The Bane of Our Existence [The Dark Knight Rises]

27: I Will Do What it Takes

A top storey pent house. The glitz and glamour of it were far more than Bría had ever imagined herself even seeing with her own two eyes, and yet it was perfect. So over the top, so ridiculous, a place she would never have thought about looking at should she have had the money for it. The rich certainly had a knack for enjoying weird things. There was a hideous chandelier in the foyer, it looked like it was dripping with crystals, and Bría wanted nothing more than to cut the chain that held it to the perfectly plastered ceiling and watch it shatter into millions of pieces.

But she didn't.

"It's perfect," she said, walking straight to the window that overlooked the entire city. From that window she could see Wayne Industries. She could see the entire city before her, like it was bowing down to her so high up there. No wonder rich people always liked the highest rooms, they liked to feel at the top of the food chain at all times.

"How can a city that is so horrible, be so beautiful?" she asked.

Bane did not answer right away, the shuffling of his feet suggesting that he was moving towards her. She leaned her head against the giant glass window, looking down and feeling slight vertigo. If she were to be pushed out that window, how long would she fall for? How long would she be terrified before she splattered onto the ground below. Would she accept her fate? Or would she scream the entire way down?

"Deception is a large part of this world, this city," Bane told her as he stood beside her.

She glanced at him, "Just as you are deceiving the people of Gotham, making them believe this city is theirs for the taking, despite the fact they will all soon be dead?"

"They are taking back the city; death... death is inevitable."

"Yes, I suppose it is." Her eyes were still trained on the smog of the city, great plumes of smoke here and there that blacked out the sky, and the bright orange lights that ensured the night sky was never truly seen. She missed her home, in that moment, the great outdoors where she used to live. Stars and the moon were clear every night, but in Gotham, it was nothing but smog.

"Do you intend to burn, along with Gotham?" she asked.

"I will do what it takes," he replied without hesitation. "To ensure the city falls."

There was a silence between them then, and while conflict had bled out and disappeared along with a certain part of Bría, there was the understanding that yes, they would both be dead at the end of this. She understood that, and she accepted it. Of course she could not go on this way, devoid of morals, living as a terrorist. She was not a member of the League of Shadows, if her and Bane escaped Gotham before it was wiped from the map, what then? There was no life for them after Gotham.

Although Gotham bred chaos, it also allowed whatever it was between Bría and Bane to bloom.

"I'll leave you, then." Bane sensed a change in the atmosphere. And when Bría did not reply, he turned around and walked towards the giant double doors that led straight to the elevator. As he reached them, his finger pressed the button and it lit up. He glanced at the top of the door, where it showed where the elevator was. It was near the ground floor, and would take some time to arrive back up to the pent house.

The door finally dinged and opened.

Bría was just behind him, she reached out and clutched his wrist, her fingers unable to wrap around his girth.

"Stay," she whispered.

Let's hope Wattpad actually publishes my work today! Long day for my today, so hopefully I find some time to write the next chapter. Almost at the end! Unfortunately Wattpad posted two of yesterdays chapter, and so your votes and comments were scattered over those two chapters. I had to delete one and lost a few votes/comments, because Wattpad is being so fucking horrible right now.