Run and Hide

Gotham City

August 3, 21:00 EDT

Leila was running.

Dashing in and out of the shadows, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. It has been two months since she found out the truth of what really happened that night four years ago. How did she not see it sooner? She knew her "stepfather", Vlad, was always a cunning man, but a murderer? Leila's curled fists epitomized her loathing for that man- the man who killed her mother, and made her what she is now. A freak. It wasn't just an ordinary car accident, but a setup where Vlad ensured her mother's death. All because she wouldn't have loved him in return.

Leila snapped out of her thoughts as a violet, ectoplasmic blast erupted from her hand, demolishing an unfortunate trashcan below. Breathing heavily, Leila skidded to a stop before closing her eyes, meditating. She knew she shouldn't be out here. Here, being Gotham City, where the notorious Dynamic Duo would indubitably be on patrol. Plus, with what little control over her emotions and powers, she was bound to draw attention to herself. However, Leila needed help, and the only one who could help her without asking questions was Artemis. Artemis- her one friend formerly in the Shadows who trained alongside her. If anyone could help Leila, it was Artemis.

She fully understood now what had happened to her that day with the portal. Vlad and Ra's Al Ghul set it up perfectly so as to all but kill her. Sure, she is still breathing and somewhat alive, but barely. Leila was always cold now, her skin gelid and even paler than before, her heartbeat and breathing slower than normal now too. She was more solemn, as if it wasn't just her physical body that died but a part of herself as well. As if the shadows...the darkness, were just home to her now. Guess it all comes from being dead; well, technically half-dead.

Leila would attempt to avoid hospitals at all cost and dodge the attention of the Justice League. Except her new found hero mechanism- this need to save people- always kicked in, and it was a miracle Vlad hasn't caught her yet. Given the fact that he is the only one who could actually find her nowadays. Leila could easily hide from the Shadows, even if Ra's Al Ghul himself came after her, but the thought that worried Leila the most is why Vlad hasn't caught her yet. It was as if he didn't want to find her.

Simple control over her powers was hard enough without the hero mechanism that came with it. Every moment of anger or fear would cause some ectoplasmic disaster. Not to mention the urge to help whenever someone was in trouble. Leila knew a trail must lead to her somehow, with all the accidental destruction left in each city; which is why the most obvious place she could go at this point was Gotham. The streets filled with crime should cover her tracks for a few days, but Leila knew the Shadows would expect this of her, mainly because she was running out of places to hide.

Slowly opening her eyes, Leila centered her icy, volatile core of emotions before slugging her duffel bag over her shoulder. Narrowing her gray-colored contact eyes, Leila focused to submerge herself into the darkness and become invisible. Disappearing from sight, Leila began to levitate the rest of the way towards Artemis's place. It was a risky move, since Leila hasn't seen Artemis in years, but given the circumstance of Artemis's family Leila knew Artemis would understand where she was coming from. Just ten miles within reaching Artemis's house, Leila's head perked upwards as her enhanced hearing picked up on a crashing sound resonating from a nearby school.

**What was that? ** Leila paused mid-flight, debating on whether she should survey the area, only to find herself already flying towards the school.

**Gotham Academy? Wonder who would attack this rich kid playground of a school. **

Glancing around, Leila gasped in surprise as she saw Artemis clad in a forest-green, midriff-baring archer costume. **Couldn't help yourself either, huh, Artemis? ** Leila thought, as she perched herself silently on a tree branch above the young archer, looking down at the blonde before calling out to her.

"See a white rabbit down there, Artemis?" Leila asked, referencing Artemis's favorite childhood story.

Artemis's body tensed before she swiftly loaded her bow and aimed upwards at Leila in one sweeping motion. Leila simply smirked and waved from her position before jumping down next to Artemis on the tree branch.

"Leila? What are you doing here?" Artemis questioned. Then a panic filled her eyes. "Is the League-"?

"No. I broke away from them months ago. Just saw your little, white rabbit flying across town here and was curious. What's going on?" Leila stated her half-truth of responses calmly, her face passive but determined as she observed the situation.

"All I see so far is Robin, Kid Flash, and my white rabbit-" Leila's smirk widened as Artemis referenced the boy who crashed into the school as 'her white rabbit', "-are fighting this…freak robot. Some invention of a friend of my Father's. Can't remember his name. I'm sure you know him."

Artemis blatantly stated as Leila peered through the open window. Below her was the school's gymnasium- one that could have been in a better shape than it was now. Various areas of the wood flooring were caved in from combat and several of the metallic stands were bent from something- or someone- being smashed into them. In the center was a large android- seemingly 10 feet tall from Leila's calculations- looming over a teenage version of Superman. Leila's eyes swept across the gymnasium, spotting the Boy Wonder and Kid Flash being kept at bay from the android as it created a tornado around itself. Leila's head perked to the left as she heard high-pitched, mechanical laughter. Sitting without a care in the world was a stout man dressed in a dress-shirt and a green, sleeveless sweater with two black-green robot monkeys perched next to him in the bleachers, chuckling as he watched the three teens struggle against the super-powered android. Professor Ivo. Though he was stout and old, Leila knew not to underestimate this man. Highly cunning and deceitful, Professor Ivo's brilliance was not to be messed with; after all, the android was able to manipulate the powers of the Justice League from Leila's observations. Definitely not a man to take lightly.

Leila's head whipped back around as the hairs on her neck began to rise. Artemis gasped as chittering laughter echoed around them. Dozens of those robot monkeys were swarming the tree.

Artemis quickly loaded her bow and shot at a monkey directly in front of her, malfunctioning it for good as it plummeted to the ground, only to be replaced by another.

"Flying monkeys. Who knew one day you'd land in Oz instead, Artemis." Leila commented as she threw two raven-shaped shurikens at the monkeys to her right, a bulls-eye straight to their chests.

Leila jumped up away from the monkeys zooming behind her. Artemis smirked slightly before frowning, clutching her bow in both of her hands before swinging it at another monkey. Both Leila and Artemis didn't need to communicate, not as previously trained assassins. As Artemis retrieved her mini crossbow from her belt loop, Leila slipped out her two steel tessen before fanning them out and flicking them on a route through several of the monkeys in opposite directions. Razor sharp wings sliced through the robot monkeys easily as each traveled its given course. Meanwhile, Artemis fired rapidly from her crossbow.

The chittering kept echoing in Leila's head. Every single monkey that plummeted to the ground, another instantly replaced it. Normally Leila wouldn't shrink from this many opponents, but the chittering was exasperating, and Leila could feel her irritation growing. A tingling feeling was growing from her icy core, wanting to expand and explode into energy. Her eyes took on a violet tint before Leila realized she was losing control.

**No. Not here, not now. **

Leila shrunk back against the tree trunk, clutching her fists and trying to calm herself. Artemis was losing her luck as well; one of the monkeys snatched her weapon while another wrapped itself around her head, taking a joyride while laughing away at Artemis's struggles.

"Get off!" Leila heard Artemis gasped as she wrestled against the monkey, but Leila couldn't move. Frozen in place, it seemed like the world was slowing down. She was losing patience, losing control, and her ally-her friend- was in trouble. Leila's hands were shaking. She closed her eyes and began to meditate once more.

**Don't lose control. Don't lose control. **

Leila's senses heightened, and everything around her became sharp and accented. She could feel the world around her; feel its life and chilling presence of death. It was frosty cold to her, yet Leila could feel the pressing, mixture warmth of life as well. It what made her what she is now, a stagnant between life and death. Reaching beyond the ambient, chittering laughs, Leila instead listened to the fight raging in the gymnasium. The android was calling out its own commands as the three superhero teens tried to suppress him simultaneously.

"Access Superman." Leila heard in a mechanical voice, and a cry of pain from one of the boys followed.

Instantly, Leila didn't care if Artemis found out about her powers, she had to help. In seconds, her eyes flew open, and she dashed along the tree branch, dodging the green laser-beams the monkeys shot at her. Catching her two tessen before throwing each one again as she ran, Leila jumped up to the open window over the gymnasium. Just as Artemis let an arrow fly at the android, Leila flicked one of her signature shuriken concurrently.

"Access Martian Manhunter," the Android commanded itself before turning intangible, causing Kid Flash to slip from his death-clutching grip.

The arrow and shuriken passed straight through the android, striking the gymnasium floor, but it was enough to save Kid Flash. Leila tilted her head slightly before yelling out to Artemis, "Get down!" as a monkey came flying towards them. Suddenly, a burning flame erupted on Leila's right shoulder and she growled that the stupid monkey had seared her arm. Artemis meanwhile jumped upwards, grabbing the monkey's tail just before he could escape. Artemis swung the menace around like Wonder Woman's lasso as Leila snatched her two tessen back in her hands. The monkey's laser eyes continued to fire and winnow each of its incendiary friends. With one final whack, Artemis smashed the robot against the tree trunk.

Leila was panting. She wasn't out of breath, but trying to calm herself from her fears and adrenaline rush. She could taste the chilly breath escaped through her lips and had to remind herself not to heal the burn on her shoulder. Artemis glanced over at Leila with concern, but Leila simply frowned before standing back up. Just as Artemis was about to ask something, both her and Leila turned back to the gymnasium window as they heard an explosion. Peering through the window, Leila observed the android lying flat on its back with its head blown off; it was a major malfunction.

"They did it." Artemis whispered and Leila raised an eyebrow at her. "Kids our age Leila, they took down a killer robot with the powers of the Justice League."

Leila tilted her head in consideration. Leila did have the idea of becoming a hero...but with her powers? Who would want to work with a freak like her? Everywhere she went, the temperature would drop and Leila could tell that she now made other people feel uneasy. Artemis didn't seem to notice, probably because they had been in battle this whole time, but that didn't mean it wouldn't come up eventually. Leila watched in silence as Robin rushed towards the android and yelled orders to the other heroes.

"Help me disassemble him! Now!"

"Dude, the guy has no head," remarked Kid Flash as two other teens rushed into the gymnasium. One was a dark skinned boy with black, eel-shaped tattoos running down his arms and what Leila perceived as a set of gills along his neck. The other was a green-skinned, auburn-haired girl with a splash of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

**Atlantean and Martian**, Leila deduced, as each was also clad in costumes resembling those of Aquaman and Martian Manhunter. Both teens yelled out simultaneously as they entered.

"Don't take any chances!"

"Superboy!"

Artemis smirked as she heard the Martian girl yell out her white rabbit's name.

"Guess that explains the red "S" and the muscles. Superboy, Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad...and I think that girl must be Martian...they're a team, Leila!" Artemis turned to stare at Leila in excitement. "Think about it Leila. I want on! So want on! And why not? Did we not just take down a barrelful of you-know-whats, kept them off the team's back? Plus it was my arrow and your shuriken that saved Kid Flash. Besides, Speedy's not down there! They don't have an archer!"

Leila glanced down on the scene, observing Robin as he scrutinized each of their weapons, as Artemis tried to defend her claim. Artemis was right. The team didn't have an archer, and defeating the dozen of robot monkeys was one of the many proofs that she could be on the team. Leila nodded in agreement.

"You're right, Artemis. They don't have an archer, and given that you just took out a dozen of these monkeys, you should be well qualified for that team."

Leila didn't want to get her own hopes up. The Team didn't need an aberration like her. She could sense Artemis staring inquisitively at her and she so desperately wanted to turn invisible right then and there. The quirks of being half-ghost were not as exciting as they seemed. Leila's survival dynamics were now extreme polar-opposite; either completely flee from battle or charge into it. The second was something her training strictly went against and often times Leila's emotions jumbled the conflict even further. At the moment, her fleeing desire to turn invisible wasn't her natural instinct, and it took all her will not to take Artemis by surprise by suddenly disappearing into thin air.

Artemis didn't say anything though. Taking Leila by the arm before leading them both out of the tree, Artemis led the way back to her house. Leila gasped as Artemis inflamed the burn the monkey inflicted on her. Artemis quickly let go before nodding an apology and continuing to lead the way in silence. Scaling the fire escape upon entering Artemis's apartment, both of the girls snuck back into Artemis's room before continuing their conversation. Leila dropped her duffel bag on the floor next to the window and Artemis laid her bow and quiver on her bed before taking off her green, face-covering mask, and turning back to face Leila.

"Who are we kidding? If we tried to join, they'd want to know who we are… probably demand my whole family history and your training experience. And once they know that, there's no way they'd trust us…no way they'd ever let you or I be one of them." Artemis sighed as she sank into the covers of her bed. Glancing up at Leila, Artemis continued, "We can play dress-up all we want but what's the use? I'm Artemis...not Alice."

After moments of silence, Artemis frowned before becoming determined again and stared at Leila in curiosity.

"Alright Leila. What exactly are you doing here if you're not a part of the Shadows anymore?" Artemis crossed her arms against her chest, leaning her weight back as Leila sighed.

"It's complicated, but I need a place to stay for the night. Leaving the League of Shadows isn't that easy, you know. I've been lucky to not have them find me yet. It'll just be for the night. Please, Artemis."

Artemis bit her lip as Leila explained her situation. Artemis's mother had just gotten back from her prison indictment and taking Leila in was risky. However, Leila's eyes were pleading like Artemis had never seen before. It was obvious that Leila left the League for more reasons than one.

"What did they do?"

"Other than trained me? You know what the Shadow's views of their so-called 'justice' are like. Well, I found out what really happened to my mother that night. It just happened that you were able to see it before me what the Shadows are-"

Leila was caught off guard as Artemis went to comfort her, gently laying a hand on her shoulder before bringing her into a hug. Usually Artemis was not one to hug, but it seemed that Leila was showing more emotion than she intended to. Stiffening under the slight pressure that was creating an uncomfortable tingling sensation where her burn was, Leila's emotions finally broke. All those feelings of loss and loneliness boiled over, as Artemis was the first to comfort her in years. Shadows are supposed to be silent and emotionless. Night soldiers, who aren't supposed to show anything, even if it kills them. It killed Leila.

Although tears were not actually leaking, Leila trembled as everything she'd gone through came crashing down on top of her. Artemis simply stood next to Leila in silence, giving the support Leila needed as she sobbed into her shoulder.

"You can stay here, Leila. We may not become a part of a team, but we have each other. We'll show Gotham what we're made of."