Dick was running out of supplies. He took a drag from his cigarette as he navigated through the Bludhaven streets. Is was a nasty habit, he knew, but it was the only thing that helped when he got overwhelmed.

Dick didn't really plan to escape the Court, but after he had failed to kill his target, well...He fled. They were going to freeze him. That's what happens when you fail, as the Court does not tolerate failure. Honestly, he'd rather die than be frozen again. You can't move at all, but your mind is fully conscious, trapped inside your body. All you can do is stare and try to count how long it's been. Days? Hours? Years? He never knew. They only ever took him out when it was relevant. He was their tool and if the tool broke, they'd "fix" it.

Broken...that sounded about right.

Dick felt empty...guilty. He was nothing now. He'd lost his purpose.

All the people he'd killed, the lives he'd ruined...murderer...

Dick hesitated in his step and took a quick glance around. Nobody seemed to notice or was at least aware of his pause.

He knew he shouldn't blame himself, he was under the control of the Court. He was forced to do those things. It wasn't his fault, He was just trying to survive...guilty...

Trying not to delve into this now, he looked down and let his feet guide him once again. It didn't really matter where he went. As long as he stopped thinking.

It's not like he enjoyed it...right?...monster...

With a sigh, he sat down at a park bench. He hadn't been paying attention to where he was walking. He was just wandering the streets, no real destination in mind. Thankfully, it was around 6 pm, so not many people were there. 'Good,' he thought, 'At least they won't be tortured by the sight of my skin...or eyes.'

He remembered what happened the last time someone saw his eyes. He shuddered at the memory...freak...

He didn't really go out in public anymore, mostly because of the modifications the Court did to his eyes. Plus, the sun really hurt them with their night-sensitivity and all, so now he had to wear sunglasses everywhere. Wonderful.

Dick sat there for a few hours, finally deciding it was time to go. He needed to be back at the warehouse before 9 pm.

Back at the warehouse-his temporary home- Dick changed out of his day clothes and into his costume. It wasn't much, just another version of his Talon outfit. It just had fewer weapons. Slipping into the black body-suit, he reached out and grabbed his mask off the couch. He decided to trade in his owl mask for something simpler, one that covered the eyes and a bit of cheek. Not that anyone would find out his identity if he didn't wear one. He had been 'dead' for ten years now. Well, at least according to the police.

Dick still hadn't decided on a name. He wasn't Talon anymore, and he's not a 'good guy' either. Nothing like those 'heroes' in the news. Dick snorted softly. 'Self-sacrificing idiots,' he thought.

His name could wait though, it wasn't important until people started to notice he actually existed. Right now, they thought he was a myth. Jokes on them though, he supposed.

Dick scurried around his 'living space,' looking for the mirror. He wanted to make sure his eyes and veins were hidden. He really didn't want to have that conversation with anyone right now. Actually, he didn't ever want to have that conversation.

Finding the mirror leaning up against the wall, he quickly glanced over himself, making sure everything was in order before slipping out the broken window.

The night air felt cool on his skin as he jumped across the rooftops. He didn't know what he would do tonight, but as long as he was useful to someone, somewhere, and could make them breathe in relief because they're safe...that would be enough. This vigilante-saving-people-thing had become some kind of redemption for him. Running around and saving people instead of killing them; it was almost therapeutic.

Halfway through his route he heard a scream and ran to the closest roof to investigate. Dropping silently onto the fire escape, he saw a man -most likely drunk- pointing a knife at a woman. Climbing up and over the railing, he dropped down behind the man. The man didn't notice as he continued to stalk closer to the woman, snarling.

Dick quickly ran up behind him and wrapped his arm behind around the man's throat, choking him. The man, surprised, began to flail at the loss of air and stabbed the knife into Dick's side. Dick didn't flinch and dropped the man onto the cold pavement where he finally succumbed to the darkness.

Dick left the knife in his side, not wanting to bleed all over the place in front of the lady. He approached the woman, giving a thumbs up and down while pointing at her. The woman snapped out of her daze and thanked Dick multiple times, tears of relief gathering at the corner of her eyes. Dick felt happiness wash over him for a moment. Just like he'd wanted. But then she asked a question he couldn't answer with gestures alone. A question he didn't have an answer for at all.

"Who are you?"

Went back and edited this as well. All fresh and neat for y'all.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

til next time,

Rachel