Once again, I half forgot where I was when my alarm went off. I tried to tell myself that the confusion was the reason behind the 'snooze' button being pushed half a dozen times. But honestly, a sleep full of night terrors never is a good one and did I mention it was six am?

Realisation dawned half an hour later that I actually did have training with the Ass-wing in thirty minutes so with a groaned curse I pulled myself out of bed. When I stepped outside to make a bathroom trip I nearly fell over a bundle of folded clothes. I picked up the note attached to it.

Training clothes. Wear them.

From the demanding words lacking in manners I knew exactly who they were from. I looked at them as I walked back inside. They weren't bad looking actually, cotton white tank top with navy nylon three quarter length trousers. Not that it mattered, I was putting my foot down and making a stand if this place was to be called home for the next few weeks. I had given myself fifteen minutes to reach the so-called 'gym' when things began to go wrong.

I got lost.

I mean, the place was huge. There were so many corridors each winding to random places and not a single sign post anywhere. I walked into dorms, bathrooms, showers weight rooms, dead ends. I wanted to cry out in relief when I found a set of double doors labelled 'Cinadome' loomed before me. I sprinted towards and through them before have to stop and gape at my jaw flopped open.

The Cinadome was beyond incredible. Approximately the size of two professional outdoor soccer pitches side by side, and the height of one also. Of course it was 'Dome' shaped, the curved walls covered in light grey panels. Rows of stands stood on either side of the entrance and the ground was covered in a layer of fine sand, yet, when I tapped my food on it, the sound almost seemed hollow hinting there may something underneath it..

"You're late."

The voice echoed across the room from a dark figure in the centre. I wanted to groan. Nightwing's voice seemed neutral but I could just make out the underlying anger, simmering below the surface. He was pissed but I didn't let it phase me. Instead, I squared my shoulders and approached him confidently, meet his steely gaze with one of my own. I would not be bullied by this ass hole.

"I got here as soon as I could," I said, setting my chin. "I just - "

"I don't care about your excuse, you will not arrive late to a training session again."

My eyes widened. Jesus he was a prick.

"Look, I was told the 'Cinadome' not where it actually was. I count myself lucky I even got here at this time and am not still roaming the maze of corridors here!"

He seemed to ignore this statement. "And you're not wearing your training gear."

I glanced down at my jeans and t-shirt. "Yeah, I didn't appreciate the unfair advantage you guys get."

"What do you mean?"

"How come all you get spandex and I don't?" My attempt at humour didn't even crack a smile, if anything it made him angrier. "That was a joke," I added hastily. "If you asked me to wear spandex I'd probably tell you to hand me over to the bad guys now."

"Well, maybe we should seeing as you're not going to last here anyway."

It was my turn to glare. I'd had enough of his condescending attitude. "Hey, what the fuck's you're problem?" I spoke close enough to a shout

"You are." His voice was even. "I don't want to be giving up my free time to teach you the basics in fighting. If it were up to me you wouldn't be getting this special treatment, you'd be sitting and staying in the base while we the trained heroes fly across the Atlantic. You're only going to end up getting one of us or yourself killed in the process."

My temper spiked, I would not be pushed around. Nor would I stay here while others route around in my past. Having this... twat tell me what I can or cannot do made me fight the urge to spit at him.

"You heard Batman," I seethed taking a step closer to my so-called 'instructor' "I will be joining you and your mini Justice League to find out why I'm wanted by every villain in the country and as I wait for my flight I'll be learning your methods of fighting with or without your help. So if you don't think you can handle catching me up on the basics, leave! I'll probably do better on my own anyway. You should go..." my eyes ran up and down his frame before locking at his perfectly mussed locks. "Go do your hair or something."

His expression flashed from fury to incredulity in rapid succession but I didn't flinch or look away from the sapphire fire in his eyes. Finally, in such speed that Nightwing's limbs blurred he whipped an object from behind his back. It took every ounce of practice with quick reflexes to prevent the thing hitting me square in the chest. His eyebrows quirked up at my own speed. I looked down at what lay in my palms.

"A stick?" I asked, a little weary. Was all my bravado put up just so that I could swing a long pole around.

A smile – yes, I repeat – an actual smile played at the corner of his lips. Oh shit.

"Lesson one," he pulled another 'stick' from behind him and took a step forward. "How to duck."

"Fucking bastard..." I cursed in a low groan.

"I cannot believe he got this many hits on you. Didn't you train with and beat some of Slade's better combat – "

"Yes."

"But?"

I sat on top of the sink while Sadira filled the bathtub with ice. I stared into the mirror at my newly blackened skin, only beginning to heal after my first 'training session' with my new 'mentor'. The bruises would heal quickly enough. All mutants had quick healing abilities from minor injuries. It was the strain which my unfit muscles went through over the last hour and a half that needed the ice. I was stripped down into my bra and knickers, the jeans I'd chosen to wear had to be cut off due to swelling. The bastard was right in giving me training gear.

"But sadly, he was definitely trained by Batman."

"He's good then?"

I groaned again in response, trying to roll my muscles in spasm. Glowering at the ice cube baths I slipped off the sink and walked slowly over to it. Knowing that getting into that frozen hell slowly would make me lose my nerve, I lowered myself into it quickly, taking short deep breaths and thinking of warm places.

It was so cold it burned my skin. The relief of calming my strained muscles wasn't enough to balance the drastic and painful change in temperatures. I let out a string of passionate language in all the tongues I knew.

Sadira whistled. "I thought we weren't allowed to curse," she said innocently.

"For some situations," I panted out the words, trying to focus on something other than the cold. "There are exceptions to that rule,"

Sadira stared into my face for a minute, frowning lightly before her full lips stretched into a wide grin. I glared back.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just..." a giggle escaped from her throat. "You know the way you're in pain now?"

"I'm sitting in a bath of what feels like deep freeze in attempt to not feel my aching and spasming muscles. Of course I know the way I'm in pain!"

My snapping didn't faze her... or in fact flatten the giggles. "Well just think... you're now going to have to go through all that strain again tomorrow, except this time you'll already be hurting to begin with." She laughed outright as I imagined throwing this whole tub of ice over her head.

"Shut up," was all I said before dunking my head under the zero degrees waters, maybe if I drown I won't have train again tomorrow.

The answer to that was no.

"I'm going to throw up!" I gasped, hunching forward, a last attempt to ease my rolling stomach. I had been running – no, sprinting for the better part of the last three hours and it was only nine am. The others only would be only just getting out of bed. My sides cramped, every muscle in my overworked body ached with such a strong throbbing I was one metre away from collapsing.

"Throwing up is good, it means that your body has reached its capacity to exercise itself, now that we know where that barrier is we can push through it. It's the quickest way to making a body stronger."

"No... that's a way to make someone collapse!" I yelled back at the kid mentor. He was totally relaxed, lounging in one of the spectators seats reading a novel I couldn't see the title of. The anger towards him mixed with my nausia, I tried to inhale deeply. I glanced at my watch, two minutes to nine. He'd have to let me go now soon, Vixen wanted a debriefing at half past.

I looked up from my wrist to see him standing in front of me. Dam... I thought sourly, how the hell did he do that?

"Late for something are we Curly?"

I glared at him. "Yeah, we have a meeting in half an hour remember? And if you want to 'push my bodies limits' tomorrow, I'll need a hot shower and ice. Though I'd love to stay here longer and have you watch me run Commander Nightwing."

Safe to say he didn't appreciate the 'Commander' comment.

"Ten more laps."

I gaped at him. "You're kidding right?"

"Make it fifteen."

"The meeting's in half an hour!"

"Should of thought of that before you disrespected your trainer."

"For your information, I disrespect everyone, and everyone includes a self-assured, pompous dickhead who's idea of teaching combat is running exercises!"

Then I turned my heel and started sprinting once more around the arena. Feeling Nightwing's stare burn holes into my back. I just prayed I'd finish quickly and have time for a shower before half nine, and that he'd leave me alone so that we could both have a few hours to cool down before I saw him again.

I half walked half limped to the consult room. It wasn't far from the dome but it may as well have been miles to my battered body. Before reaching the door Vixen strolled easily up beside me. I was nearly too jealous by her lack of pain to talk to her.

"Ouch." She said grinning. "You look a bit worse for wear. Should I ask how your first few days of training went?"

"Oh great," I leaked as much sarcasm as I possibly could into my tone. "Running laps non-stop for three hours and getting beaten up with a wooden pole? I just count myself the luckiest gal in the whole world!"

"Running – " she frowned looking confused. Just then Nightwing turned the corner. "Excuse me," she murmured and began striding towards him. After only a few words it was clear they were arguing.

Wonder Girl and Superboy approached me then with small smiles on their faces.

"Hey Fraya," Cassie said cheerfully. "Conner and I were just talking about – "

"Sorry Cassie ." I cut across her. "It'll have to wait for a few seconds. Uh… Conner would you mind telling me what those two are saying?"

He glanced over to them and frowned. "Uh… I'm not sure I can – "

"Please? It's about my training."

With a sigh he turned his ear the Vixen and Nightwing, his eyes seemed to glaze over as he activated his super hearing. After about thirty seconds of listening he filled me in.

What he told me had me striding towards them sore muscles be damned.

"You're training me like Batman trained you?" I nearly roared in Nightwing's face. He gave both Vixen and I a weary glance before not meeting my gaze. "You mean to tell me everyone else has never had to go through this?"

"You've been half-trained already," was his only comeback. "Not very well, but enough that you won't benefit from the same training exercises as the others. They all had to learn from scratch."

"But Conner said that the difference between Batman's training and theirs was ten times more intense."

"Yes, so?"

"I thought you wanted me to learn the basics! We only have a few weeks!"

"Don't you want to be one of the best hand to hand combat fighters in the country?" he threw the question at me.

"I don't care! I want to get this job done and then leave. Not try to do the impossible in a couple of weeks!"

"It's not impossible, I did it."

"You've been with Batman since you were what age? Thirteen? Younger? I can't believe this… you there yelling at me this morning that I shouldn't be getting special treatment…"

"Look," he turned to Vixen who had been watching us studiously but remaining silent, he had obviously decided not to look at me during these next sentences. "I've been with her only two days and so far she's pushed beyond every stamina and strength bar I've put against her. She's tired and in pain now but in less than three weeks I know she'll be more than capable of taking any of the others on."

I'd frozen in more than a little shock, although I did hate been spoken about as if I weren't standing right there with them it actually was the kindest words he's spoken to or about me. In my life you tend not to interrupt when things like this happen.

"It's wasteful not to use this opportunity and you'd be grateful for the extra skills if you ever run into situations like this again." He'd finally met my furious gaze again. We stared each other down for a minute as I let the words sink in. I looked at Vixen who unfolded her arms in a gesture that said 'It's totally up to you'.

"Fine…" I growled, feeling as if I was going to seriously regret this later. "Fine! I'll do it but so help me Nightwing if I need crutches to walk tomorrow you can fuck off with your idea of 'special treatment.'"

"I'll see you at six pm sharp for today's second session."

"Yeah, yeah… I cannot wait until I'm trained so someone can finally kick your ass."

Something, I think it could have been an actual smile broke through his usually schooled features.

"We'll see," was all he said though as he walked past us quickly to the consult room.

I, on the other hand returned to my hobbling knowing that the next few weeks would be filled with pain and more pain.