Hey! Here's my new story! Instead of using the Joker like I originally thought, I haven't done enough research to portray him like he should be, so I'm going to hold off on that until later. I feel like I will be more successful using Bane once more. But there WILL be a Joker story in the future!

Prologue (3rd Person POV)

10 year old Evona was lowered into the pit, tears streaming down her face. The hungry gazes of the men below followed her quaking frame as she was lowered to the ground. A big man untied the rope from her and pushed her forward towards the stairs descending further down.

She hugged herself as she slowly took each step, her grey eyes darting around just waiting for one of the men to make their move. She jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find a man with kind eyes looking down on her.

"Follow me. I will keep you safe." He began to walk towards the cells and she quickly followed behind, trusting the man's words. He led her into a cell and closed it, locking it behind them. He turned towards her. "I am the prison doctor. I will make sure nothing comes to harm you."

His warm, promising eyes made her smile, and she felt safe.

/

Just a side note: This is still in 3rd Person POV

Chapter One (13 years later)

Bane sat next to Bruce Wayne's cot in the pit. "Home," he began, "where I learned the truth about despair, as will you. There's a reason why this prison is the worst hell on earth... Hope. Every man who has ventured here over the centuries has looked up to the light and imagined climbing to freedom. So easy... So simple... And like shipwrecked men turning to sea water from uncontrollable thirst, many have died trying. I learned here that there can be no true despair without hope." Bane leaned forward and locked eyes with Bruce. "So, as I terrorize Gotham, I will feed its people hope to poison their souls. I will let them believe they can survive so that you can watch them clamoring over each other to 'stay in the sun'," He sat back and looked around the pit thoughtfully. "You can watch me torture an entire city and when you have truly understood the depth of your failure, we will fulfill Ra's al Ghul's destiny…We will destroy Gotham…and when it is done, and Gotham is ashes," Bane paused and moved his gaze slowly towards Bruce, "then you have my permission to die." Bane stood up and went to take his leave, leaving a panicked, and protesting Bruce behind. He was passing by a cell, when he heard a feminine whimper sounding from the within.

Bane stopped, and turned towards the noise, to find a woman cowering in fear in the far corner. Her brown hair was ratty, and matted from lack of a proper bath. Her olive-toned skin was covered in patches of bruises, cuts, and dirt. She looked up at him, her full pink lips trembling in fear, and with shining grey eyes, which surprised him. Despite her obvious filth and abuse, her eyes continued to glisten, but full of apprehension. Bane motioned for his men to open the cell.

"Bane, sir," One of his mercenaries whispered in protest. "We don't really have much-"

"Open the gate." Bane was a rather patient man, but disobedience tended to set him off a lot more rapidly. His protesting mercenary quickly opened the gate, and Bane made his way inside.

The girl shook in fear with each step he took towards her, and he felt an overwhelming sense of pity for the poor soul. He squatted down in front of her, and she frantically pushed herself further into the cell bars, as if they would magically open somehow so she could make her escape.

"What is your name?" Bane's powerful mechanically enhanced voice asked, causing the girl to freeze. She continued to look up at him with fearful eyes, remaining silent. "Can you not speak?" He asked, slightly annoyed.

"I-I can," the girls weak, accented voice lilted. She kept silent, and her eyes quickly looked over to the prison doctor. Bane took notice, and followed her gaze. The doctor gave a comforting nod in Evona's direction, urging her to continue. She swallowed, turning her eyes back to Bane. "E-Evona."

"Ah, Evona means war, does it not?" She nodded silently. How ironic. Bane stood up and turned around, motioning for his men to grab her. Three mercenaries stepped up and she began to panic.

"Leave me alone!" She cried out.

"Evona," Bane turned to her, watching his men pick her up from the floor. "We do not wish to hurt you. I am merely rescuing you."

Evona blinked in surprise. "Why?"

Bane ignored her question, turning around and making his way to the rope that would lift them out of the pit. Bane grabbed her around the waist and she squealed in surprise. He took the rope and wrapped it around them tightly, bounding them together. Giving the rope three strong tugs, they were suddenly off the ground, being lifted to freedom.

Evona wrapped her arms around his neck in fear of falling, and looked up, closing her eyes as the warm sun started to flood throughout her naturally beautiful features. For a moment she didn't care who this man was, or why he even decided to rescue her. All she cared about now, is that she was free.

/

After about a 20 minute car ride through rough terrain desert, they came to a big airplane. Bane, with surprising gentleness, wrapped his hand around her fore-arm and pulled her out of the car towards the plane. Evona's eyes widened in fear. She was has never ridden an airplane before, and the thought frightened her. Not wanting to fall onto the man's bad side – she suddenly realized he still hasn't told her his name – she continued to follow him towards the aircraft.

"What is your name, sir?" her soft voice spoke, dragging Bane away from his thoughts.

"You may call me Bane."

"Bane," she repeated, tasting the name on her tongue. Why would a man whose name literally means death, destruction, and ruin save her life? She shivered in fear at the thought. Perhaps he lied and he in fact did plan to hurt her. Her grey orbs darted around, looking for a chance of escape, but with his mercenaries surrounding the perimeter, and Bane clutching to her arm, it was impossible.

She reluctantly followed Bane up the ramp to the belly of the plane, and he motioned for her to sit on the floor against the wall. She obeyed, again, not wanting to get on his bad side. She has no idea what he is capable of, but considering that he was over a foot taller than her small, malnourished 5'4" frame, she assumed he could do more damage than she cared to witness.

"If any of you so much as glance at Evona in a way that I feel is displeasing, than I will kill you myself," Bane said, with a hint of annoyance and nonchalance in his tone. Almost as if he really didn't care at all, he just didn't want the inconvenience.

Either way, Evona relaxed at his words, knowing that she was protected. Bane made his way to the front of the airplane and disappeared behind the cockpit door. She was left alone with about 14 of Bane's mercenaries, and the familiar fear crept back up her spine. She hugged her knees to her body and shivered, hoping Bane would return soon. A group of about 4 mercenaries were across the plane from her, talking quietly amongst them, and every-so-often looking in her direction. One of them decided to speak up.

"What are you looking at?" He said nastily. She quickly looked away, fearful that he would pursue her if she said something or looked at him the wrong way. "I asked you a question." He stepped closer.

"Jacob," another voice piped up. Evona looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man with a short beard and black hair, with blue eyes. "You know what Bane said. Leave the girl be."

"Come on, Barsad," Jacob retorted. "What Bane doesn't know won't hurt him."

"But it will hurt you."

Jacob jumped and spun around to find Bane coming out of the cockpit. "Uh…I'm sorry sir…I wasn't going to hurt her I swear."

Bane stalked toward Jacob slowly. "Of course you won't," Bane's hand shot out and enclosed itself around Jacob's throat, "because you won't live to have the opportunity." There was a snap and Jacob went limp. Bane dropped his lifeless body to the floor in a heap.

AUTHORS NOTE: Review and let me know what you think! I have BIG plans for this story. I'm so excited about it.