The woman calls out, but she is not helpless. Her knife, meant to hit his arm, is now pointed to his chest as he turns. A girl watches from the shadow.

She won't let this last piece of the woman's innocence be lost.

Not by accident, at least.

A grain of sand, it hits the shoulder.

The woman runs.

The man is never heard from again.

)\/V(

She awoke.

She awoke and she ran.

She awoke and she ran to the only one who would know.

She awoke.

)\/V(

She made it.

She made it to where she was meant to be.

She made it, and she knows she's broken.

She trusts him.

She made it.

)\/V(

She watched.

She ran.

She fought.

She killed.

In secret, she became.

)\/V(

Desert.

Cold, hot, barred, dead.

Blown around, in control.

Control, plan, watch.

...Dark.

They're ready.

Soon…

Very soon.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Her name is Teresa "Ree" Wilcoli-Heart.

Once, she was Sun.

Then, she became Vision.

One day, she died.

Now, she is Desert, and she is out for revenge.

She is the Avenging Angel. She protects you from staining yourself red.

She is the partner of the Red Hood, a vigilante willing to kill.

She is a predator who hunts bright red prey.

She is the predator of predators.

)\/V(

She watches as Jason kills for the first time.

It makes a small part of her break.

She tried to never make it so, but she wasn't surprised that her mission failed drastically.

She just can't bring herself to care.

)\/V(

She goes to Winter to become a true Dark.

She laughs internally as she realizes Willow's very temporary death could have been avoided if she had just given in.

Another part breaks as she truly becomes one with the Darkness.

She knows she's breaking to pieces. She feels her ability to remove the half of her that is a stone-cold killer from the hero half.

She just doesn't care.

)\/V(

She watches Jason slowly become her secret half.

He kills those who are already bad.

He leaves no evidence to any of his kills.

He protects those who almost lose their innocence.

It puts her back together.

)\/V(

She watches Talia. She's onto her.

She doesn't care. She's onto Talia too.

Jason's still mad. Hearing about Tim was one thing.

Seeing your replacement is completely different.

She knows the feeling.

)\/V(

She separates from Jason not long after to pursue training from international members of the Dark Tribe. She learns how to make the twisting and churning sands of her eyes be replaced with the brown she once had. She learns how to strengthen her powers.

She learns healing spells and how to immunize yourself to power dampeners.

She rejoins Jason when he calls her, telling her he found Joker.

He wants to play on the classics.

)\/V(

The death would have been too quick. Jason knows that she's just a bystander, he knows that it's just the three of them in the end. Him, Bruce, and Joker.

For her, it's different.

Her and Jess and and Ihavoagof. (Willow was always just a bystander, playing a role that was assigned.)

They'd help each other, but their battles are theirs.

This was personal.

A battle forged in death and emotion.

)\/V(

"Jess?"

"Yes, Ree?"

"Why does everyone think I'm gonna go Dark?"

"I…."

"Is it because of my powers?"

"No, no. Don't you dare think that. It's just… something Julia said."

"It's true."

"But not anymore, right? Heroes don't kill."

"Yeah, sure."