Ashe's eyesight began to dim as they gazed up at the burning warehouse ceiling. They hadn't had the time to assess the damage, but they knew they had been shot twice just from the unbearable pain. The only sound they could hear was the ringing in their ears. As they lay still on the cold concrete, dark red pools of blood formed around them. There was a sense of tranquility in the midst of the mayhem. Ashe's vision was so blurred from the pain they could barely make out a figure now standing above them. As they lost consciousness, they saw the man kneeling down near them and the hazy image of a blue bird symbol emblem.

One Year Ago

The stars were dim above Gotham, the lights of the city shined much too bright. Even in these late hours of the night, the sound of life was still audible. Police sirens and car alarms can be heard on the streets, as well as rowdy patrons from bars and clubs. Gotham is a city that never sleeps.

Ever light on their feet, Ashe raced through the alleyways with enthusiasm in their makeshift vigilante outfit. Their strawberry blonde hair poked out from under the hood. The cool autumn air nipped at Ashe's cheeks where the thick black goggles that they wore did not protect. They dodged from street to street trying to stay out of sight. Tonight, Ashe was looking for trouble.

Although Batman and the Gotham Police Department were good at protecting the city from major threats, there were many smaller crimes that went unnoticed. Since their meta ability had manifested, Ashe had taken to late-night escapades of crime-fighting. The extent of their abilities was limited to telekinetic tricks. It wasn't much but it gave Ashe an edge in a fight and they intended to put their powers to good use. So they took to the streets, hoping to stop some crimes.

Ashe was about to give up and go when something caught their eye. As the streetlights flickered, two women strolled down the broken concrete pavement. While the women chatted, they passed a man smoking against the wall. Throwing his cigarette to the ground, he started to trail behind them with a hood pulled up and hands in his pockets. Ashe from the other side of the street tried to stay concealed as they moved closer.

The man closed the gap between himself and the two women. He lunged forward and snatched one of the female's arm.

"Give me everything you've got." He demanded as he drew a knife out of his pocket. With his other hand, he yanked on the purse of one woman. The women shrieked in terror.

Ashe used their abilities to push off and dashed across the street. They charged to the mugger, leaped, and punched him in the face. He staggered backward. He regained his composure and charged at Ashe, swinging his blade violently. Ashe used their talents to dart to the man's opposite side and land another hit to him. The man spun and slashed his knife in a fury and cut his knife across Ashe's cheek. Ashe went quickly behind the man, putting themself between him and the women. Ashe kicked the man in the back with all the energy they could muster. He was thrown to the ground after losing his footing. The knife slipped from his grip and went sliding into the road.

The mugger stared at Ashe, who stood in front of the women. He lurched to his feet and staggered away, reconsidering his decision. A slight grin came to Ashe's face with another successful encounter.

Ashe inhaled deeply and ran their hand through their damp hair. Regaining awareness, they looked to the ladies that the man had been harassing. They swooped down to pick up the lady's purse which had fallen in the scuffle. Without a word, Ashe handed it back.

"I've seen you out here a few nights now." She said disapprovingly as she snatched her purse. "But look at you, you're nothin' but a kid. Ain't no reason you should be out here pickin' fights. Get on home." Both the women turned and hurried away.

Ashe rolled their eyes, "A simple 'thanks' would suffice." They mumbled quietly.

Ashe decided to call it a night after that. Someone would question it if they stayed out any longer. They retrieved a backpack that they stashed behind a nearby dumpster. They swiftly moved through the streets of Gotham as they stuffed their hero getup into the bag.

They arrived at a chainlink fence in front of an old, abandoned supermarket. Home sweet home. Ashe pulled at a broken part of the fence and slid under it. Between the boarded-up windows, a flickering firelight could just be seen inside. Ashe walked around to the rear and opened the door.

Because of the nature of Gotham, many foster or runaway children fall through the cracks in the system. Left to fend for themselves, the homeless children began to congregate, and this derelict store became their home.

Inside there were many kids, some were huddled around trashcans with fires lit in them or others slept on makeshift beds on the floor. The air was moist and cool, and there was a faint murmur of children conversing. Breaking from the group, a young freckled face child came running up to Ashe.

He bounced excitedly. "Hey Ashe, where have you been all night?"

Ashe ruffled the child's hair. "What's up Theo, I've just been around. Uh where is-"

"Jason has been looking for you. He's starting to get grumpy." Theo informed.

With a smile and a nod, Ashe began to scan the warehouse until they found him. He wasn't difficult to locate. As he leaned against a wall, Jason Todd ran his fingers through his unkempt black hair. He was just beginning to fill out into his tall stature. His aloof piercing blue eyes peered around boredly.

"There you are." He said with a feigned irritation that barely disguised his joy at seeing Ashe. "What happened to your face?"

Ashe reached for their cheek, they felt a small cut that was bleeding. "Oh, Jay that's uh… nothing. I just-"

Without another word, Jason moved to grab Ashe's bag. They yanked it out of his reach quickly. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

He rolled his eyes and continued for the bag. "I know you keep bandaids in there for when I get in fights. Give it here!"

"Okay okay gosh!" Ashe fished a bandaid out of their bag and allowed Jason to place it on their cheek. "That was unnecessary. It was just a scratch."

He didn't respond to their remark. Jason murmured, his voice twinging with protective wrath, "If those kids on 5th street bother you again-"

Endeared by his worry, Ashe shook their head. "It's not like that Jay, chill out."

Jason had taken Ashe under his wing since the day they had found themselves homeless.

When Ashe had run away from home, they were terrified and confused. The streets of Gotham were probably the most difficult place for anyone to try to survive much less a teenager. Ashe had been on their own for a few days, hungry and alone, when they met a group of older boys. Sensing fresh meat, these rougher kids took to bothering Ashe. They had pushed Ashe to the ground and surrounded them when Jason Todd swooped in. For whatever reason, Jason had taken a liking to Ashe and made sure no one messed with them again. Ashe was very thankful for Jason.

Ashe was distracted from the thought as some nearby kids began to loudly talk. "And when Batman comes he's going to save us and then-"

Jason and Ashe both looked over and then back at each other. Ashe looked visibly annoyed, "Batman isn't coming to save some kids like us." They mumbled under their breath. "Half of our parents he put in jail and the other half he let die to some stupid villain. He doesn't care about us. If I ever saw Batman out in Gotham… I'd slash the tires on the Batmobile." Ashe said half kidding.

Jason chuckled, "No, they're probably some special bulletproof tires or something. What you do is take the whole tire and sell 'em."

Ashe laughed at the thought. "Okay, you're right sounds like a plan." They said jokingly

The two continued to chat through the night until eventually, Ashe fell asleep next to Jason.