Chapter 5

Deep in the shadows of the City, a man walked slowly yet resolutely. The damp stone walls glistened from some unknown liquid in the dreary hallway. Phosphorous lights glowed dimly, throwing everything in a soggy haze. Thick metal doors were set into the walls, where emaciated groans echoed in a symphony of agony. The brown and black mask the man wore did not even turn to look at the doors. His one eye stared straight forward, unwavering from a single metal door stood alone. The name 'Tara Markov' embossed on the metal. He waited patiently for the men in the control room to open the door for him.

Swish!

A girl with long blonde hair stared up at her visitor. She chuckled humorlessly. Lifting a chained hand, she rattled the metal a little. "I don't suppose you're here to let me out of these things, hmm?" Her locks clung to her skin, matting her face with strands of gold. A defiant luster shone in her eyes.

The masked man lowered slowly to face the Tara at eye-level. "Insolence is not tolerated, Terra." He paused, his one eye flicking over her face, as if searching for something.

Tara felt like spitting at him. "My name is Tara. Repeat after me. Tara, Taarraa." A fist suddenly found her stomach, driving the air out of her. She wheezed painfully, spots of spittle flecking her lips.

"Why must you continue to defy me, Terra? You and I can do so much together. We could rule your world." He paused. "We could find your brother."

"Don't you dare talk about Bryon, you good-for-nothin', low-life, hypocrite," she hissed, seemingly recovered from the blow. Unfortunately, she found her head snapping to the side as he backhanded her. She winced, but said nothing.

"I am not here to trade insults. I am here to procure your services. Will you do it willingly?" He fingered a small button in a hidden panel of his suit. "Or will I have to use force?"

Tara burst out laughing. "You know the answer to that one."

The man sighed. "I see. Well, honestly, I just came down to see if you had a change of heart. But, you still defy me." He closed the hidden panel. "I will keep you fresh for now. I foresee a sudden need of your powers in the near future. Until then, you will live off of bread and water. Perhaps a little hunger will weaken your resolve, hmm?"

The blonde simply hissed in anger and frustration. The figure gave her a bemused look before leaving. The door left the poor girl in the cold emptiness of the dungeon.

-

Nightwing carefully piloted the black air car, swiftly ducking in and out of streams of screaming traffic. Starfire sat in the passenger seat, humming to herself and looking out the window. The energy chain connecting her to Nighthawk hummed a little louder as it slid about on the armrest between them. She barely stole a glance at the serious man beside her, as if to confirm he was still there. Starfire swiftly turned around, thinking that he had not seen her. He had.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh, I was simply wondering if you were still in the vehicle. You are so silent; I cannot even hear your breathing." She grinned pleasantly, showing her white teeth. "Is there a problem?"

Nightwing gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel. She had spent the entire day pestering him with questions about his life, and his patience was growing thin. "No, none."

She looked out the window for a moment, then back at Nightwing. "So…" she began.

Suddenly, Nightwing accelerated and threw the steering wheel left, throwing the car in a ninety degree angle violently. He nearly rocketed down the narrow air lane, swerving with almost suicidal movements. Starfire shut her mouth and stared wide eyed at the other cars seemed to flash by her window. Her hand gripped tightly to whatever handle she could find.

"Eeep," she squealed, as one particularly close call was avoided. "M-must we go so fast."

Nightwing smirked in an almost amused manner. "Yes. I'd drive to the Shattered Moon to keep your mouth shut." He jerked the steering wheel again and barely cleared the top of a semi.

Starfire slapped her hand over her eyes suddenly, completely forgetting the fact that Nightwing had handcuffed them together. His hand was torn from the steering wheel, throwing the car into a swift barrel-roll. Yanking his hand back, he muttered angrily under his breath before righting the car. He turned to her, mouth twisted angrily. "Are you insane?"

Suddenly, a blaring siren, coupled by flashing strobes of red and blue light went off behind them. A voice came on over the car's speaker system. "Stop your reckless driving and pull over. I repeat, sto-" Nightwing switched off his speakers, clenching his teeth. He began to pull over when he suddenly glanced at Starfire, and groaned.

"What is it?" Starfire's eyes widened.

"The police know about you. If they see you, they'll return you to the Base." His foot shifted over the accelerator. "Can't have that, can we?"

The car twisted violently as he spun the wheel, throwing Starfire against the door. Nightwing spared a glance at the squad car drifting beside him, a clumsy officer trying to aim an I.D. scanner at them. Nightwing glared and pulled into a steep nose-dive. He flipped a button, cloaking his signal and all readings a thermal scan would notice. Starfire whimpered, clinging even tighter to the armrests. Still in a dive, they zoomed through and around lanes of traffic, very nearly clipping several rearview mirrors off of several commuters. "All right, this is gonna get a bit bumpy."

Starfire stared in horror as the squad cars behind them continued to tail them, flashing their lights. The lowest level road, completely desolate of cars, filled the windshield. Nightwing grunted and heaved the steering wheel downwards, forcing the car to run parallel to the ground. He flipped another switch, darkening the windows.

Ptwing!

The asphalt below them sparked as a bullet ricocheted off of it. Glancing into the rearview mirror, Nightwing saw men aiming guns at them. He turned a corner sharply, allowing several bullets to stream behind them harmlessly. Smirking triumphantly, he suddenly frowned at the barricade of squad cars ahead of him. They hovered over and beside each other, filling the space between the two buildings on either side of the road. Still frowning angrily, he threw the steering wheel down, forcing the car into a steep vertical rise. Squad cars flashed 'below' them as they head back up to the higher levels. They found themselves once again trying to avoid the traffic.

Glancing back, Nightwing sighed and slowed the car. They had shaken the pursuers. He glanced at the map in the car's computer before correcting their course. He looked at Starfire. She was still gripping the armrests, her emerald eyes wide in horror. The blood had drained from her face, leaving her a light amber color. Slowly turning to Nightwing, the look of horror still firmly planted on her face, she stared at him disbelievingly. He almost laughed…almost.

-

Nightwing slowly parked the car into an empty cell of the garage. He tugged on the handcuffs, forcing Starfire to crawl over the armrests, over the drivers seat, and out his door. She still looked a little pale, but her usual amber was slowly making its way back to her face. Not sparing her a glance, Nightwing tugged her towards the elevators. As they slowly ascended to as certain floor, he tapped his foot impatiently.

"That was…most harrowing. Could we kindly not engage in such behavior again?"

"I thought I got you to shut up," he grumbled more to himself than to Starfire.

She smiled sweetly. "I believe under that hard shell, you are soft and tender-hearted. Am I not right?"

He didn't look at her. "No." He grunted,his face holding his icy countenance. He leaned against the elevator's wall and stared at his black shoes. Starfire watched him closely before sighing inwardly. The elevator gave a soft chime as their desired floor.

The doors opened to an elegant, if not extravagant, restaurant. Soft, red carpet covered the floors, free of stains and spilled food. Ornately dressed waitresses scurried back and forth, bringing the customers their meals as they sat at large wooden tables in plush chairs. The walls were covered in gold-leaf decorations of flowers and leaves on a blood red background. The ceiling was painted in a rendition of Michelangelo's work of the Sistine Chapel of old Earth. Elaborate crystal chandeliers sparkled and threw rainbows of prism perfection on the walls. It was a scene of sophisticated, yet restrained, beauty. A waiter stood at a small podium, welcoming people in and assigning them seats. He eyed the two newcomers carefully, before standing straighter.

"I'm afraid that you are not properly dressed for this restaurant." He pointed a long, arrogant nose at them and sniffed in distaste. "I shall have to ask you to leave."

Nightwing stepped up to the man deliberately slow. "We have a 'reservation', sir. I should be under Bruce Wayne's name." He tapped the sheet where the names were listed.

The arrogant host sniffed again. "Sir, I do believe that I just stated that your attire is not suitable. Therefore, I suggest that you take your miserable carcass and escort yourself out the…" The man trailed off as he noticed a brunette waitress waving frantically from his left. Her eyes were open repressed terror. The waiter held up a long, bony finger. "Just a moment."

Starfire watched as he swiftly walked over to the waitress and stood tall before her as if demanding an explanation for her interruption. The frantic waitress whispered something, eyeing Nightwing carefully. The arrogant host's proud shoulders slowly sank and his entire body trembled. Slowly, shakily, he made his way back to the patiently waiting Nightwing. Gone was his snobbish frown, replaced by a poor, quivering excuse of a smile.

"I'm a-afraid I have m-made a mistake, Sir. I shall e-escort you to Mr. Wayne's private dining room." He turned stiffly around and showed them a door to the side. Still smiling nervously, he opened the door and let them through. Wayne was sitting at a small table. Beside him, a hulking mountain of a man sat, his eyes traveling up and down Starfire's sleek figure hungrily. An enormous cannon had been attached to his arm surgically, and a powerful looking sniping gun was strapped to his back.

Wayne cleared his throat and motioned for the two newcomers to sit down. Glancing swiftly to Nightwing's wrist, he noticed the handcuffed arm that had been hidden in his trench coat before entering the restaurant. Leaning back, he let his eyes wander around the ceiling for a few moments. No one said anything, waiting for him to speak.

"Miss Koriand'r," he started slowly, still staring at the wall. His hand fiddled with a small object. "There once was an evil king, who cheated and stole from many people. He treated his subjects poorly and was very angry all the time." Starfire stared at him, her eyebrow raised. "His people suffered horribly under his oppressive rule, while he enjoyed many luxuries. But…" Wayne's eyes fell on Starfire. "There was a small group of people who were very brave. They decided to do what was right for the commoners and workers. They wanted to overthrow the king's evil regime." He paused. Nightwing stared straight ahead. The other man rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath. Wayne continued. "This group of people realized that, unfortunately, they would have to kill a great man people who sided with the king. So, in secret, they slowly began to kill the king's corrupt advisors and friends, clearing the field so that they may one day strike at the king unopposed." He slowly placed the object he had been playing with on the table. It was a small black knight chess piece, carved from onyx. It glimmered in the florescent light. "What do you think of my story?"

Starfire picked up the chess piece, slowly turning it in her hands. "Was there no way to avoid the slaughtering?"

Wayne leaned back in his chair. "None that they could find." Starfire simply stared at the chunk of onyx before replacing it on the table. Wayne picked it up, examining it carefully. "I won't beat around the bush. We want you to be an assassin. Since your powers revolve around energy, you are virtually untraceable. This is very hard for a human to be, especially in this day and age."

"Y-you wish for me to be a killer of men?" She looked horrified. She swiftly glanced at Nightwing, who, to her surprise, seemed tense, almost angry. Wayne looked at her levelly, awaiting an answer. Starfire took a deep breath. "N-no, I will not."

Wayne nodded understandingly. "I know you won't. However, you will continue to stay in our custody. For safety matters, Nightwing here will train you in melee combat techniques."

Nightwing gripped his pole hard. "Bruce…" he said menacingly.

Wayne glared at him. "I expect her to be able to take care of herself if there should be a need. Do you understand?"

Nightwing relaxed his death grip. "Yes, sir."

The large man suddenly spoke, a touch of Irish brogue lacing his speech. "Ach, now there's gonna be some fun in the 'partments, ey?" He grinned wickedly.

Nightwing's glass band turned toward the man. "You are to stay away from her, Will. She is my charge and I will not have you trying to get at her."

Will leaned back. "Weel, aren't yoo a spoil sport. I'll abide only 'cause I'm deathly afraid of ya."

Wayne thumbed the chess piece. "Ah, yes, William is to board in your apartment building. He'll be there for protection in case you can't handle something." He leaned into his chair and tapped his lips with his finger. "Also, there were some teenagers asking around for you in the lower levels. Friends of yours, Miss Koriand'r?"

Starfire's head jerked up. "My friends? But they are at the Base."

Bruce merely flicked some photos across the desk. Starfire slowly reached over and glanced through them. In brilliant color, the unmistakable figures of Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven stood in a bar alongside Jinx and a small fox-like creature. She gasped lightly. "But what does this imply?"

Wayne smirked. "It 'implies' that you keep them off of our backs. Avoid them in any way possible. And trust me, it's for their safety, not ours. Now, all of you leave all ready. My food will be arriving any second now."

Nightwing stood without a word, followed by a lumbering Will. Starfire was stood up last, as if something were weighing her down. The ride home was silent, as if someone had died. Nightwing opened the apartment door almost wishing she had said something inane or irrelevant. She hadn't. They both fell into opposite easy chairs, neither looking at the other.

"I do not want to kill." The statement was bland, lacking of Starfire's usually perkiness. "I do not want to be stained."

Nightwing slowly looked at her. "I'd rather you not kill either."

Starfire gazed back at him sadly. "Why should you bother yourself with my innocence?"

Nightwing clenched his jaw at that. "Because I don't want the worlds to deal with another me. Because innocence is one of the things I am trying to protect." He fingered his metal staff. "What sort of person would I be then, if I helped with the very thing I'm trying to avoid."

Starfire didn't answer.

Well, I brought in Terra, gave you some kinda car action, and added some complications. Yay?

Will is just a big guy that I need to use later. He's not really all that important right now. All you need to know is that he's the third best assassin Bruce Wayne employs, Nightwing being the first best. Who's second? Meh, not gonna tell ya, but you'll be surprised (well, if you read the comic. I doubt the rest of you will have any idea.)

The reason it was so late? Well, I've been reading Post's "These Black Eyes" and "The legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time". That took large hunks out of me. Incredibly large hunks. And besides that, I've been trying to force some more chapters for my RK fics. So, ya'll understand, right?

Training begins in the next chapter. Oooh, it's gonna be fun.

-Razvanor