Prologue: 13 years ago…

The people of Gotham City were used to hearing about strange crimes. As part of living in the city of darkness and ultimate corruption it wasn't uncommon for one to hear about muggings, heists, mob wars and even serial murders on the daily news.

Indeed the awful news was such a cemented part of everyday life that it was perhaps the only thing the ever wary citizens could ever be certain on in their grim lives.

But even Gotham city has its exceptions.

And one of them was sitting before policeman James Worthington "Jim" Gordon.

His ginger moustache quivered as he took in the image of the child as she sat in the hospital medical bed, her little black eyes boring into him as she watched him intently.

She was a small girl, around the age of six or seven years old, wearing a white hospital gown that seemed to swamp out her scrawny form. Her white blonde hair was tied back in two pigtails that framed her pale, slightly malnourished face that looked almost grey in the dim light of the Gotham City Hospital.

"Hey...how are you feeling?"

But even as Gordon spoke to her she fixed him in a piercing stare that had him feeling very nervous indeed, for her gaze was nearly as dark as the void of the night outside.

"Fine I guess"

"Do…you need anything?"

The girl just blinked and turned her eyes away to the window through which she could see the foggy grungy city bustling down below as rain pelted down from big dark storm clouds.

Gordon chewed the insides of his cheeks as he tried to think of something else to say. For a small kid the girl was remarkably calm given the situation. Most kids he'd had to deal with would usually be crying for their parents by now, or if they were quiet they'd be as frightened as little mice.

This girl on the other hand…

Gordon followed her gaze his eyes sympathetic as he made to crouch beside her.

But before he could open his mouth she spoke:

"They're not coming back…are they?"

Her voice was as empty as the dead look in her eyes and just as cold. So cold that Gordon almost shivered as he replied.

"…No…but-but it's going to be alright. You're going to be alright… you're safe now" he added though even he wondered if that was more for himself than for her.

Either way, the girl didn't seem phased as the door to the small ward opened and a nurse with a kind face and dirty blonde hair bustled in, pushing with a food trolley in one hand as she carried a clipboard in the other.

"Officer" she nodded pleasantly to Gordon, though he was quick to notice her body stiffen as she caught his eye.

Of course everyone in Gotham knew to be wary of the police. Not because of their status as law enforcers, but because they were more often than not, just as bad as the criminals they were sent to "catch".

Gordon, thankfully (and to his own personal pride) was not one of those dirty cops, and so it was with a respectful nod of the head that he made to reply.

"I'll wait outside till you're done. If you need anything just call" he added.

The nurse nodded swiftly as she made to tend to the child, a smile of genuine care finally settling over her face as the policeman stepped outside and shut the door.

"Here you are sweetie, nice and freshly heated." She settled the tray on the child's lap her smile never leaving as her young patient took one look at the food and at once began demolishing the contents of her plate.

"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down there! You'll get sick if you keep going at it like that." the nurse laughed as she gently pried her charge from the plate.

The girl pouted but nonetheless let the woman handle her. She had a gentle measured touch, one that made her feel nice…and safe…less cold…

"What's your name?" she asked as she was helped with a spoonful of broccoli and mash.

"My name?" the nurse blinked in surprise, but her smile was quick to return as she pointed to her name tag on her scrubs "It's Emelia, Emelia Poole"

And then because she felt it was right Emelia asked:

"What's your name?"

The little girl just shrugged, completely unabashed by the gesture as her caretaker frowned in puzzlement.

"You don't know your name?"

"No…" The girl said through another mouthful of mash. "never had one"

"You mean the other…children?" Emelia gulped doing her best not to glance over at the door where the shadow of Officer Gordon was most likely still standing.

The girl however did not notice the fear, nor did she care as she shrugged again.

"yeah…guess so…the big man said we can't have names…said we don't need them."

"and…why don't you need them?" Emelia tried her best to smile only to feel her gut sink further and further as the child responded, and for the first time her voice was soft and sad…or at least just ever so slightly strained.

"be-because we not anything. No one wants us. We all nothing…we will all be nothing…unless someone buys us…"

"Buys you?" Emelia blurted before she could stop herself, and so loudly that Officer Gordon poked his head through the door in concern.

"Is something wrong?"

"um…" Emelia bit her lip as the child blinked up at her in confusion.

"Wait just a moment." She spluttered and as quick as a flash she darted over to the officer, hissing furiously and quietly as she could.

The girl couldn't catch what they were saying, but knew the nice nurse lady was just repeating what she'd just heard to the strange policeman who nodded calmly, though she, the child, could see that he was just as disturbed if not more so than the nurse.

But why? The little girl wondered to herself.

Why were they disturbed? Had she said something wrong?

The big man sold a lot of other kids her age to other people, most of them scary and mean looking people that would shrewdly look you over before making a purchase, like farmers buying new cattle for the flock. More often then not they took the girls, which they were willing to pay more for especially if they were pretty.

But more often than not the customers would come back looking for a new kid to replace the one they bought for a cheaper price. A new and hopefully smarter kid.

Be smart or die.

It was a fact of life most Gotham orphans became accustomed to quite quickly, including the girl in the hospital bed.

Indeed she was still wary even as the nurse Emilia came back, this time followed by Officer Gordon whose face was determined but worried as he made to sit by her bed again.

"Hi there again" he smiled, but it was a little strained. "good meal?"

"Umhmm!" the girl nodded as she clumsily set down her fork and looked at him expectantly.

However for once the policeman didn't leave her waiting, and was quick to reply.

"Nurse Poole says you know a bit about the man who…um… kept you?"

"The big man?" the girl tilted her head.

"yes the Big man." Gordon nodded "Do you remember his name?"

"uh-uh." The girl shook her head. "he never told us. We only called him sir."

"Do you remember what he looked like?" Gordon pressed as gently as he could, but his heart was hammering in his chest as he watched the girl chew her lip in thought.

"Big" she muttered after a pause. "Big…like a bear…wore a he wore a fancy black suit and a mask over his face. A big black one…like a ske-skeleton's" she added blushing with as her tiny stutter's wavered into silence.

She was so embarrassed that she didn't see how pale Gordon's face had become as he exchanged a shocked look with the Nurse Emilia, who had been standing by the door hands clasped over her mouth.

She couldn't even bring herself to speak as the child continued to go on talking, completely unaware of the horrors of what she was revealing to the two adults.

"there were other big mean men like him…they wore masks too. The same black one. They watched us when we were on the boat. Told us to stay quiet when they put us in the big box. Said we were goin' to go someplace bad if we didn't be good and quiet."

"I see…" Gordon gulped doing his best and mostly failing to swallow down the churning feeling in his gut "and did these big mean guys say they were taking you to?"

The girl shook her head again.

"Nah…nothing. We asked but he didn't tell. Said it was a surprise…Sorry…I would'a told ya if I knew…" she added when she saw Gordon's face fall a little, though he was quick to cover it up with a cough.

"It's okay kid I understand. It must have been scary for you" he assured her gently though his mind gave him a gentle nudge "Wait, wait! A boat? You were on a boat?"

"uh-huh" the girl nodded enthusiastically as she held out her arms wide "A really big boat. It took us 'cross the har-harbour and to the fancy club. It was big with lots and lots of big boxes and a word in big letters on the side"

"do you remember what these letters spelled?"

"Something with M …Like Mary but longer? Maryanne-No-no that's not it! Um…"

"Could you spell it out for me kid? Slowly" Gordon asked barely holding back his excitement as he made to scribble something down in a notepad he had on hand as the girl frowned in concentration.

"Um…there was an M…then there was an A…then an-uh-R! yes that's it an R. and after that…uh…I don't remember the next one…" she bit her lip only to gasp as recognition "Oh yeah that's right it was an I! And then an N and a A! YEAH! That's it M-A-R-I-N-A"

"the Marina….Well that explains a lot" he added more to himself than to anyone else just as the door to the ward opened with a creak.

"Gordon!" a voice barked loudly, making poor Emilia squeak in her spot.

Gordon turned and saw a grouchy, slightly grubby police officer with a hangdog face and droopy eyes standing growling in the doorway, a cell phone in his hands.

"the Commish says to get yer arse back into headquarters when you're done playin' teaparty with the kid. And yer better hurry up because he's pissed!"

"Alright, alright I'm coming in five" Gordon gruffly shrugged his colleague off, before giving the young girl a small smile.

"Thank you kid. You've been a great help. I'll be back in the morning to check up on her progress" He said as he turned to the Nurse Emilia Poole who nodded back stiffly, as she eyed the grubby cop beside her with a mixture of distaste and wariness.

Not that he could blame her, Gordon snorted to himself.

And so it was with a gruff scowl that he listened to his colleague's loud sneers as they exited the ward.

"So, that's the freak kid they brought in huh?"

"The kid's not a freak Boggs" Gordon growled softly, his moustache quivering as his eyes narrowed. "She's just in shock. What happened was quite traumatic-"

"Yeah-yeah! For us normal people" Officer Boggs waved Gordon off "And from what I've seen in this business, that kid is weird. Even the docs think she's freaky. I mean how else can one little girl survive breathing in a room filled with poisonous gas? You tell me?"

"Alright I admit it, the circumstances are strange" Gordon sighed heavily. "But that doesn't make the girl a freak. Who knows, maybe she could've held her breath-"

"For two hours?" Boggs' eyes narrowed "ya think a little girl like that coulda held her breath for that long when Black Mask's goons and a room full of people couldn't even stop themselves from vomiting their own guts out for two minutes? Seriously Gordon-" he leaned in and hissed "-I know you like kids, but you gotta admit…this girl…she ain't normal. Just look at her! She just watched seven men die in front of her, and she's sitting there right as rain and chatting as if she just went out to the park with mummy and daddy. Now take it from a guy who's seen the craziest of the crazies in this miserable town…this girl's got something seriously wrong…yer can see it in those eyes"

"She's in shock. She'll come round soon enough." Gordon repeated himself sternly, but Boggs rolled his eyes.

"She's insane Gordon. And you may not see it now, but you will soon. that kid in there…" his eyes narrowed as he backed away from the door of the closed ward. "-she's dangerous"

"Boggs-" Gordon called out but Boggs was already trudging away not even bothering to look back as he yelled down the corridor.

"Don't 'Boggs' me Gordon, one day she's going to be worse than those crims out there, you mark my words."

And before Gordon could even get another word in, Boggs was already turning the corridor and out of sight…

TADAA! hey there every1! just wanted to say a quick hi and welcome to my new fic. This is my first fic for the Batman Arkhamverse and my third DC comics fanfic.

Hope you all enjoyed this little taster chapter and Review if you would like to hear more.