IMPORTANT: this story will deal with themes of trafficking and rape. Nothing explicit, however, if this is something that will make you uncomfortable or triggering then I suggest you turn back now. Without further adue~!

Explosions, yelps of pain and the painful sounds of gunshots echoed louder than she would have ever thought possible. Yet the young woman was not scared, she mourned the loss of freedom and prayed for the moment that rescue would occur. Even if being rescued and freed meant death, she would gladly take it.

Sobbing she curled her thin limbs into herself, arms wrapping tightly around her scantily clad body. Her face was blotchy from her tears as well as slightly swollen from the hits she had received earlier from her 'disobedience'. A loud thump overhead had a short scream of fear escaping her, the sound itself sounding like something a wounded animal would emit.

Pushing her wild and tangled curls back, she choked out another sob. The matted hair clinging to her sweaty temples as she huddled into herself further. There was no noise, just absolute deafening silence that rang eerily in the container for a solid minute. And then suddenly the metal overhear rent apart with a squeal.

The dark crusader of her city dropping down and for a moment everything froze. A scream on her lips that went without sound. Eyes open in alarm, even as the thick rope was severed carefully. A deep voice vibrating in the air, the hard leather of a glove tilting her jaw and yet she couldn't respond. Even with the well known Bat having come to her rescue, she couldn't emit more than a choked whimper. Her hearing muffled, ears ringing and everything visually and audibly distorted. Shock, she realized dimly as a chill swept through her, she was in shock.

Powerful arms were scooping her up, cradling her in silence as she was pulled from the container that had been her captivity for the past three weeks. Her body bare except for the thin lace of undergarments.

Perhaps we should back up.

THREE WEEKS AGO

Gotham City

July 20th

6:00 P.M.

A knock came from the door loudly, startling Alana so much that she dropped the mascara brush. Swearing lowly she grabbed a wipe and began cleaning up under her left eye.

"Just a minute!" She called out, fixing the raccoon eyes she now had with an exasperated huff. Alana straightened back up, fixing her thin low cut blouse and turning from side to side to look herself over. Long platinum blonde curls fell to her waist, large almond eyes with hazel irises were framed by lush black lashes and purple eye liner.

The top itself was a slightly see-through dark purple button up missing the sleeves, the fabric was thin and cinched in at the waist. Stopping just above her navel it showed off her belly button ring with the flash emblem. Her jeans were form fitting and a smokey gray, with a pair of ankle boots that were pitch black with an inch heal.

Inspecting her full lips painted dark red with lipstick, Alana grinned and headed off to the door quickly when an annoyed knock sounded. Unlocking the bolt on her apartment door she grinned breathlessly up at Luke. She'd met him online and had seemed so nice, since today was her twenty-first birthday the handsome man was taking her out to a club. Admittedly she'd never been clubbing, but she was excited to do so.

"Hey! You ready?" The man rolled his green eyes (oh god were they gorgeous) and smirked. He casually pushed his hand up through his shocking red hair and offered her an arm.

"Darling, if I was any more ready we'd be there." Flushing, Alana slid her arm through Luke's and ducked her head in embarrassment. Luke was a good ten years her senior as he was thirty-one. However, he was quite sarcastic and funny. She found she liked it, the only thing that threw her for a loop was his demeanor with other men. She'd just smile or say something and immediately he would tense up and get angry. Granted they didn't know each other to too well, but she decided to chalk it up to jealousy.

Besides, she had a pepper spray in her clutch. You never could be too careful. She turned and locked up her apartment and smiled up at him again, white teeth shining brightly as she bounced down the hall. The man walking calmly even as she bounced around and clung to his arm in a giggling mess.

"So, what club are you taking us to?" Alana asked with curiosity as they left the hotel's front door, she waved goodbye to Susan whom manned the front desk and Eddie who kept an eye on the apartment entrance.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you love." Hailing a cab he opened the door and ushered her in, "Besides, I think you'll like this place. It's not dingy and the drinks aren't rubbish." Nodding along, as if she really understood, she settled herself comfortably as Luke leaned forward towards the driver with a crisp fifty dollar bill.

"fourteenth and cherry, mate." The taxi pulled off and merged with traffic, the drive smooth as Alana watched with wide eyes as the lights shifted and moved brightly. An ominous cloud of smog covered the stars and honestly Alana could say she felt a slight pang at that. This was the first time she'd ever been on her own, she recently got a job as a reporter for Gothem and her own apartment. She'd traded a small town life, where everyone was on first name basis for this. And honestly Alana could say she was pleased, albeit frightened as she knew she moved to a more dangerous city.

She knew what she was getting into, or at least she liked to think she did. She just really hoped at the stories were worth it, at least she got to celebrate her twenty-first by getting drunk on a Saturday with Luke she thought in amusement. The sudden stopping of the taxi had her jolting in surprise only to feel her eyes widening. They'd stopped in front a brightly lit building, lights dancing along the sides and vibrant purple and blue hues were thrown around.

"Oh..wow." She whispered as she stepped out of the taxi, distractedly being drug along by Luke. She dismissed the annoyed look the man had in his eyes, even as his grin tightened and he drug her along. The man slipped the bouncer a hundred dollar bill and led her into the club.

Immediately a cacophony of noise barraged her, she nearly clapped her hands over hear ears as the base and music thumped through her. A clean bar on the right caught her attention, a group of men looking her up and down before Luke threw an arm over her shoulder. Immediately their eyes widened and they looked away.

Odd, she mused quietly. Perhaps he just intimidated them? An uneasy twisting in her stomach had her wondering on if she should get 'lost' in the crowd and leave. Squashing it quickly she kicked her common sense away and decided to ignore it, she was just being paranoid right?

Glancing up at her charming date, oh how she hoped it turned into a full fledged relationship, he smirked and led her to the dance floor. The scent of sweat, stale sex and perfume permeated the air. Throwing her hands up in the air she danced and ground against her partner.

She lost track of time as the two of them danced in the sea of people currently losing themselves to the music. Disoriented from all of the ruckus and sound she missed when Luke disappeared. The man appearing seconds, or was it minutes, later. He grinned and held out a small martini to her.

"To adulthood." He toasted with a rich laugh. Grinning she clinked her glass against his and took a sip. Blinking in surprise as the liquid slid down her throat, she coughed before taking another sip. Before she knew it her martini was gone and she was ready for another. Smirking, Luke led her to the bar and held up two fingers. The bartender nodded and brought back two glasses and began mixing the concoctions.

Alana wasn't paying attention at the moment, her eyes elsewhere as she waited. Suddenly the drink was pushed into her hand, grinning she took the shot and threw it back. Her wild curls bouncing as she grabbed the water with teary eyes.

"Oh my gosh, that's," She coughed rapidly and sipped the water before continuing, "Strong. Very very strong. What is that?" Luke just grinned before taking his own shot and then picking up the beer placed in front of him as another apple martini was pushed into her hands.

"It's called bourbon, love. I'll have to remember you like the martini's better." His white teeth flashed as he grinned. Sipping the martini Alana began to feel slightly off. The room was beginning to tilt and spin, she felt suddenly very weak. Confused she looked up only to find Luke studying her, placing down his beer he held put a hand on her shoulder and called out to her over the music.

"Let's get out of here." His words were hard for her to suddenly decipher, she knew Luke was talking but it didn't make sense. Confused she allowed herself to be pulled out of the club, her legs suddenly gave out as she went limp. Luke grunted and hefted up her dead weight before smirking down at the now unconscious woman.

"Like stealing candy from a baby." He muttered darkly, a black van pulling up. The door slid open as he stepped in, the other man pulling the door closed as he dropped her on the metal floor with a thump. A soft moan escaped her as the men chuckled.

"Yo Tony, how're you doing?" Luke inquired, dropping the fake accent he'd been using. The Tony, the driver, chuckled and spoke up dryly.

"Been good, boss'll be pleased with this one." The man slurred out, his lisp getting in the way. Luke climbed to sit in the front, letting Richard tie her up. Richard remained in the back with the unconscious woman as he made sure the door was closed up snug and she was tied up.

"Sure is pretty, was she easy to get?" Richard grunted as he pushed her hair back and inspected her. Sliding a hand down her stomach as he looked her over with a sleesy grin.

"All too easy, she was so desperate for love it wasn't even funny. Pity, I liked this one too, but the boss should find her to his standards. He always liked the blondes." Luke commented back, dark laughter echoed in the van as it squealed away. The night remained young and pedestrians kept walking, in Gothem you didn't intervene unless you wanted to get shot.

It was roughly an hour later, the van pulling up at the docks. The old warehouse district perfect for their ring. Especially since they'd been keeping quiet so as to keep out of the Bat's radar, no one needed Gothem's dark knight jumping in on them. The three men jumped out and slid the doors shut, Richard hefting the blonde up onto his shoulder as he walked behind the two men. Opening up a container that currently had one other woman, the Richard threw the blonde in and slammed it shut before closing the padlock.

As they walked away the brunette inside skittishly crept closer to the younger woman. Her eyes filling with tears as she sobbed. She knew what this meant, her replacement had come, the brown haired beauty was being put out of commission. Which in their rings meant that they were shipped off overseas for labor, sex, or they were killed.

With a moan Alana's eyes flickered open blearily, she was still out of it and her head was pounding. She couldn't remember much, except the club...dancing...drinking...Luke! Suddenly sitting upright and ignoring her pounding head she looked around in panic before spotting the brunette not far off, she was sobbing grossly and huddled into herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. You're next!" She kept repeating it over and over, Alana's heart jumping in her throat as her pulse throbbed in her temples and palms uneasily.

You're next. The words kept ringing in her ears along with the other woman's sobs. Suddenly the door was opened again, Alana stood up and put herself between the older wailing woman and the man. Realizing she still had her clutch she waited until he got within three feet before pulling out her pepper spray and hitting the unknown man in the eyes.

"GAH! Ya fuckin' bitch!" He roared it, curling over as he rubbed his eyes furiously. Blinking rapidly he locked onto her with a viscious snarl and charged. Eyes widening Alana was thrown to the ground, hard fists slamming into her stomach, her chest, her ribs, her face and her back. Coughing and cagging she felt her nose crack, blood pouring down and going into her mouth, racing down the back of her throat and coating her.

"Don' fuckin' try that again!" He kicked Alana for good measure, getting a wet yelp as she curled into herself. The brunette was dragged out kicking and screaming, the containment door slamming shut and the padlock clicking. Just as suddenly the cries were cut off by a loud echoing bang. Alana flinched and stared into the blackness in horror.

Spitting the blood out of her mouth she curled into a ball and let out a quiet choked sob, her nose throbbed with every whistling breath and she was fairly sure she had at least one cracked rib. Putting her head into her knees she cried herself into a comatose state. Laying there wide away the entire night as the blood on her face coagulated, as the sound of someone dragging a body away cycled through her head, as the sound of other girls sobbing rang out, as the sound of her world shattering echoed around her. She was alone and no one knew where she was.

Three days with no food or water, three days of suffering and finally Luke came in. Low light still had her hissing quietly as the warehouse lights momentarily blinded her. He tossed a wet rag to her and threw a pair of pink lacy panties and a brassiere on the ground. The bucket of cold water rested out in the open, ready to be used as a makeshift bath.

"Clean up and get dressed, love." He smirked, tacking on the endearment out of cruelty as he shut the door and leaned against it. Listening to the sobs.

Alana let out hitched breaths as she shuddered with her sobs, cleaning the blood from herself painfully. She'd reset her nose a day ago, for fear it'd heal wrong. The water soon turned pink, her hair damp and messy with grease in the roots from the lack of shampoo.

She refused to pull on the skimpy clothing, remaining in hers belligerently. Suddenly Luke spoke up, when had he come in?

"Oh dear. Tsk Tsk. Love, you should really learn to," Suddenly he kicked her with a grunt, eliciting a yelp of pain. "Listen. Put on the clothing, I won't take no for an answer. Either you do it or I do." Suddenly he grinned at that, standing there with his arms folded. Sobbing she shook her head. He reached down and snagged her head, tilting it back to look up at him.

"Put. it. on." He hissed, throwing her to the side. Sobbing loudly when he made a move to come towards her, she held up her hands in surrender, hands trembling as she managed to get her shirt undone. Stripping down she cried as he eyed her hungrily, wishing that she was anywhere but there. Pulling back on the clothing he suddenly drug her out of the container and into the warehouse across from it. Cages sat on the opposite walls, two other woman sat in separate ones. They were kept apart and with barriers so that they couldn't see or interact with each other. A few children were dirty and obviously underfed as they worked on menial tasks.

Trafficking, Alana realized numbly. It was one of those things she'd only ever heard about on the news. Horrified she and her family would've pittied the families, the kids, the people, but it wouldn't have affected them...so they would've moved on.

Now, Alana realized how bad it was. Saw the torment, experienced it and realized with nausea that once again..no one knew she was here. No one knew any of them were here.

As she was drug into the 'office' of a pudgy man with dark beady eyes and sparse gray hair, her eyes widened as he smirked Looking her up and down he waved a hand at the two men on either side of her. Luke and the other man walked off, leaving her in his presence alone. Turning back, she looked on with wide eyes as he approached. Blocking off her escape his pudgy hands roamed up her body, feeling along her breasts. A sob escaped her once more, closing her eyes tightly she tried to distract herself as he felt her up.

She tried to still block it when he pulled away her clothing, when he fought her hands back and assaulted her. When he stole her purity. Staring up at the window she watched as the smog covering the stars shifted minutely, a full moon casting its light down on her. Bottom lip trembling she lay there until he was finished, mute in horror.

The man left then, leaving her to her own devices until some unknown man came back in. He too assaulted her, taking over her senses with his blind pleasure as she could do nothing but sob. Just like before, she was held down and muted. The words she wanted to cry, the pleads to just stop frozen on her lips and burning the back of her throat and lungs with their unspoken weight.

After what seemed like eternity, she was dressed and dragged back to her own private box. Once again thrown into the darkness, great heaving sobs wracking her body. Ignoring the jug of water and loaf of bread she cuddled into a ball and did nothing but cry herself to sleep.

The seconds blended into minutes which blended into hours and then days. Time began to run into itself, all she knew was pain, punishment and abuse. What little fat she would have criticized herself with having previously was diminished from not eating. The bread piled up, stale and old. The water depleted when she finally broke from thirst. Her throat parched and hurting from dehydration and other things she tried to ignore. Slowly she found herself alone when pulled through the warehouse, the other woman gone, it was just her. And however cruel it may have sounded, Alana hoped they'd been disposed of like that brunette...so that they may not suffer like she did. Alana herself hoped to whatever deity was up there that her own death was imminent. So that she may feel relief. And then in what had to of been an eternity later, months perhaps, she was brutally awoken by scuffling and yelling.

PRESENT DAY

Gothem City; Warehouse District

August 10th

7:00 P.M.

She thought she heard screams. Heart drumming harshly in her chest, she curled into a ball, chest heaving as she tried to breath. Anxiety had her curling her toes in fear as the first gun shot echoed out.

"Over there! Over- GAH!" She flinched with a sob as something hit her container, a yelp of pain echoed out. Ducking her head she pressed her palms over her ears tightly. Wild matted blonde hair clinging to her sweaty temples and skin. Haunted and sunken hazel eyes clenched tightly shut, her once tan skin now a sickly pallor of its original glory.

A loud thwump echoed, something exploded nearby. Shrieking she pressed into the metal and cried, hoping beyond hope that this was a rescue. But at the same time she hoped that the ground would open up and consume her, she didn't want to be found like this. Mourning her freedom, her lost sense of self preservation and worth, she awaited with baited breath as silence finally reigned supreme.

Nothing else moved, no noise was made. The silence was deafening, ringing in her ears as a thump from above had her freezing. The metal punctured suddenly, light cascading down faintly. Her lips parted in horror as it pealed back, a wordless scream on her lips that never was released. A man dropping in, his black cape fluttering behind him like the grim reaper himself.

She should've been pleased, she should've been excited or grateful. But all she felt was numb. Even as he knelt in front of her, speaking in a low even resonance, his gloved hand gently cupping her bruised face as he inspected her. The roped her sawed through and suddenly she was being picked up, the world was still silent and unmoving as she found herself being catapulted upwards from his grappling hook.

There were lights, she realized belatedly. Police and ambulance. The caped cruisader set her down on a gurney, he went to leave and suddenly her world was moving again. She knew he could have pulled free, could have easily shoved her off and yet he stilled when she lunged.

"NO!" It was the only word she'd uttered to him, the only word she'd uttered in two weeks. Her small hands grasping his cape in a tight trembling grip. She flinched away from the paramedics cold hands with a sob, bruised and swollen face scrunching as she let out great heaving cries. The prick of a needle stung her arm, a warm feeling of safety and relaxation swept over her and she was tilting backwards. Black gloved hands gripped her and set her back gently even as a paramedic covered her indecent body with a white blanket. An oxygen mask placed over her face and then...silence.

AN:

If ya'll like it enough, I'll continue it. Let me know what ya'll think.

~D.R. Out