Author's Note: Thanks to ethuil (The confrontation between Roy and Robin will be interesting to say the least) and IndiaMoore for reviewing the last chapter!


When the knife spun sideways Renegade was stunned. He'd missed. That wasn't possible. He never missed, his master had made sure of that. Then he saw the archer. Anger and fear bubbled in his chest, overriding any control he had. Another knife was in his hand, flying towards the archer as his prey ran. The older boy dodged but Renegade was already lunging forward, well aware that the more time he wasted on taking down the archer, the farther away the politician got. And if the target escaped then he would be punished.

The archer blocked the first blow and dodged the second, lashing out in an attempt to take Renegade's feet out from underneath him. The assassin was already leaping in the air, twisting his body so he would land behind his attacker. The archer slid under his body and lashed out, smacking Renegade across the face with his bow. Renegade bit down a pained cry with the ease that came from months of practice, months muffling his miserable sobs so that his master wouldn't punish him, and lashed out with a powerful kick. The archer twisted out of the way but Renegade couldn't care. He was too busy staring with wide eyes at the face of his former big brother and best friend.


One moment Roy was fighting for his life against the assassin, unsure if he was actually going to win or even survive, and the next he had knocked the smaller figure back with a blow that shouldn't have even connected. The assassin was staring at Roy, all color gone from his ruddy complexion. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost. The archer forced himself to move, allowing himself to loom over the smaller figure sprawled on the ground. "Who are you?" he growled. The figure's mouth moved silently, mouthing a name Roy couldn't quite catch, and then snapped shut, expression blanking. That was when Roy reached for an arrow.

The boy's whole body went stiff and his jaw went tight, teeth clenched. "They call me Renegade," the boy bit out, voice sharp and bitter. They call me. Like his name was something assigned to him. Like it didn't really belong to him.

"What do you call yourself?" Roy pressed, fighting to keep his voice steady, fighting to ignore the voice in his head that insisted he knew this boy. Renegade was just a lead, nothing more.

The boy let out a sharp bark of empty laughter. "I don't call myself anything." Then his foot lashed out, quick as a striking snake, and slammed into Roy's ankle. By the time the archer managed to pull himself to his feet, Renegade was long gone.


Renegade stood in the middle of his master's latest haunt in a military rest position, his head bowed. He was counting the flaws in the cheap tile, trying not to panic. He had failed. Because of his distraction the politician had escaped and it would be much more difficult to get close to the man a second time. For the moment, Renegade's master seemed content to ignore him but the young assassin knew it wouldn't last. He still ached from the last time he had failed. "What happened?" His master's voice was a dark demand and Renegade considered lying before thinking the better of it. Doubtless his master had already watched all available footage of the actual event.

"Someone informed a cape of the location of the hit," Renegade reported passionlessly, keeping his gaze on the floor. "Red Arrow was there to ambush me and by the time I was able to incapacitate him the target was long gone."

"You were defeated by a pathetic former sidekick," his master hissed, voice low and displeased. "The same one Sportsmaster can take down without thinking?" Renegade tensed as his master rose and approached him. "I trained you to be better than that boy."

There was only one correct answer for that. "Yes master."

His master circled him slowly, each footstep added to the butterflies twisting about Renegade's stomach. "You are hiding something from me." Renegade barely held in a guilty flinch. He couldn't tell his master that had had faltered because of foolish sentiment. As his master had pointed out, all his former friends had cared about Robin, not him. They could care less that he was gone. They'd all moved on to bigger and better things.

"I wasn't watchful of my surroundings," he said instead, voice dead. "Because I did not notice the cape until it was too late, I jeopardized the entire mission." He forced himself to remain still under his master's scrutiny, praying to anyone who was listening that his master bought the lie. At last the man settled in front of him, one gloved hand lifting his chin. He stared back into the single blue-grey eye refusing to back down. He would not be forced to admit to his falter into becoming emotional.

"Change out of your uniform and report here in five minutes," his master ordered at last. "Then return here for your punishment."

"Yes master." Renegade turned and walked smoothly to the door.

"Don't bother with a shirt," his master ordered casually as he left. "It will only be ruined when I am finished with you." Renegade lifted his hand in acknowledgement, repressed a fearful shudder, and left his master behind to change.


"How did it go?" Artemis ambushed Roy the instant he arrived back in Starling City.

"Back off," Roy snarled at her and she glared at him, hands settling on her hips.

"I got you the information so I think I deserve to know how it went."

"Don't you have Kid Idiot to snap at or something?" Roy growled, shoving past her and into the Arrow Cave.

"Oh no," Artemis snarled as she stormed after him, their feet clanging on stainless steel steps. "You are telling me what happened or so help me God, I will make your life a living hell."

"Like you don't already," Roy retorted, ignoring Ollie's amused smirk. The older archer was dressed in casual clothing and obviously searching the news for any signs of trouble to investigate during his next patrol as Green Arrow.

"Oh believe me, I can make it worse," Artemis threatened, looking as if she was considering whether or not it would be worth it to punch him.

"Report," Ollie cut in before the blonde could decide to actually hit Roy. It wasn't the kind of command Roy could make himself ignore.

"Cheshire's information was correct," his said, fighting to make his voice emotionless. Seeing the way Ollie shifted into a defensive stance, as if he still thought he could still shield his adopted son from all the bad in the world, he could tell he was failing. "Renegade went after the politician. I stopped him from killing an innocent man. We fought."

"And?" Artemis pressed impatiently but Roy could see a tiny flash of worry in her steely brown eyes.

"Renegade is Robin," Roy replied. "But he isn't our friend. Not anymore."