Disclaimer: I do not own DC, Justice League, Young Justice or any of its characters. I'm just one of many fans. Nor do I own any franchises I might mention.

STAR CITY

August 11, 23:41 PDT

John Hunter was running. Now that he thought about it, he did that a lot. Whether it was because he was afraid, angry, or just exercising, John ran a lot. It made sense, he thought as he ran across a rooftop. Running's a good problem solver, or rather problem avoider. Stuff happens to him that usually warrants running, things that are not the easiest sort of things to handle. They were the sort of problems that needed power to solve. And not power, like lifting a car. But power that meant you were capable. That meant someone could depend on you. Power like the ones chasing him had.

He vaulted across a gap between rooftops above an alley way. This doesn't seem to be a fair game, he thought as he barely managed to avoid being hit by a flying arrow by rolling after his landing. He was pretty tired at this point. His t-shirt stuck to his back from the sweat. He'd been running for almost an hour, and more than once, he had to endure a beating while trying to pretend he could fight. He knew he had to get off the roof tops to get away, so he looked for a route to take to the ground. His eyes found a fire escape on the building across another alley. The other building was taller and further away than the previous jump, so jumping to its roof was a non option.

But maybe he could jump and find a hold on the fire escape and then climb down to the alley where it might be a little easier to lose these guys. He didn't really have time to debate it in his head as one of them came gliding down from the afore-mentioned tall building. It was at this point John decided he was screwed. He'd heard about this one, heard about some of the damage he'd done to people, physically and psychologically. Granted, not nice people, but considering he might not find John to be the nicest of people, still worth fearing. It didn't even make sense. This one was usually in Gotham. John did not like how much attention these guys were giving him.

He looked around desperately for an option, an escape, a distraction, anything. His eyes found a sag in the roof just to his right. The building he was standing on was old, condemned. Maybe that sag would give away with the right amount of force? It was slim at best. Not exactly a master strategy, not to mention dangerous, but it would have to do as Tall, Dark and Terrifying had just landed in front of him. John dashed for the sag, slamming down on it just off-center with the heel of his foot. The sag turned into a hole and John went down like a missed Wack-a-Mole. Luckily it was only about an eight feet drop. Unluckily he landed badly on his right foot then fell to his back.

John lay there for a moment, surprised his plan had worked at all. He quickly realized that he was a sitting duck at the bottom of this hole with a wounded leg and made to get up and continue running. After uttering a few curses a kid his age shouldn't be familiar with he had managed to stand up. He actually got to his feet surprisingly fast, considering the fall and the pain in his leg. He saw a door to his left and limped his way there as fast as his leg would allow. John pushed the door open as he coughed the last of the dust from his lungs.

The door led to an old apartment hall. He had just come from what must have once been someone's living room. He soon found the stairs and started scrambling down them two at a time, trying to ignore the pain in his leg. The building was only about 5 stories, so it didn't take long to hit ground level. He jumped the last three steps and landed with a grunt. He straightened up and quickly scanned his surrounding. He was in a deserted lobby. After dismissing the notion of running out the front, he began searching for a back exit. His eyes found a back hall behind the front counter. Not wanting to waste any time John mantled the counter and bolted down the hall. As he approached the door he began to hope. Was he actually going to get away? He rammed his shoulder at full speed into the door and came out into a dark and dingy alley.

Where all three of them had him cornered. That was it. Game over. He decided to keep some dignity and stop running. There was no point. They had won. He just stood there panting, waiting for one of them to grab him and haul him off. The tallest and by far the most frightening one was the first to say anything. "Not bad."

Uh, what? Did he just say "Not bad"? The other man had a goatee and was dressed in green with a quiver of arrows strapped to his back. He was second to speak. "I almost had you when you landed up there but you managed to avoid me…again." He was smiling, almost laughing. As if he had just played a spirited game of tennis with an old friend. The third was a woman with blond hair and a blue jacket, and while she wasn't quite as cheery as the second, she too was smiling. "Probably not the most ideal strategy, falling through the floor," said the woman, as if she was judging an opponent's move in a game of chess, "but unanticipated and effective nonetheless."

What the heck is going on? Why haven't they arrested me yet? "You think with some training he could be an effective member?" asked Green Arrow. "I think he'll be more than effective, especially considering that "trick" of his." answered Black Canary. What are they talking about? It can't be about community service or falling through the floor and my "trick" wouldn't matter. "Now the real question is will he want to?" asked Green Arrow.

"I think he will" said Black Canary.

"How about you explain the situation and ask him rather than pretending he isn't here?" said John. That's when the tall dark one stepped forward. John stifled a gulp. He was pretty sure he'd crossed a line and was now in even more trouble.

"Fair enough. We've been watching you. We want to offer you a chance" said Batman.

"What kind of chance?" asked John.

"One where you won't have to keep running."

John thought about it. He could either hear them out or go to jail. They might not take him today, but if not them, someone else will. He'll get caught eventually. One day. He was tired of running. "I'm listening".