hospital room

[onapalehorse]

They keep him under lock and key, guarded by several officers at all times, shackled to the hospital bed and pumped full of what feels like horse tranquilizers.

He bides his time. Ignores their questions. Waits.

Comments

[perplexing]

He tenses again, before taking a single step forward. Bane can kill him whether he's against the wall, in the windowsill, or at his bedside, so what does it matter?

[onapalehorse]

"Don't move anywhere abruptly."

Hand curling daintily around his throat, he moves him to use as a shield, and heads for the door without preamble, moving his quarry in front of him.

[perplexing]

He stumbles ahead of him, before shaking his head subtly in Bane's grip.

"It's not going to work, you know. They'll weigh my life against a nuclear bomb. I'm just a journalist."

[onapalehorse]

"I don't need them to weigh you, I need the trembling boy at the end of the hall to do it. Once I have his gun, and ten seconds of privacy, there'll be no need to bring you along. You can remain here."

He promises, smooth and metallic.

[perplexing]

"What are you going to do?"

After the initial panic, he's surprisingly calm.

"What is there out there for you?"

[onapalehorse]

"A world to turn to ash."

He explains, privately, and then they're out the door. He shakes him by the nape, makes him the perfect, hapless victim, scares the young guard so badly his hands shake on the gun.

[perplexing]

Edward plays his part, opens his eyes up wide and scared, like a rabbit in the headlights. His pulse is fast- a well-placed fear, but not stupid with terror.

[onapalehorse]

He gets the gun.

Then they're in a stairwell, and Bane is still dragging him.

[perplexing]

He coughs, moving up to wrap his fingers around Bane's massive hands.

"Is that all?"

[onapalehorse]

"No. I need your face."

They're in the parking garage now, out one of the back maintenance exits.

"There will be road blocks shortly. I'll tell you where to find Wayne if you get me through them."

[perplexing]

He considers that for a moment- and the cost of saying 'no' is probably death anyway. Besides which, Bane interested him.

"Alright. But you'll probably have to stop strangling me so I can get you out of here before they sound the alarm. How do you fit an rhino in your trunk? Hmm, hm."

[onapalehorse]

"I'll strangle you until we're off camera."

He informs him, because the garage is monitored.

[perplexing]

"By all means then."

It's laced with sarcasm, but Edward doesn't really mind, so long as Bane only has fingers around his throat and makes good on the implication that he won't kill him horribly.

"My car is in the far corner."

[onapalehorse]

He pushes him in that direction, with a nod. All right.

He hopes he has a large trunk.

[perplexing]

He doesn't- it's a pretty standard sedan though, so it's an alright size- probably big enough, with a few adjustments and sacrifices of comfort.

Namely, the change of clothes and the box of papers need to be moved to the front seat. Edward doesn't much care- he's got a gun in the glove compartment he's thinking about.

[onapalehorse]

Bane pops the trunk, and slides into it, folding into an impressively small space for a man of his size.

"Drive fast."

[perplexing]

"Sure thing."

Not fast enough to get pulled over, of course. Edward flashes his ID and his press badge at the guards, before moving away. It's only a matter of time before they sound the alarm- he wants to be as far away from the complex as possible.

[onapalehorse]

By the time they hit the main roads, the pain is catching up with Bane. His eyes close, he subsides into the movement of the car, and breathes heavily through the mask.

[perplexing]

He doesn't quite know where to bring him, and he know he can't take him home- so Edward takes a hard left, moves onto the highway, and heads toward the industrial part of downtown.

[onapalehorse]

"The warehouses?"

Bane asks, voice echoing out of the back. He knows the city like the palm of his hand.

[perplexing]

"Thought it was adequate."

The car rolls to a stop and he takes the gun from the glove compartment, tucking it inside of his waistband.

"Where are you going from here?"

[onapalehorse]

"I'll charter a small plane."

By which he means 'steal,'

"And then hop the border. From out of the country, there are ways back to places with less stringent security."

[perplexing]

"And I suppose you're doing this all by yourself?"

Circling around, setting his hands on top of the trunk.

[onapalehorse]

"Do you expect to be brought along?"

Bane is supremely unconvinced.

[perplexing]

"No, I'm going to watch you get around looking like that with nobody to do your grocery shopping."