*EOTA* Another chapter up! This one takes place over the course of several weeks during Damian's training.

*Red Hood* Little demon better be respectful...

*EOTA* Don't forget that it's not like he is suddenly going from killing to not killing. You're perfectly willing to kill to get the job done, and that means he respects you more than he would otherwise. Plus, he doesn't know that Bruce is his father in this, so he's not quite as arrogant. Anyway, do the disclaimer so we can get on with the story.

*Red Hood* Fine! Eye of the Abyss does not own Young Justice, DC Comics, or the Eiffel Tower.

*EOTA* What's the Eiffel Tower have to do with this story?

*Red Hood* I dunno...

Bludhaven - Hood's Lair

"Do you, Damian al Ghul, swear to serve Richard Grayson, the Red Hood, totally and absolutely. To follow every order without question? To obey completely in all things?"

"I do."

"Will you do everything I command without regret?"

"I will."

"Will you be my apprentice in all things, combat, philosophy, methods?"

"I will."

"If ordered to kill, will you obey?"

"I will."

"Will you place your life in my hands, to do with as I please?"

"I will."

"And will you call me your master?"

"I will, master."

"Good. From this moment on, Damian al Ghul is no more. You are Damian Grayson, son of the Red Hood, as per the directive of the Lady al Ghul. Outside of work, you will call me your father. As my apprentice and son, you shall be privy to my plans, you shall know my mind better than any other, you shall aid me in my mission to cleanse this world. Arise, Damian Grayson, Son of the Hood. Your training begins."

Bludhaven - Hood's Lair Training Room

Richard Grayson, helmet in hands, stood outside the sparring ring, watching the newly christened Damian Grayson fight three of his elite guard and hold his own. Five more members had joined Hood's elite after arriving with Damian, bringing the total to fifteen highly trained warriors ordered to obey Richard's every command. Red Hood turned to Omar and raised an eyebrow. "Two more men to join the fray. Criminals don't fight fair, and I'm not letting him out until I am certain he's capable."

"Yes sir."

Bludhaven - Hood's Lair Gym

"Increase the weight, I want to know how much you can bench. But don't strain yourself."

"Tt, I know how to lift weights."

"I need to know how hard I can safely push you. You are of no use to anyone injured. We'll be testing your stamina next. Also, watch your tone young man."

"Yes sir…"

"Keep running until I say stop. You can't afford to take rest stops when you are chasing a target or attempting to catch a gang member. You especially can't take a breather when you are the one being chased."

"I kn- Yes master…"

"Relax, don't worry about the formalities right now, just be respectful. Stop. Don't stiffen up like that, you'll expend energy quicker. Stand up straight, like this. Hands like this. Good. Begin again…"

"Do you have any experience with acrobatics?"

"Not much."

"We'll just have to correct that. You're still young enough we can work on your flexibility and get you started with acrobatics. You'll probably never perform in the circus, but you should be able to squeeze through relatively tight spaces and escape if you are ever captured, not to mention you'll be far more at home on the building tops of Bludhaven. We'll start with some basic exercises…"

Bludhaven - Hood's Lair Target Range

"I think you're ready to begin with throwing weapons. Knives, shurikens, and the like. See those targets? You're going to hit all of them until you run out of weapons, then you're going to collect the weapons and do it again. You'll keep on doing that until I say stop. Begin."

"Yes father…"

"That's enough for today. You're doing much better now Damian. I think we're ready to move on to guns. We'll start you off on pistols before moving up. Guns will be your main weapons in the field, so accuracy and speed are key."

"What about explosives?"

"We will move on to those eventually, but explosives are far less important than firearms. You'll be primarily using guns, so our focus is those."

"Yes father..."

"Where on the human body is the best place to shoot to disable or kill with a small firearm?"

"The chest. It's harder to get a head shot with a pistol unless you are in close combat, which negates the purpose of using guns in the first place. A knife is more effective at close range. At medium range, fire to hit the chest, since it's easy to damage something vital."

"Sniper rifle?"

"Aim for the head to kill or the leg to disable. If the target is moving too much to get a good shot, aim for the heart."

"Correct…"

Bludhaven - Hood's Lair Op Center

"I've been working on your costume for a while now. It needs to be reminiscent of mine, without being a direct copy. This is what I have so far. What do you think?"

"Maybe a little bit more white on the face? And how about putting the symbol on the chest as well? Also, I think the cape would look better slightly torn."

"Going for the war zone look?"

"Fear is the best weapon we have."

"True…"

Bludhaven - Hood's Lair Monitor Room

The Red Hood sat upon his throne in the monitor room, wearing black jeans, motorcycle boots, gray body armor, and a dark brown motorcycle jacket. He looked at his kneeling apprentice, wearing his new costume. "You are ready. Tonight we will begin making our mark on Bludhaven. Tonight the Red Hood will begin his conquest of the Bludhaven gangs and petty scum. Rise my apprentice, for you shall assist me in this. Arise, Red X…"

*Red Hood* Red X, seriously?

*EOTA* It seemed to fit pretty well actually...

*Red Hood* Yeah... Anyway, why did he suddenly start calling me 'father'?

*EOTA* Because after several weeks of training, he prefers saying 'father' to saying 'master'. Also, technically you did sort of adopt him...

*Red Hood* Right... Anyway, to janzen222 - Roy hasn't yet become Red Arrow, but he has started working with Oliver, as of S2E11-Blind Spot

*EOTA* I should be able to post again by the end of this week, and I appreciate any constructive criticism of my writing.

*Red Hood* So review! And I've always wanted to say this so - Flames will be met with marshmallows!