AN: This is actually something one of my friends inspired me to do. Didn't go very far with it but all 5 parts will be posted. This is set in some weird alternate universe of the DC Comics where there's some random guy as Kid Flash, Wally as Flash, Dick as Batman, Damian as Robin and the rest are pretty easy to figure out. Read, Review, Enjoy.

Chapter 1

When you get to thinking about it, fear is stupid. It makes you feel small and alone and in danger when you've got the power to overcome whatever you're afraid of. You're just too idiotic to use it. Like arachnophobia, for example. How much bigger are you than that spider? Maybe 1000 times? And there's trypanophobia, which may not sound familiar, but it's the fear of needles. What good does it do for you to fear something that gives you immunization to deadly diseases? And my biggest pet peeve of irrational fears: nyctophobia, the fear of darkness. And the scariest part of darkness to those afraid of it isn't even the actual darkness; it's what could happen in it. To me, that's completely pathetic.

But no matter how stupid ones fears of darkness may be, they sure come in a hell-of-a lot of handy for me. And trust me, when you've got a job like mine, controlling someone's fears gives you quite a bit of needed leverage.

Even now you can't help but to ask "What in the world could your job be where you need to scare people in the dark?" Sure, when you put it like that it makes me sound disturbing. But honestly I'm a good person; it just takes a while for me to realize it too. Back to the topic of my job, however. I'm a spy, my sole purpose for the people I work for is to collect information on their rivals, and whoever they may be that week, which is pretty stereotypical and straight-forward spy crap. But another part of my work is also intimidation, to make people scared and uncertain. And what's more uncertain than the darkness? Lucky for me, I am the darkness, I am the night, and I am the shadows. I am Blackout, and this is my story.

I grew up as a neglected little kid in a small but broken home. My past already sounds tragic, but it gets worse. I was born in a time where meta-humans weren't all that uncommon but most of the super-powered persons in the country had some sort of training from higher-up or another. I was a mutant-like freak in my family, the only person who'd ever had powers. My relatives didn't know what to do with me so most of the time they just ignored me. They were afraid of me, and for good reason. I was literally able to become shadows, the melt into the blackness of night so I could be completely invisible. My family hated it, the power. They said it made me demonic and terrifying, nothing in front of them one minute, then suddenly a small kid with big eyes looking up at them the next. Apparently it was something straight out of a horror movie. By the time I was 6 they were completely fed up with the stress I brought with me and they decided that their creepy little child wasn't worth it. My family left me, just got up and left, like a reverse case of running away.

That was also around the same time when the League of Assassins found me and began training me as a child. Yes, the League of Assassins, training me, which contradicts my statement of being a good person. Don't let this early explanation change your thoughts on me, if you stick around you'll understand. Sooner or later, at least. But I digress… The League trained me for 10 years of my life and I was inducted as an agent of the league, among names like Onyx, Alpha, and Doctor Darrk. I only knew of two other kids trained by the League, one of them being the grandson of Ra's al Ghul, Damian al Ghul, and the other being daughter of Lady Shiva and David Cain, Cassandra Cain. I never interacted with them, however. We were all kept quite separate from one another, so any idea that a normal childhood could be within reach for me, or them, was easily blown out of the water.

At the time I didn't mind, though. I was being taught to be something, to be somebody. The League of Assassins saw potential in me, and that was more than my parents ever tried to see. They showed me their ways and gave me a reason for my life, especially when no one else could. I was thankful for that more than I could ever say. The League took me in, gave me a home and didn't ignore me or neglect me just because I was different. The other two "children" thought differently about them, though. Damian left the League to go find his father, who was apparently Bruce Wayne while Cassandra left because apparently the whole assassin life just wasn't suited for her. I haven't heard news on either of them since they left, though I know the adults knew what was going on with them, for the most part at least. I figured that since this was the life I had been taught, it should be the life I would lead.

That's when Blackout came into the picture. Blackout was my ticket onto the League of Assassin's agent list, because Blackout is me, well, my assassin alias. The name itself was quite obvious, Blackout because that's what I did. I snuck through the dark as dark itself making Blackout quite suitable. I'd like to say I'd chosen it, but what had I really chosen in my life to begin with? Did I choose to be a meta-human? Did I choose to have parents that abandoned me? Did I choose to be trained as an assassin? No, no, and no. Choosing my assassin name wasn't ever up to me, but I was fine with the name. It made me sound ominous and frightening, a threat to be taken seriously. People would have to learn to take me seriously or else die in the process. That was how I was trained and that was how it was going to be.

My life with the League was mostly harsh training exercises with the occasional group recon mission where I was never allowed out of sight. Well, with me, that'd be near impossible, but I was never trusted on a solo mission until I was 16, and that's when Talia came to tell me what my first actual mission as a member of the League would be. And it was something I'd never expected before.

"You want me to WHAT?!" I whispered harshly as Talia al Ghul told me the details of my assignment.

"You heard me correctly the first time, Blackout. We need you to spy on the Justice League to gather inside information that would otherwise be impossible for us to retrieve. You're the only one suited for the job." Talia's entire demeanor was completely calm as she delivered the news. She stirred her tea with slow, precise motions, though I had seen Talia in action and knew that she could move like a blur and practically kill with a single look.

"Why now?" I asked, completely bewildered. I'd been taught over and over that part of being a good assassin was patience and keeping yourself collected. I'd never been too great at that, believe it or not. Even now I was madly wringing my hands, playing around with the utility belt on the new suit they'd just given me. It was composed of a durable fabric that was guaranteed to fade into the shadow just like I would, and contained a few obvious and hidden pockets and pouches along with only a thick rimmed pair of goggles to guard my identity, or what little was left of it, anyway. When I'd gotten it, the agent who had given it to me had told me it was all black by default, just like my soul. What a way to make an impression on someone, eh?

"It's not your place to question the inner workings of the League of Assassins. It is your job to serve it. Do you understand?" Talia's voice became hard and steely which was my cue to metaphorically get on my knees and grovel.

"I understand perfectly. When do I leave?" I asked quietly, wanting to avert my eyes from the beautiful and intimidating woman but forcing myself to keep eye contact because that's the way I was taught.

"Tonight. The Justice League will be converging at the Hall of Justice for once, hoping to confuse their enemies of their true base. They will meet at midnight, but you will arrive in Washington a few hours before. You are to find any way to get into the Hall by any means as long as your cover remains intact. The main focus of this mission is for you to stay in the shadows and collect their secrets." Talia took a delicate sip of her tea, setting the cup back on the saucer without a sound.

"Yes, ma'am," I said robotically in the submissive tone I'd adopted. It was one taught to me at a young age to be spoken in when I was talking to actual member of the League of Assassins.

"Good luck on your mission. Do not fail us." The woman offered me a small twitch of her hand, a slight motion that was plain to understand; get out of my sight. So I obliged, melting into the shadows of the room like I'd never been there in the first place. The League had taken me in, but that didn't mean that they liked to see me either.

I went back to my small room. It wasn't personal or cozy like a regular bedroom; instead it had grey steel walls and a cement floor. There was a single bed, dresser, and mirror in the room. The dresser contained plain grey and black clothes used for training or my rare down-time. They were what I usually wore on missions before I got the suit. I supposed that in a way this suit represented my induction to being an agent of the League. I should've been excited, or at least proud of myself. After 10 years of training I was finally moving up in ranks. But the only feeling that touched me was the sinking emptiness that had set in since I had been abandoned as a child. It was like a permanent scar that couldn't and wouldn't go away.

With a sigh I made my way to my dresser, my tightly laced black combat boots making no noise as they touched the cement. The bottom drawer slid open easily to show a small arsenal of personalized weapons. There were collapsible Bo staffs, small bombs (the gas and plain explosive kind), daggers, assorted poisons, etc. However, of all of them my favorite weapon would have to be the ninja stars. There wasn't anything scarier than suddenly being pinned to a wall by someone you couldn't see. They also worked pretty well as close combat knives or like throwing knives for far away, both lethal if used correctly. I gave a long, sad look to the single long sword I knew I'd have to leave behind. If there was anything better than the throwing stars, it'd have to be the katana-like blade I'd grown so used to battling with. It might've just been Ra's antiquated way of looking at combat, but I liked all the cheesy sounding ninja weapons that I'd grown up with. Their danger seemed like a part of who I was now and it hurt to leave a part of me behind.

"Maybe next time," I sighed again, filling up my utility belt with lethal weapons. Though it was just a recon mission, I wasn't taking any chances.