Losses on Both sides.

I'm walking…

I walk, shadow surrounds me. Everything around me is pitch black, only my path is illuminated. I see a worn footpath that has been trodden on by countless individuals. I see that it has been recently used, I see footprints.

But how do I see them?

I see slight disturbances in the soft, thin layer of dirt that covered each stone. I see treads, small and large.

I look up and continue my walk. I hear nothing, except for my steady footfalls, one after the other.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Nothing to see in my peripheral vision, so I focus my sight on the footpath I walk on. I can't even see whether the banks of the stone path meet grass, concrete or asphalt. Where am I going?

Then, I see something. I hear something. I sense something.

Light. A house. An echo. Laughter. People. Life.

Then, in one final blow, I am pulled back, as if I'm attached to a rubber band that has been stretched past its tether, and my feet almost drag on the pavement.

I extend my hands in a desperate attempt to halt my progression backwards, but it was to no avail.

I awoke with a sharp intake of breath and lifted myself out of the bed in one swift move, the sheets tumbling off my body and coming to a rest on my lap. I shook my head in more of a reflex action then anything else in a pointless attempt to rid myself of my disturbing dream

The pool of swirling thoughts remained with me as I lifted my weary body off the inviting bed and began to pace the room. With a grunt I parted the heavy curtains that shielded the windows and was met with a spectacular view of the glistening bay deep below me, twinkling under the morning sun like a thousand cut diamonds, making it the most expensive bay in the world. I smiled grimly and gazed at the city beyond the water's edge. It did well in concealing the skeletons in its closet, I thought to myself. There was no sign of the death that had occurred the night before, only smiling children on their way to school, ruffled and distinguished businessmen clutching their monotonous black suitcases as they arrived at their respective workplaces in the city's 'wealth-making' district and hunger-wracked seagulls eyeing young couples and families that had laid their feast out on the crisp green glass with great trepidation and hopefulness.

The storm had completely disappeared from the baby-blue sky, the only sign that it had hung ominously over Jump City the night before resided in the memories of those who bore witness to it. The peaceful scenery did nothing to calm my tumultuous soul, and I found my thoughts slowly drifting back to the horror I had witnessed the night before. To have three men's blood on your hands is not an easy thing to cope with, I thought to myself sadly. I sighed, and then yawned, before walking out of the room.

As soon as I exited the bedroom I came face to face, or perhaps face to chest, with Victor, a look of horror mingled with anger upon his half metallic face.

"Did…did you sleep in that room?" He asked disbelievingly. I simply nodded, half in puzzlement, half in fright.

"That was her room… That was Terra's room…" I tilted my head to the left in utter bewilderment. He seemed lost in his own thoughts now, talking to no-one but himself.

"Who is Terra?" I asked.

"Was. Who was Terra, you mean. I'll tell you when you need to know. Now however, there's something I think you'll find interesting. Just… don't sleep in that room. Ever again." He added the last part with a scowl and I simply nodded meekly.

As we walked towards the living area of the Tower, Victor began to explain what he had come to show me. Apparently, he had received a police report through the Titan's network, and there were a few discrepancies that he wanted me to solve. What little I had told him about the woman who had given her life to save me last night seemed to have become embedded within his mind, perhaps due to his computer circuitry never forgetting anything he heard, or maybe something more, I would never know.

"Here." He gestured towards a gargantuan television screen that hung ominously on the back wall of the room, one that I had failed to notice last night when I arrived. Just beneath the glass display there was a magnified formal report that stated the criminal activities that had occurred the night before, and in bold writing were the words:

THREE MEN KILLED IN DINER BRAWL. REMAINS OF THREE YEAR OLD CHILD (GENDER UNCONFIRMED) FOUND IN ABANDONED APARTMENT. SMILING ASSASSIN GUNNED DOWN BY POLICE IN APARTMENT ROOM.

My heart turned to ice. It felt as if someone had clutched it, squeezed it, torn it out and shoved back in such a haphazardly manner the Titan named 'Beast-B' (Who I assumed to have been called Beast-Boy) would be proud. How could she have been the Smiling Assassin? She told me to find the Assassin! She told me to find…her? Was this a small, seemingly insignificant piece of the puzzle that had just fallen into place?

"Is that the girl you were talking about?" Victor asked, nodding towards the screen. I nodded, but quickly shook my head. "Yes, I mean no… that was the woman, but she can't have been the Smiling Assassin. She was dangerous, most definitely, and a murderer, but she told me to find the Smiling Assassin!"

Victor nodded. "Let's read on then, shall we?" He raised an arm and made a clicking motion with his fingers. The text that involved the Smiling Assassin was the only piece of writing present for a moment, as all the other titles simply faded away, but they were instantly replaced with a small profile that detailed the exact information regarding that incident. I took a step closer and began to read.

Thanks to a tip off by an anonymous individual, we were able to arrive at the apartment and attempt to apprehend the extremely dangerous individual, real name Skya Dilariodis. Refusing to lay down her weapons however, we were forced to open fire and kill the girl. We suspect another person was in the room at the time of the entering, but so far we have no eye-witnesses. Signed Detective John Carter, JCPD.

I tore my eyes away from the screen, my mouth hanging open limply in shock. My eyes were almost equally as wide, and I simply couldn't find the right words to say. The facts were all there, in front of me, but it seemed as if the mental cogs in my mind were jammed by this information, for they simply refused to turn, to comprehend it. I blinked, once, twice, three times and began my slow shuffle away from the living room.

"I need to go outside." I said distractedly and almost fell out of the front door, stumbling like a drunk. I emerged out on the miniscule spit of land and shielded my eyes from the relentless sunlight. Purple spots clouded my vision every time I blinked, but after allowing my pupils sufficient time to focus they disappeared and I fell to the warm dirt and crossed my legs in desperation. I didn't feel sad, I didn't feel as if I had suffered the loss of a partner, I only felt despair, yet again. Find the Smiling Assassin, she said, only for her to wind up being that Assassin. Follow the note, she said, and all I found was one lonely and dejected cybernetic human who had suffered more loss then I dare hope imagine. Both were dead ends, both led me absolutely nowhere. I gazed upon the sea, which was still sparkling in a way that would make the Queen of England's eyes water.

"I need to get off this island." I muttered, and I pulled myself with great effort to my feet. I stepped towards the water's edge and peered inside the cobalt-blue depths. My reflection faced me in a distorted and lopsided fashion, skewing my face to impossible lengths. Small ripples caressed the sandy sea bed as they rolled towards the shore and disrupted my water mirror. I lifted my head up and gazed towards the city, and the pier that held the carnival and housed the kindly old man that had given me a ride here last night.

I have nowhere to go now… I have to stay here…

I turned back to the tower and entered with my head hung low, like a child who has grudgingly returned home after a failed attempt to run away. Victor was standing there, his face as emotionless as it was the night I arrived on this island's shores. "How does one get off this island?" I asked slowly.

Victor simply raised an eyebrow, obviously towards the way I spoke. "One uses my car, but I haven't left this island in a long time. Why would you want to leave?"

I simply shrugged. "Time to think, perhaps begin my investigation, I don't know."

"We can start the investigation here. You can think here. The tower has all the facilities needed to conduct a formal inve-." I shook my head violently, disagreeing with every word that poured out from his mouth. "No. We don't need facilities, we need to leave. I need to leave. Please, I know I have asked so much from you since last night, but I need to put my suspicions to rest. I need to go back to that apartment."

Victor sighed. He gazed to his left and out into the blue sky beyond. With a look of resignation etched upon his metallic facial features he turned back to face me. "Fine. I'll take you to the shore. Here…" He began, reaching behind himself and taking hold of a small, circular object before handing it to me. I looked at it curiously for a few moments and relieved him of it. I brought it to my face and examined it more thoroughly. It seemed to me like a portable communication device with a faded black 'T' plastered on an equally as faded yellow cover. I slipped it into my pocket as Victor continued to speak. "That will let you communicate with me and vice versa. If you ever need any help just open it up and press this button on the side. Then just speak into it and I'll receive the message." I continued to examine the circular communicator, but Victor beckoned for me to follow him and before long we had reached the garage entrance. With a slight grunt he pushed the door to the side. It creaked noisily as its rusted rollers protested against this sudden movement.

My eyes were met with a stunning sight, not unlike that of 'Beast-B'. All manner of insects, bugs and various other multi-legged creatures seemed to have called this room home, setting up shop in darkened corners and crevices. The light from the hallway behind me cast a sharp pillar of yellow colour onto the concrete floor before it came to a rest on an obviously neglected piece of machinery. This must have been Victor's method of transportation, I surmised. Bulky, aggressive and ultra-mean, this vehicle was obviously made for speed, nothing more. It's white and blue exterior décor was starting to show its age, but I could see that once upon a time this used to be someone's pride and joy, and from the ever-so-subtle gleam in Victor's human eye, it was obvious to me that that certain someone was him. I felt a pang of sorrow when the reality sank in. Victor had obviously put so much effort into this machine; it almost seemed as if this was his escape to the slow deterioration of the team and his friendships.

Perhaps if he put more effort in his team rather then his car…

This was his escape from bleak reality. But this car looked derelict, forsaken, forgotten. Just like the team, it was nothing but a memory.

"Hop in. Let's see if this baby still runs." I put on a smile to hide my mixed thoughts and feelings, and got inside, slamming the door shut behind me. Victor entered beside me and inserted a floppy-disk-sized chip into a slot on the dashboard. The engine kicked over once, twice, three times, before springing to life with a low rumble that vibrated my insides uncomfortably. Victor turned to me, and I was shocked to see that he was actually smiling. "Hold on." He said strangely, before turning to face the front. At that moment I realized with crystal clear certainty that I was going to die.

The car shot off into the bay, creating a torrential geyser of water on either side of it as it hovered towards shore.