AN: FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHHHHHBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCKK!

4 Years Ago:

I ran through the streets of Gotham as fast as I could. I tried to get away but I couldn't tell if I was actually escaping them. It was about six months since I ran away and about seven since my Dad... I looked back to see if I had lost them but in doing so I tripped over a trash can. I tripped and bumped my head against something hard and stone. My head throbbed and I could barely move. I heard a noise and desperately crawled behind a dumpster. I heard footsteps and peered under the bottom.

"Where the hell is he?" I heard a gangster ask.

"That little shit stain!" Another said.

"He thinks he can just steal our pizza?" A third asked.

I laughed in my head remembering as I stopped the car and feigned a broken leg. I had punched the driver in the face and taken the pizza. How was I supposed to know they were going to be delivered to a gang meeting? I was just so hungry. What kind of gangsters order pizza anyway?

"I think he went this way." I heard them leave and I stumbled out from behind the dumpster. I leaned against a wall and breathed heavily. I... couldn't think... straight. I must've... hit head... harder than... thought...

I heard someone shout, "There he is!" There who is? And why do they want him so badly?

Someone grabbed mu shirt and hauled me to my feet. I felt a punch hit my cheek and I grunted in protest. I felt more blows hit me, but I could no longer protect myself. This was the end. I knew it. I was going to die alone in the gutter over pizza.

I heard someone yell, "Pord mih!"

Who ever was holding me dropped me. My eyes cracked open and I saw four figures in front of me. The gangsters were unconscious. I couldn't even process the fact that my life had been saved before I blacked out.

2 Weeks Later:

I woke up in a soft white bed with bandages around my head and abdomen. I was wearing a new pair of jeans, a white t-shirt and my ring, no shoes. I sat up a little too quickly. My head spun. I looked around me. There was a table next to me with glasses of water and crackers. I started scarfing down the crackers and drinking the water. As I drained the last of the water I looked at where I was.

I was in some sort of cave. It was brightly lit by a combination of torches and skylights. The ceiling was maybe thirty feet up and covered in murals like the Sistine Chapel, although not as detailed. The ceiling had a circular hole in the center about twenty feet in diameter. There was wooden platforms both hanging from the ceiling and on stilts, they were all connected by stone, wood or rope bridges or ladders or just hanging ropes. Vines were everywhere and were even used in tandem with the ropes. There were also cables hanging from the ceiling in places where they wouldn't get wet. Each platform seemed to have the purpose of one specific room. There were platforms with couches, coffee tables, and TVs. Others had beds and dressers. Some had curtains for privacy. The platform I was on was ten feet above the ground and had a table and a few gurneys tied down to keep them from moving.

I laid back down and tried to remember what happened. I remembered being trapped and surrounded by gangsters, but then what happened? When I tried to think about it my head hurt.

"Oh, you're up." A female voice said from above me. I looked up to see a girl hanging from a vine by her feet. She flipped down and smiled brightly at me. She looked to be about my age. She had raven hair so dark that it almost looked blue in the sunlight coupled with her brown eyes, so filled with mischief, she was beautiful. Her hair hung down from her face in locks and seemed to be about long enough to reach the small of her back. She was wearing a dark black top that fell off of her shoulders and ended halfway down her bicep, revealing her shoulders which were covered in tattoos. She had a jean skirt on with pockets on them and a pair of black stockings on under it and big blue fuzzy slippers that were colored like sneakers and came up to her knees. No kidding, she had slippers that came up to her knees.

"I'm Tara." She said.

"Tommy." I said.

"You feeling better?" She asked. She tilted her head and looked at me with caring eyes.

"Uh, yeah." I said. "Where am I?"

"The Fort."

"What fort?"

"The Fort." She corrected. "It's what we call it."

"We?"

"The Gang."

"You're in a gang?!"

"Not like that! More like a club. Or... a family."

"Uh... OK."

She stood and turned to the open space in the center and shouted, "He's up!"

Suddenly I saw shadows moving in random places. And then four people dashed across the bridges at speed's so fast that I couldn't make them out until they were right in front of me. There were two guys and two girls, all of whom looked no older than thirteen. The first boy looked to be of Asian descent. He had pale skin and black hair that had a blue stripe just left of the center of his head and spiked in the front. He had almond shaped, and colored eyes and coppery goggles. He wore a dark blue shirt and jeans with a pair of sturdy looking boots. His face and arms were covered in grease and filth. The next was girl. She had fiery, shoulder length red hair and grassy green eyes with freckles scouring her cheek bones. She wore a t-shirt that had an image of the British Flag and a leather jacket on over it. She had skinny jeans on and a small pair of black sneakers. She sneered. The third, another girl. She looked small and young. Maybe five. She had golden blond hair and blue eyes, much like me. Although, I have darker hair and more grey in my eyes. The last was a boy. He looked to be the oldest. He had dusty brown hair strewn about his head in a messy heap and keen brown eyes that always seemed to be studying me. He had on a crimson button-up shirt and kakkies with red shoes. His skin was very tan and when he smiled at me his teeth nearly glowed. I could tell simply by the sight of him, he was their leader.

"Morning sleeping... well sleeper." The Asian boy said. "So how was the coma?"

"Ignore Jacob, he's just an idiot." The first girl said sitting down next to me.

"Hey." He complained.

"Coma? How long was I out?" I asked.

"Two weeks." The ginger girl said in a British accent. I guess the shirt wasn't just for show. "I'm Marie. And this," She rubbed the hair of the little girl, "is Bucky."

"And I am Jack." The final member introduced himself.

I looked at the rag-tag group of friends. "What happened?" I asked, so confused.

"You were attacked." Tara told me.

"And we saved you." Jacob added. "Now our starting fee is about twelve dollars per goon we take down but in this case they were trained professionals so-" He was cut off by Tara punching him on the arm.

"Shut up, Jacob!" She groaned. She turned back to me and smiled. "Sorry, he's just a jerk." She called the last word in his direction.

I nodded slowly and tried to get up. I felt a sharp pain in my head like somebody drove a railroad spike in my brain. I groaned and fell to my knees. Tara knelt down next to me and put a hand under my arm. She helped me back into bed and said, "Don't do that again, OK?"

"What?" I asked.

"I'm your doctor, I'll tell you when you can go." The nice smile she had earlier had vanished into an angry line.

"Wait but-" She smacked me across my face to silence me. I stared at her in surprise.

"I hate to repeat myself." She looked at me with a hard, but not cold, glare. I nodded slowly to show that I would comply. Her smile returned and she said, "Great! I'll bring you something to drink."

"Could I have some food?" I asked.

"No."

"Bu-" She slapped me again.

"You're not ready for solid food again yet. So for now, it's smoothies."

I the others all left with her. All except Jack, who was staring at me with a disconcerting look. He nodded to me and left. He seemed deep in thought. I was too. How had these kids saved me from armed gangsters? And what did they want with me? Did they know about my ring? Were they sent from Oa to take it back? I couldn't take the chance. As soon as I could move again, I was out of here.

1 Month Later:

I was up and walking again but whenever I tried to fly,when the others weren't looking of course, I still got a splitting headache. This place was weird. I hadn't seen a single adult since I got here, or any other kids other than the original five. And sometimes they would randomly leave and be gone for hours. And when they returned they always looked so horrible. Right now Jack, Jacob and Marie were gone somewhere. Tara was giving me a tour of the Fort. As my doctor, she had control over all of my time. I zoned out a bit and smiled as I noticed Bucky peeking around the corner at me. She was the only one who seemed to avoiding me, though out of shyness or malice I didn't know. But she was adorable. Her hair cut scraggly and her over sized clothes. It was obvious that she was trying to look older but it only made her look cuter. She had been following us for a while and I was sure Tara had also noticed. She wasn't that good at stealth.

"And this is our training room." Tara told me.

I looked around. It looked like a combination of a dojo ND gym. The floor was springy and made me bounce as I walked. There were weapons everywhere, on racks, hanging from the walls, even strewn about the floor. There were also sparing dummies and other equipment.

"Why do you need a training room?" I asked confused.

"Well, at the risk of over stating the obvious, to train." She smirked. "In other words, easy exercise."

"Aha... And you use swords?" I asked holding up one. It was heavy. It looked like a pirate sword. Cool, but ridiculous. "Why not just use guns?"

"Because guns are for killing, which we don't do." She said. "Swordsmanship is an art form."

"Whatever." I didn't get it.

Suddenly I heard foot steps and turned to see the three concurring heroes returning home. They looked awful. Haggard and beaten. Tara took in a sharp breath and turned to me. "I-I need to check on something." She ran off to go and help them and called back, "You can get back on your own right?"

"I'm good." I called back. I looked at the weapons around me and smiled. I had found my way out.

That night while everyone else was asleep I slipped out of bed and looked around. I saw the last light flicker out as the last person went to sleep. I reached under my bed and grabbed my bag. I snuck across the bridges as quietly as I could. I slowly made my way along the path I had memorized that morning. I snuck to the "kitchen" and raided the pantry of most of the nonperishables and canned goods. I grabbed a can-opener from a drawer and hurried to another platform, this one only about three feet by three feet. There was a hole in the center with a rope that came down from a higher deck and dropped into another. I grabbed the rope and took a deep breath. This was the hard part. I had to climb up it to get to the gym. I reached up with my other arm and grabbed the rope. I hauled myself up and almost fell back down. Pain shot through my back and head. It felt like someone shoved a railroad spike in my brain. I gritted my teeth and laced the rope around my leg. I squeezed the rope between my legs and used my thighs to support myself as I reached higher. A whole new wave of pain shot through my head and back. It felt like i was being torn in half. I reached up again and pulled with all of my strength. I got to the top and laid out flat on the floor for a few moments. But I had to keep moving. I got up and kept walking.

Soon I felt the soft spongy mat under my feet. I needed a way to defend myself. But what should I use? Maybe a knife? Or maybe a quarter staff? Finally I decided on a sword. It was simple and easy to use. I found my way to the barrel of swords from before and grabbed the first one I saw. I started to leave when I got slapped off of the platform, falling the ten feet to the next platform. I got up and saw Tara standing right before me.

"I told you that I hate to repeat myself." She said with a hard stare. "I am your doctor, and I will tell you when you can leave!"

I raised the sword and held it out towards her. It was a katana, a two handed Japanese curved sword with a three foot blade and a one and a half foot handle with a spacer in between. It was heavy. Really heavy. I had been train in the basics of sword fighting in karate but I had never held a real sword before. I energized my suit and the sword became easier to heft. She didn't even flinch.

"You're not surprised by the suit?"

"I've learned to cope with surprise."

"What? Never mind. Look, just get out of my way. I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh please." Tara scoffed. "Dorws ot em emoc!" A sword flew out from nowhere and landed in her right hand. It had a one-handed handle and a blade about two and a half feet long that was doubled edged.

"What?!"

"I'll make you a deal," she offered, "if you can beat me in a one-on-one fight,you can leave."

I was so confused. "What-?" Before I could protest farther she lunged forward.

She knocked my sword away and elbowed me in the chest. I grunted and stumbled back. She sliced across my chest and even though my suit protected me from any real damage, it stung! She lept at me and drove her knee into my chin. I fell back on my butt and groaned. She stuck the tip of her sword on my face.

"You're done." She said.

I glared and slapped the flat of her blade. I got up, taking a defensive stance. I looked into that hard gaze of hers. She would not hold back on me. I stepped forward and tried an overhead strike to her left shoulder. She held her sword in it's path and mine just bounced right off her's. She spun around and jump kicked me in the jaw and I fell to my hands and knees. I tried to get up but she brought her sword down on my back, driving me into the ground. She sat on me and whispered in my ear, "Don't you get it? We're trying to protect you!"

I rolled over and kicked her off of me. She landed gracefully as I got to my feet. I gripped the sword with both hands and charged her. I went for an upward slash from hip to shoulder but she just stepped left, out of the way. I tried to cut across her collarbone but she ducked. I tried to cut her in half but once again she stepped back. I tried to go for a shallow cut along her stomach but she flipped right over the blade. I tried taking her legs out from under her but she jumped and landed on my sword, pinning it to the floor. She kicked me in the face and flipped back. I lifted my sword again, ignoring the intense pain. I ran and swung my sword high over head for a powerful strike to her forehead but she caught my blade with hers and we locked guards.

"Was it really that bad here anyway? Was it my cooking? I mean, I know I'm not the best but-"

"What do you mean protect me? Protect me from who?" I cut her off.

"Like you don't know!" She angled her sword so that mine slid right off of her's and slammed her elbow into my face. I recoiled holding my nose and she placed her cold blade against the skin of my neck. "Just stop fighting, it's pointless."

I snarled and drove the pommel of my blade into her hip. She squealed in pain and backed up. I turned to face her and she glared at me. She took a step and tried to cut me across mu chest but I used the tip of my sword to deflect the attack. I started to advance, using the extra reach of my blade to my advantage. I pressed her forward but still I didn't get in any hits at all. But I still pressed on. She either dodged or blocked all of my attacks. Finally I pressed her back to the edge of the platform. I held my sword up high over my head to deliver a finishing blow but before I could she put the tip of her sword to my nose.

"How do you expect to beat any of them if you can't even beat a ten year old girl?!"

"You didn't beat me, you cheated. You fought dirty!"

"Do you expect anyone to fight fairly in a real fight? They certainly won't."

"Who are 'they'?" I didn't understand what she was saying.

She looked at me a little softer now. "You... you don't really know?"

"No!"

She lowered her sword and looked at me. "Where do you think we go when we disappear?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, shopping!"

"We go and we help people." She said. "In the way only people like us can."

I looked at her weird. "'People like us'?"

She looked at my sword and said, "Eb enog!" The sword ripped from my hand and flew back to where I grabbed it from. I stared at her in wonder. "We especially target one group of people, the Hidden Fist. It's a group of dark magicians who use their power to try and rule the world. All they love making others miserable. And somehow, it makes them more powerful."

"Dark magicians?"

"They are an ancient race, once thought to be extinct but recently they've been more active. And they have recruiting more people, each about as powerful as a member of the Justice League."

I went wide eyed. This was too much to take in. "But, what does any of this have to do with me?" I asked.

"Well, for reasons unknown to us, they're after you. That is how we found you. We did save you that night, but not from the gangsters. A couple members of the Hidden Fist grabbed you and take you who-knows-where. We stopped them."

I thought for a moment. Could I trust her? I couldn't think of a reason for her to lie to me and they all had taken good care of me over the past month. I looked her in the eyes. If they wanted me dead, they would've killed me by now. "OK, I trust you. But I want in."

She smiled at me. "Ha, no. You'd get torn to shreds in a moment."

"That's why you're going to train me!" I smiled at her.

She stared at me. "Uh, what?"

"I want to know why they want me and I've got a feeling you all do too, so let's team up. With me on your side you'll have another member and better chances. And once you train me, I'll be an even bigger asset."

She thought for a moment. "Well... you make a good case. But I can't."

"Oh come on!"

"No I mean, only our leader can accept new members and that's Jack."

"So let's go ask him." I suggested.

"No need." Said a voice from above us. I looked up and saw Jack sliding down a rope and land right next to Tara.

"Look, I can explain." I started.

He held up a hand silencing me. "I saw everything. And I think it's a good idea."

I smiled. "Great! I promise-"

"But, I agree with Tara. You'd get torn to pieces in a moment with the way you just fought. So, it'll be Tara's job to teach you to fight for real. And until she says that you are strong enough, you will remain here. Agreed?" He looked to Tara and she smiled.

"I think that's fair."

"Good. So, Tommy," He clasped my forearm like a knight, "welcome to the Gang."

AN: OK so I thought I'd actually explain some of Tommy's past and BTW, PrettyKittyLuvsU I hope you don't mind me using you're idea of the "dark magicians" I just thought it worked perfectly with my plans. And as always, thanks you for reading!