and elbowed the man approaching her. She heard a crack and was pretty sure she broke his nose. Poor bastard.

Barsad's shadowed figure was next and he was coming after her fast. She dived over her couch and stuffed her hand in the small opening beneath the couch. She had guns stashed all over the apartment for reasons like this. The tips of her fingers felt nothing but couch material. The gun was gone.

Fuck.

She pulled her hand out and managed to jump on her feet again just as Barsad was reaching for her. A few more steps til she could gain access to her next weapon. In a split second she ran into the kitchen and crawled under her small square kitchen table. There was always a small hand gun taped to the bottom of it. She reached up and felt along the underside of the wooden table.

“Looking for your gun? We already grabbed them. It's pointless.”
Barsad's voice was right behind her.

She tried crawling out from under the table but a pair of hands gripped her ankles and hauled her back into the open space. She remained steady against the linoleum floor until she had enough room again. She was rolled on to her back and waited. She just needed to give it one more second.

When she saw the other men getting up she kicked someone in the face and tripped another man before getting up and running. They couldn't have taken every single gun she had. She had good hiding spots for them. A hand grabbed her arm but she just turned and threw her fist into that guys face while kicking him in the stomach. He fell to the floor and she leaped over him. She had just barely gotten to the TV stand when a pair of hands yanked her off her feet.

SLAMMM!

Her face collided with the corner of the TV stand and her vision went black for a second. That was gonna hurt when the adrenaline wore off. She reached out and grabbed the nightstand. A fake side of the TV stand fell to the floor. She reached forward and again no damn gun.

Oh, they were good.

“I already said we have all your guns. What part of this make no sense to you?” Barsad asked.

The lamp in her living room flicked on and she saw one mercenary knocked out on the floor. Another was holding his hand over his nice and blood was dripping over his lip. Beside him stood a man that a bit short but otherwise looked perfectly fine. They were all in the same outfit from long ago. Dark army pants with black combat boots and dark jackets with protective armor around their bodies.

Simone's green eyes searched her apartment and she was amazed that she didn't trip on anything. Her neatly placed home was turned upside down. Her TV must have fallen when she tripped and slammed her face into the TV stand. Some of the chairs in her small kitchen were laying on the floor and her clothes were all streamed all across the floor. There were even papers and other miscellaneous things scattered on the floor.

Then she finally let out a huff, giving up. If they tore her apartment up as bad as it looked then they found every single gun she owned. Barsad was the one holding her ankles again and he had his grip so tight that it was beginning to make her legs go numb.

“Let's try this one more time. Aye?” Barsad asked.

Simone didn't reply she just laid there steaming in anger. When he rolled her over a big smile spread across his face making little creases in his wide forehead appear. He looked a little different since she last saw him. Age was beginning to wear on the mercenary. His eyes looked like they were sinking in his skull and his hair appeared to be a bit longer, more scruffy. And he had a five o'clock shadow going on. That 7 years really did a difference on the man.

His lips move up and she could see his perfect white teeth. “Your furniture got you good. You're gonna be supporting that shiner for a while. A month at least.”

“You think it's funny?” She snapped.

“You knock out one of my men and give another a broken nose. I think it's hilarious.” Barsad broke out into a little chuckle.

She tried pulling her ankles out of his grip but it only caused him to clamp his hands even tighter. Her adrenaline began to wear off so she felt it and hissed in pain.

“I let you go and you be good. Maybe Bane won't be too mad when we bring you back.” Barsad offered.

She really didn't want to go see him. As a matter of fact she wanted nothing to do with the League of Shadows but she already knew the drill. No point in getting herself hurt even more. So she nodded her head and waited for him to let go. When he released her she slowly stood up and felt the true nature of gravity.

Shit did her eye hurt. It suddenly throbbed and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Oh it was painful. She declared that her next home would be filled with nothing but bean bag chairs and really soft couches so it couldn't happen again.

“Force of gravity. It really sucks.” Barsad chuckled some more.

“Can I at least grab some clothes? I know Bane won't want me coming back.” She requested.

Barsad rolled his lips into his mouth, thinking about it. “No, we have enough of your clothes. You don't need any more. Ooh. Except for . . . Maybe these.”

He leaned down and picked up her dark green army thong that was on the floor. Of course he would do that. Barsad and her had a history together. He had taken her virginity when she was in her late teens and even though it was supposed to be a one-time-thing it somehow turned into the fuck-whenever-they-could deal. She knew it wasn't supposed to mean anything but for some reason whenever the two were alone together they couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Aside from the two of them being old fuck buddies Barsad also did something that she was really grateful for. Not only had he given her a way to find some type of crutch in the dark world she was growing up in, but he also helped her escaped. It was a secret that he still obviously kept to himself. If Bane knew that he gave her the drug and the ride to the airport he probably would have never made it all those years.

“Army print. My favorite.” He picked them up and placed them in his pants.

Simone rolled her eyes in annoyance and looked at the other guys. They remained quiet, not daring to say anything. Barsad grabbed his G36C rifle and placed the strap around his shoulder before grabbing her.

“Wait, can I please just get a jacket? It's cold outside.” She requested.

“Too bad.” Barsad growled as we headed for my door.

She was slightly hoping that the cops would have been called because then she could've escaped them. But then she would have to explain to the cops why she had 8 guns and 3 illegal knives along with her bow and arrows. So she figured going to see the masked man was better than any other options.

“Too bad? Barsad it's freezing out!” She tried stopping herself but Barsad was dragging her.

Then she saw a look in his face. In his blue eyes it said it all. He was mad at her for leaving. He wanted her to stay but she had somehow coerced him into helping her leave. She thought about it and realized she was possibly his redemption back then. When she left she must have taken any little chance he had to stay human and live in a life if light. Just like when she left him behind she had abandoned any chance she had of escaping her own darkness.

So when he told her too bad it was because he wanted her to deal with it just as she made him long ago.

“You're mad at me for leaving. Aren't you?” She asked.

He didn't answer he just kept walking, dragging her down the stairs. The two mercenaries behind them were dragging the man she knocked out and when she stepped outside she gasped at the cold breeze. Only in Gotham could it get so cold. Barsad held her close a small smirk growing on his face. Not just any smirk. That damn “I Won” smirk that he always gave off.

“Careful with all that smiling and smirking. It makes your aging more visible.” She teased as she walked with this down the alley.

Barsad tightened his grip so tight she squirmed and gasped in surprise. He dragged her next to him and leaned down so his warm breath could kiss her ear.

“I may be getting old, but I can still make you squirm with my hands.” He spoke between clenched teeth.

She felt a chill run down her spine and it wasn't from the cold wind blowing. After a minute of walking she tried reaching down for her phone as they turned down another alley. A loud vibrating sound echoed in her back pocket. She coughed as loud as she could, trying to cover the sound of her phone ringing. Barsad stopped and looked down at her.

Nice try.

He used his free hand to dig in her back pocket and pull out her old smartphone. It was Ray. He was probably calling to check up on her. Barsad looked at the screen for a second before looking up at her. He gave her another smirk before tossing her phone against a big brick building. It shattered against a brick building. There went her other chance of escaping.

“So, brown hair, brown eyes, and big beard. Is that what you like now?” He asked in a whisper.

Simone snapped her head up in his direction. “He’s an acquaintance. I steal cars for him for money. It's how I pay my bills.”

He didn't bother looking at her. He just kept trooping down the alley until they reached a sewer cap. Simone stopped and looked down, thinking to herself , “oh hell no.” It moved and she saw another mercenary peak up through the hole. He moved the cap over to the side and disappeared again. She let another sigh and turned to Barsad. He motioned her with his head and she climbed down the metal ladder into the tunnels.

She told herself a thousand times not to be surprised but every corner she took she couldn't believe what she saw. People from the city were using power tools and building something in the sewers. She could hear them from far away. Then a thought came to her head and she stopped. She turned to Barsad who was holding his rifle in his hands.

“Is he going to kill me?” She asked.

Barsad looked up ahead of them and again motioned for her to keep walking. She turned and went back to walking forward. One thing she couldn't complain about was that it wasn't cold in the sewers. It felt like she was jumping into a soma. And where ever they were going it didn't have a bad stench like she thought it would. When she came to an open space she opened her mouth and brought her eyes to the construction workers.

They were up in a harness building something. Her guess was Bane's lair. He needed a place to hide where he would be safe and not exposed or have a paper trail. Paper trails were really a pain in ass. Simone knew. She already knew that was probably how Bane had tracked her down.

Barsad turned to the men behind him. “Let me see the bag. Go do something useful.”

Simone watched as the men walked away, still carrying the one man that she knocked out. He was gonna wake up well rested like never before. She began to get anxious after that but she didn't let Barsad see it. If Bane was going to kill her she didn't dare give him the satisfaction of showing him how much he scared her. Of course he scared her but he scared every single person he came face to face with. It wasn't just the mask that had people pissing in their pants, it was his towering height, and his crazy huge muscles. Not to mention he didn't have problems snapping people's neck with literally one hand. The guy was death in a mask.

As Barsad came up beside her she let out another sigh and told herself to relax. Her body refused to acknowledge her brains request. So she trembled. Barsad rounded a corner and she saw him.

Bane was crouching on the floor, doing something but Simone couldn't see. All she could see was his huge muscular back and a few things around him. The spot he was in was like some kind room or resting area. There were some bright lights hanging over a bed that had a big fluffy pillow. Then beside his bed there was a little silver teapot. She couldn't say anything because whether Bane drank tea or not he could still spoon feed people with their own vertebrae.

“Simone, why are you here?” Bane's strange voice was loud and very intimidating as usual.

The question puzzled Simone so she lifted an eyebrow and tucked her arms over her chest. “You're the one who sent them to find me. I believe I should be asking you that.”

Bane finally stood and his big size immediately shrunk her like a little child and an adult. Bane was about 6 feet 3 inches tall and Simone was only 5 feet and 2 inches. Her old friend was 5 feet and 10 inches tall so he stood taller than her too. But Bane was a Goddamn skyscraper. When he turned around she looked into his brown eyes only for a second as he approached her. He looked down at her as he took his final step, challenging her. She kept her eye contact until she suddenly remembered that the man in front of her could break her like a glass plate.

“I meant in Gotham.” Bane replied.

She brought her green eyes back to the masked man before slowly bringing them down his body. He was shirtless, showing off every single muscle he had. Simone knew he was big and had a lot of muscle but she didn't know he was that big.

“It's my hometown, Bane. Why wouldn't I be here?”

Bane kept his cold brown eyes on her as he held out his hand to Barsad. His second in command handed him the black duffle bag. Simone watched as Bane unzipped the bag and studied everything in it. His brown eyes went back to Simone then back to inside the bag.

“2 Beretta cougars, 2 Beretta 92FS, 1 Glock 17, 1 IMO UZi, and 2 12 gauge shotguns.” Bane sounded impressed as he listed off all the guns that were found in her apartment.

“She also has bow and arrows back at her apartment. There was no room for it in the bag.” Barsad added in.

“And 3 illegal daggers.” She finished off the list.

Bane placed the bag behind him on the ground and went back to staring her down.

“Now what is a girl like you doing with all these weapons?” Bane asked.

“Thugs, murderers, rapists, and mercenaries. They all manage to live under the same roof as me from time to time.” She explained.

He stood quiet for a second and then turned to Barsad. “Leave us.” He ordered.

That was always Bane’s que when he was going to kill somebody. Simone reached out and grabbed Barsad's jacket while staring at Bane in fear. When she turned to Barsad he shook his head and pulled his arm so she no longer had a grip on his jacket. As soon as Barsad was completely gone Bane held his arm out. She expected for him to grip her neck and snap it as he had done to so many others.

Those warm slender fingers reached out to touch her cheek. Brown eyes against green eyes stared in each other's soul. Simone felt the thunderbolt shock right through her system. Face to face with one of the men she had tried staying away from made her become completely glued to the ground. She couldn't run away even if there was a chance.

He stopped his fingers before they could brush against her skin and pulled his hand away. Nothing more. Nothing less.

The League of Shadows in Gotham could only mean one thing. . The fire had started.

“What happened to your eye?” Bane asked.

Simone felt her cheeks reddened from embarrassment. “When fighting your men, one of them tripped me and I sort of face planted my TV stand.”

The hard look in his eyes softened as he stepped back. The big man almost looked like he might have smiled under that muzzle like mask of his.

“I usually kill those who oppose me. You drugged me and then ran without my permission. When I had taken you in you came willingly. Did you not?” He asked.

Simone couldn't really reply so she just nodded her head in agreement. It was true. When she was younger she had wanted to go with the League of Shadows. And Bane had taken her in, trained her, and made sure she had food and clothes to cover her back. But if Simone had known the price of it all she would have stayed on the streets.

“You will stay and you will help us finish our mission.” Bane kept his strange mechanical voice strong as he turned his back.

Simone concentrated on the light pink scar going down his spine. She was pulled back to reality by a pair of footsteps coming up from behind her.

“Barsad take Simone to her bed. She needs to rest that eye. Tomorrow she will put ice on it.”

Simone turned to Barsad and began to follow him. He lead her down another tunnel where there was a set up almost like Bane’s but her little rest area had a metal door on it. So it was more like a prison cell. But she supposed that was what she got for running. She turned to Barsad and watched as he pulled out a key.

He opened the door and motioned for her to get in. She stepped in the small cell like room and observed it. She had a bed, a small fridge, a small sink with a little mirror above it. It almost felt like a prison cell. Except there was no toilet.

“You will get some personal items when Bane permits them.” Barsad closed the door and locked it.

“You're still mad at me Barsad?” She asked.

Barsad may not have been a man that showed emotions but he never acted like such a robot to her before.

“Are you still mad at me for bringing you back? For forcing you to finish what we all started together?” He asked, looking in her eyes.

She sealed her mouth shut. She sure was mad at him for bringing her back. And she was pissed about her black eye that was almost completely swollen shut. Barsad raised his eyebrows and made a gesture as if to say “there you have it” and turned and walked away.

Simone approached the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. Yeah, she took a strong hit from her TV stand, alright. But that wasn't what made her leave the League of Shadows. It wasn't the abuse, the different positions of authority, and it wasn't Bane or Barsad that drove her away. It was what they really believed in. It was their true objective.

While she was a decent soldier and could fight fine along with working as a grifter, she also had a hobby. Simone liked to build things and not just any type of thing. She particularly liked to build weapons and when Bane saw her potential he had decided to take her in. She built many things that Bane used and sometimes she did too. But it wasn't until she built her final invention that she realized just what the League of Shadows really did.

Simone turned around and lifted up her shirt to see a dark pink burn scar on the middle of her back. It had the shape of a thick thunderbolt going sideways but ended just before it reached her sides.

And Simone had learned the hard way that even when someone like her played with fire. . . They could end up burned.