Title: They're Gone

Author: Gurenmark1

A/N This story is something I've had in the back of my head for a while. Not sure if I should post it under bat man or not. It's my first super hero fanfiction so comments will be most appreciated.

Prologue: Kyle Harrison

I remember it vividly, as if it happened yesterday. All around me my world is on fire. I look to my right and I see my mom's foot sticking out from under a pile of rubble. I look to my left and see my dad laying there too drunk to care that his home was on fire. I don't cry because I know this is the end. We're on the 8th floor of a 12 story building, the stairs are gone and there is no other way out. The fire escape outside wasn't up to regulation and there was no elevator.

Suddenly I see my dad get up and laugh, he looks at me and smiles.

"Boy what you doing over there," he asks his voice slurred and confused.

I can tell he doesn't see me, whenever he drinks too much he never does, but it doesn't stop him from hitting me. He lunges forward to grab me but trips and falls hard onto the floor. The floor creams and cracks at this. He goes to get up slowly and deliberately trying to balance. He quickly fails and falls hard on the ground and the floor beneath him gives way. He disappears into the blaze before. I sit there numb to the world. After so many beatings and wrongs done to me I was welcoming to death. Suddenly the window behind me bursts open and I turn to see a faint of a man behind me.

He's dressed in black and gray with a cape. He looks around accessing the room. His eyes dart to me then my mother's corpse. He walks to me and quietly picks me up. He puts my head into the crook of his shoulder and covers me with his cape.

He only says two words to me.

"Hold on."

Then he's out, sprinting down the blazing hallway running to a window. I hear the roaring of flames coming after us as he breaks through the window. I hear an explosion behind us and feel the heat of the flames as they roar in anger at being cheat out of it prey. Then I hear something catch and suddenly was moving up instead of down. I look up at him and my breath leaves me. He's calm, unfazed by what he'd just done as we soar through the night sky. He glances at me checking to see if I was holding on tight enough.

The rest of the night goes by in a blur. I remember him handing me over to cop then leaving. I remember the ride in the police car and sitting in the office. No one approached me no one said anything to me. They were too busy to. Everything after that is can't remember anything, but I'll never forget the way he'd looked in that moment, flying through the sky like an ancient warrior of myth.

After that night I was sent to an orphanage. It was a tidy unclean hole in the ground, but it taught me much. I learned how to act like a normal; kid there and just how truly special I was. For the first time in my life I was sent to a school. I learned what they had to teach me fast, in fact too fast. I drew the attention of my peers and their hate. I quickly learned that being smart meant nothing in this place; you had to be tough too. After my first week a kid two years my senior beat me to a bloody pulp. I was sent to the hospital for a week. I was not idle during that week I quickly found myself planning my revenge. I joined into a daily tai chi session and learned of its calming effects, but I saw it's potential.

When I returned to school the bully approached me again, this time however I was ready. He swung a ham fisted hand at me and I avoided it. I followed up with several blows to his ribs. He fell to the ground crying. All around me the kids that had just been jeering and cheering for the bully were silent. As I walked out of the circle of children they parted ways providing me with an open path. I leave the school after that, and I don't come back. For the next three years I teach myself everything I can. It was mostly book studying at libraries, but before I knew it I had breezed through most of the college level books.

I quickly took to the internet to find to learn more. This however was harder than expected. Conquering the internet took me little over a year. It was worth the time however. Before long I had my hands in everything from insider training to information brokering. It was about this time that a man came to the orphanage and adopted me. He was a single man, a hard working college professor who wanted to help make the world a little brighter.

I was grateful to him for adopting me of course, but also suspicious. Nobody had shown interest in me before. I told him so in the car once and he just smiled at me.

"I can see why," he said chuckling.

"You've obviously had it hard, and it shows in your eyes. You have the eyes of a wounded beast," he said simply.

"And you are not scared of me?"

"No, in fact I see a bit of you in me," he said placing a hand on my shoulder.

After that he leaves me to my devices most of the time. He doesn't question where I get my money, computer or clothes from, just simply acknowledges it. I quickly resume my quest for knowledge on the internet by hacking into most of the world governments. I learn about almost everything in the world as it happens. This however only pleases me for several months. Quickly I grow bored of it and sell my back door to a third party who is interested.

Then I turn my mind to a project I'd started before. My tendrils quickly find it. The traces are winding and confusing, and I'm sure it's going to take a while. I meet others like me along the way but none as close. I come to the verge one fire wall away I'm sure but I stop.

'Do I want to know Batman's true identity,' I ask myself.

I contemplate this for several long days and nights; I finally decide that I don't. He's an icon, a person high above others and to find out his identity is to ruin him. I quickly erased the path that led me there along with his. Along the way I meet someone who is much rougher and inexperienced than me. He wants to help batman, and I let him. His name is Tim drake and I send him an Email telling him what to do. After that I spend a month on a program that told me exactly where batman was going to be and exactly where not to be in Gotham.

The first time I used the program I was off by several blocks. The next time it was only a block. Finally I calibrated it to the point where I knew what a villain was going to plot before he did, and I knew where batman was going to be. I often went out at night and watched him fight. I quickly became acquainted with his fighting styles and went home and tried to do what he did with little success. After a while my father said I had to go to school. At first I resented him but just as quickly I forgave him. He sent me to the most prestigious school in Gotham and I quickly made friends. A boy named Time drake was the first of them, I made sure of that.

After I'd pointed him in the direction of Batman a new robin had appeared several months later. I had my suspicions, but I never told him that I'd been the one to help him. Eventually though he figured it out; he was a quick kid like me. He never said anything to me school about it but he was a lot less guarded around me after he figured it out.

Eventually however Batman did take notice of the teenage kid who seemed to be always at their fights on a roof nearby. Tim sent me an anonymous email telling me to meet him at a specified place and time. I replied telling him I'd happily meet him. I did lay down several rules for our encounter; we both knew however he wasn't doing this of his own volition.

I arrive early at the location, two hours early in fact scoping the place out. It's in the better part of Gotham and people notice me. It's rare to see a black kid in this part of town and it shows. I disregard their looks and take my seat. It's a small expensive restaurant that is a local place. I look out the window and wait; I know that despite how early I am I won't have to wait long. I am right. Tim arrives only 10 minutes after me. He isn't surprised to see me. He probably was waiting to until I went in to make sure I wasn't planning anything.

I stand and greet him as if we're two business men about to negotiations.

"Great to see you outside of school," I say smiling.

He takes my hands and smiles. His grip is strong almost intimidating. I sit down still smiling. He is not. We're both wearing expensive suits a sort of acknowledgement that I'm not what my background suggests.

"You know why I've asked you here," he states.

A waiter comes over bringing us both a plate of their special.

"I took the liberty to order for you; I hope you don't mind sea food," I say placing my napkin in my lap.

He disregards my statement and drives on boarishly.

"He says he'll welcome you into the fold with us," he said quietly.

My heart rate jumps up at that. I'd earned his attention to that point huh? It was a true honor in my eyes to have him ask me to join, but I'd decided long ago what my answer would be.

I take my time chewing my food enjoying the meal I've order. I wipe my mouth off and look out the window.

"What do you say Kyle?"

I take another moment to get the right words, then I speak.

"As honored as I am to be acknowledged by him, I have to decline," I say.

It's hard to turn him down, and it's about to get harder.

Tim looks at me in the eyes. His eyes are filled with admiration and respect as he looks at me; then he speaks.

"Do you know who he is?"

"No," I say.

"But you told me how to find him didn't you," he asked.

"Yes, I did, however I choose not to know," I say taking a sip of water, my eyes still out the window.

"Why," he asks.

"Because I did," I say turning to him.

The underlying meaning was known by both of them.

"Join us," he said. "You can help make a change."

I smile at Tim, he was such an idealist.

"I will eventually," I say smiling at him.

"Now," I say signaling the end of the topic at hand, "let's enjoy this meal."

We eat and talk, of course he tries to convince me through out. I just smile and nod at his attempts. He tells me what it's like to be a hero, how awesome it was to save his first person. I smile and listen the whole time. Finally we finish our meals and as we finish Tim's phone rings. He answers and after a moment turns to me to say something I nod and give him the signal to go. I gesture to the waiter for him to come and pull out my platinum card.

After that Tim and I stayed friends. He of course graduates before me and I shortly after when I turn 18 I've already graduated and my father is proud of me. Who wouldn't be I had gotten in Gotham University on a full ride and graduated early. Shortly after I started university is when Batman disappeared.

A/N: I don't know if you liked it or not, I truly hoped you did. Leave a comment and tell me your thoughts. The next two chapters will introduce the next two main characters. Umm… any questions feel free to ask them and a bit about the next two they're based on Super man and Wonder Woman. Superman's counterpart is in of course in metropolis while I'm making Wonder Woman's City Washington D.C., umm besides that I'm not going to spoil it look for you. The next chapter should be up with in the next 3 days.