Ashe hurried through Gotham while stuffing their gear into their bag. Their evening of heroing was completed with very little conflict. But Ashe had lost track of time and completely forgot that they had promised to meet Jason. The two would often meet in an alley near a convenience store downtown. This rendezvous had become more complicated now that Ashe was trying to secretly be a vigilante. When Ashe was late to meet him, Jason would usually find something to occupy his time with. And he always managed to find trouble. So they were keen on making it there on time.
Ashe came to a halt just as they were about to reach their destination. There was a figure blocking their way at the end of the alley. Ashe approached the man slowly and carefully, analyzing him. He wore a well-fitting suit, was of thin but commanding stature, and had light blonde slicked-back hair. He didn't seem to belong in this part of Gotham.
As he turned to face Ashe, the man murmured, his voice was like velvet, "Hello, what a pleasure it is to meet you."
Ashe was taken aback, and they were at a loss for what to do. "Who are you?"
He smirked, "My name doesn't matter and I don't care to know your name. I am here to present you with an offer. I've seen you out here for quite a few nights now. Your talents are like a diamond in the rough."
Ashe swayed uncomfortably. There was no way around the man and Ashe was eager to get to Jason.
He moved a few steps forward. "I am somewhat of a collector. I like to collect powerful individuals with lots of potential and mold them into their best selves. I think you would be a wonderful candidate." Every word he said had a snake-like quality to it, and it made Ashe nervous.
"Yeah and what's the catch?" they asked.
He chuckled, "No catch really, you will benefit just as much as I will. You join me, I will mentor and train you, and we put your abilities to the test. I'll have some jobs for you. For every job you successfully complete, I will give you a cut of the payout and you chose to do whatever you want after that." The man extended his arm and handed Ashe a card. "You don't have to make a decision right now. When you're ready, please contact me."
He kept walking by Ashe, bending down as he did so. "I'm looking forward to hearing from you." He said it with a confident growl, as though Ashe didn't have much of a choice.
Ashe shuddered as he got close to them. For a moment, they were frozen and unable to move. After a little moment to process what had just occurred, Ashe stuffed the card into their pocket and walked away.
It wasn't long before Ashe made it downtown. The area was usually busy with people walking and milling about, but tonight the streets were buzzing with a different kind of energy. Ashe was confused as they made their way through the crowd.
Some nearby kids began to chant, "Batman Batman Batman!"
Pushing their way through the people, Ashe made it just in time to see a blur of black peel out and speed off down the road. The Batmobile. It had emerged from the alleyway where Ashe had planned to meet Jason.
Sprinting across the street to the alley, Ashe's heart sank. Jason wasn't there. However, the lane wasn't completely deserted. A tire iron and a car jack were on the ground in the middle of the alley. It seemed like maybe someone had tried to remove car tires.
The rest of the night was spent by Ashe searching for Jason. He had vanished without a trace. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Ashe returned home, completely defeated.