Disclaimer: All actual DC Characters are copyright DC Comics. Some characters are the creation of the author.

Note: The story takes place after "War Games" and "Identity Crisis" but right before the events of "Countdown to Infinite Crisis." Speedy is a member of the Teen Titans.

Note: The story is based on actual DC continuity however it does diverge.

Author's Note: This is my first foray into the world that is fan fiction. As such, the format of my story is closer to that of a novel, in the style of my favorite writer (Tom Clancy), than to the traditional fan-fiction style. Still I hope you enjoy the Story. The story is a serial and I will be publishing the chapters as I write them. Constructive Criticism/reviews are welcome and appreciated.

Of Mice and Mortal Boys (or Girls)

Chapter One: Secret Files and Origins

The harsh stone eagle was so intricately carved you could almost hear the scream depicted in the sculpting. Robin stood perched on the protrusion looking out over the cityscape as he retracted his grapnel line. It was warm out now, but the "wind tunnel" effect created by the city's skyscrapers made a breeze strong enough to chill him. A shiver ran up his spine, and a frown crept across his face as this was yet another reminder he had yet to obtain the stone cold façade of his mentor. He allowed himself the moment of self pity, and quickly shrugged it off, once again telling himself that of all his teacher's traits; that was not one he aspired to obtain. His openness was what set him apart from Bruce, and what made him Robin, not Batboy. He smiled at the idea of a Batboy, and his thoughts shifted to his friend Connor Kent, better known as Superboy, and how he was able to forge his own identity whilst in the shadow of an Icon if only in Name. But once again, his thoughts shifted, and he remembered about how the openness that he valued so much had brought him pain, when his ex girlfriend Stephanie was murdered. Once again he managed to shrug off his feelings, this time by diving off the gargoyle's head.

Thud! Fwish. The first arrow struck the mannequin with deadly accuracy, right between the eyes as if guided by laser. The second however, grazed the head only slightly, before sailing off to the right. The profanity that spurted from her mouth came almost as quickly as the hand that struck her on the back of her head. "Again." The voice was strangely calm for the sudden outburst of violence. Mia arched her back, and readjusted the strap of her oversized quiver. Her eyes darted back and forth as she scanned the horizon. The pounding in her head was so strong, her eyes blurred with each beat. The target sprung up with such speed, it almost escaped her peripheral vision. She dove forward and to her right, rolling as she had practiced so many times before, her left hand reached back plucking two pointed arrows from behind her, and, flexing the muscles in her back, drew them against the bow string. As she squared the bow with her target's head, she relaxed her fingers, and let the arrows fly. The slap of the string came almost simultaneously with the double-tap thuds of the twin arrows as they entered the ballistic gel cast head and torso. Mia returned to the start line and in a moment of weakness, let a smile creep across her face. Expecting a word of encouragement, she was surprised when the hand found the back of her head one more time. "Again"

The wind which had just shaken him to the core now gave Tim the slap in the face he needed, clearing his head of all the distractions clouding his mind. As he rolled forward he reached for his grapnel gun to arrest his free fall. He had done this so many times before it was second nature to him now. He selected his anchor point and without looking, fired. The hiss of the escaping gas was a comforting sound as the piton shot from the gun. Just as expected, the line rapped securely around the fire escape two or three times before becoming taught. The gun pulled from him and he rotated his body, spinning until his heels came to a rest on the brick wall. With the flick of his thumb, and a push of a button, the line began to retract, pulling him rapidly up to the fire escape. He opted to conserve his strength and walked the last flight up to the roof. He looked up at the clear night sky content with the extent of his patrol for the night. It had been relatively quiet, only one mugging and an attempted auto theft. He decided to turn in, knowing that if Bruce was with him, he would want to stay out on patrol. But Bruce wasn't here, he and Dick had left for Keystone on a tip that Pamela Isley, AKA Poison Ivy, was planning to rob the Federal Reserve Bank. With the Flash still AWOL after his last confrontation with Zoom, Batman and the rest of the League had taken it upon themselves to pick up the proverbial slack. Tim was pleased that Batman would trust his city to the junior detective, and was diligent in protecting his home. He stood on the roof's ledge and looked up at the crescent moon, completely oblivious to the leafy tentacle inching its way towards him. As he took a deep breath, he felt a sense of calm rush over him, though calm quickly turned to guarded terror as he realized that he could move neither his arms nor his legs. "Damn!" was all he had time to say, before everything went dark.

It never mattered how much water she drank, the horse pills she took daily never went down easy. But for from what the doctors could figure, they were working. Her viral count was for the most part low, and even with her unusual extracurricular activities, her body was holding up relatively well. As she was now weekending with the Teen Titans, Oliver had been giving her more and more leeway as Speedy, even letting her patrol solo on occasion. However with the increased responsibility came increased training and young Mia Dearden was at her breaking point. "I swear Queen, you hit me so hard I thought I was shooting four arrows at a time!" Mia's attempt at mixing her criticism of Oliver's training regimen with sarcastic humor was unsuccessful in garnishing sympathy from her cynic of a teacher. "Not half as hard as the bad guys Mia, and if you don't think you can take it?..." The retort was quick, "Now that's not what I was saying and you know it Ollie." Her voice turned to a softer tone, "I don't mean to be ungrateful; its just that…." Oliver saw the tears in the young girl's eyes, even though they weren't there yet. He placed his hand on her shoulder and needed not speak any words of comfort for the bond between them was largely that, unspoken. "What about that vacation we talked about? No training, no Titans, just relaxation. So, have you thought of a place?" He was relieved to see the twinkle return to her eyes, "Yeah I have." She smiled, "Gotham, I'm going to Gotham."

End Chapter One