Disclaimer: All characters belong to DC, with the exception of the orphan, Jim, and Danny. I am not an expert on lore, so this story will be a mix across many timelines, stories, plots, ect. Enjoy!

Little did I know the transition into "the gang" wasn't going to be so simple as he made it sound. There was an initiation everyone had to go through. For me this wasn't right away, but I knew it was coming. Sometime. You know, one of those surprises. This guy loves surprises. You had to prove you could be ruthless and loyal. Both of which, I was skeptical as to how he would define them.

When we arrived at the secret hideout, I was led out of the back of a darkened van. In front of me was just an abandoned warehouse in the middle of town. The first day there all I could do was wonder around and understand my surroundings. This place was a well equipped hideout with an armory, training area, barracks, medbay, and dining hall. I stayed away from the other thugs as much as I could. Their uninviting glances creeped me out. Especially from the one named Zsasz.

A month was passing by while I was training in the warehouse for the big day. I took up arms with Harley to get the basics down. Harley was a good teacher of fighting with knives and other melee weapons, although I could never be as agile as she moved. Her prefered weapons, baseball bats, knives or mallets. She wasn't against guns but only used them as a last line of defence. Why waste ammo and miss a shot, when you could get up close and personal with a blow to the head. I couldn't fault her logic. When she saw the knife I carried, she praised me, reminding me to always keep it sharp. I guess that was when our bonding began.

The majority of people picked for this line of work had no problem committing a crime. Like I said before, he picked his men from Crime Alley. They were always a desperate sort of bunch. Sometimes it was men who just needed the money, other times it was just someone ejected from Arkham to make room for people with more serious problems. But like he said, most of these people possessed a certain personality. My worst fear was that the longer I stayed here, the more like them I would were many a night I laid awake paranoid that if I closed my eyes I would be killed in my sleep.

Another month had passed when testing day had arrived. My nerves were a little more lax to my surroundings, but I still couldn't let my guard down. I knew the hard truth of what I had to do now. Today I had to kill; someone or something. I was blindfolded and led to an unknown location by vehicle. When we arrived I was carried by strong arms and put down onto the hard floor. I was told to take off my blindfold, but as a door shut behind me, I hadn't been fast enough to see who went through it.

I got up and tried the door knob but it was locked. My eyes focused and fully adjusted to to brightness of the space. My palms became sweaty and I could feel a sense of panic awaken within me. This was a concrete room with a drain in the middle. Easy cleanup? There was no visible way out except that one door. The sterileness of the room made me feel uneasy. My eyes settled on the other side of the room where another person was tied to a chair, his movement erratic.

Over an intercom his voice was clear, "Greetings number eight. It is the glorious day of your initiation! You've been training well, so now prove yourself to us. Across from you is..." His throat clears questionably. "Uh...Phil Tanner?" He gave a little chuckle, "What a stupid name you poor kid! Anyway; he is your target. Eliminate him without question, and your in! You will find a knife on the floor by Phil. Make us proud!" The intercom stopped with a crackle.

My mind was reeling. He can't be serious? A glint of metal on the floor next to him. Sure enough it was my trusty blade. I was angry with myself for not checking my boot when I entered the room. Of course he would choose it to make the event feel more personal. Fucking prick! I walked over and picked it up. The weight of it felt right in my hands. I took in many deep breaths trying to clear my mind and psych myself up. I had to do this and hopefully if I played my cards right, it would be the only time I had to kill someone so defenseless.

Phil was stuck to the chair with his hands tied in front of him. He had also been blindfolded. I could hear his soft cries and terrified muttering. I put my hand near the fabric of the blindfold. He jumped, crying out, "Who's there? If you let me go I swear I won't tell anyone!" I made a shushing sound, and pulled down the fabric to around his neck. As I bent down in front of him he began to talk through the situation. "This can't be happening. Who are you? He said there was a knife! What's going on?"

With both hands up, I made the knife in my hand visible, which didn't help the situation. "No, no, no. This can't be happening!" Tears rolled down his face and his body shook terribly. His plea came out in squeeks, "Please don't kill me! I'll give you anything!" I laid my hands on his to steady the shaking, and tried to calm his nerves.

I stared at him with a half hearted smile and told him, "Focus on me and just breath." He calmed down a little. "Now let me explain the situation to you." His eyes darted back and forth as he tried to read mine. "Only one of us was meant to live today." I tried to appear calm, my eyes never breaking contact. "I'm sure you know who it is." His face scrunched up and more tears fell down his cheek. "Don't make this harder on me than it already is." I swallowed nervously. "Now close your eyes. I'll make it quick." I removed my hands from his. "You've been through enough and don't deserve anymore pain. I promise."

I wasn't sure if it was my voice or that he truly understood the gravity of the situation now, but he took many deep breaths and steadied a bit. I got up and went around behind him. With his eyes closed I got my knife into position, and pressed the tip of my blade against the back of his neck. Hand shaking, I pulled back my right hand, and held the knife steady with my left. I planned to sever his spinal cord. With all the strength I had, my hand came down hard on the hilt and punched it through the back of his throat. He managed one last high pitched cry, and went limp instantly.

As I pull out the knife, blood squirted everywhere. Then uncontrollable shaking torn through my whole body. I wiped a hand across my face to get the blood out of my eyes, but it didn't help. I threw the knife across the room and sank down into the fetal position beside his body. I cried softly. I was in shock. The only thing I could feel was the pool of warm blood slowly surrounding me.

The door to the cement box opened quickly, hitting the wall, and he emerged clapping. "You passed the test with flying red color!" He got closer and offered a hand to help me up, but I just stared at him crying. He bent down beside me, and I shied away as he put a hand under my chin. He wiped away more blood with his other white gloved hand. His green eyes didn't show any remorse, just an odd sort of happiness. "You know you were a special circumstance." My face must of looked confused. "Harley specifically asked for someone a little more stable. Not my type at all but; whatever my queen wants, she gets." He removed his hand, letting my head fall back down. My shivering increased. "Dear you look so pale." He gave a trademark smile. "Here smell this flower. It will help...I swear." I saw the daisy on the lapel of his coat. He pulled me close. It smelled oddly fragrant, but not exactly like it should. I heard his cackling as the world went black.

AN: This is my first fan fiction. I apologize for any misspellings, grammar errors, ect. Please feel free to comment, review, like, or favorite. I'm looking for any feedback you have on how I can improve the story. Thanks for reading!