A/N: Hello all! I'm back. Sorry for the big delay; as I mentioned in the update for one of my other fics, my hard drive crashed and I lost a lot of stuff and it was very difficult to catch up on everything.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT REVIEWS! I must call attention to this. There is a guest reviewer who has been pestering me in the reviews on one of my other fics by writing things like "I like shades and shadows better" and "come back to shades and shadows". DO NOT DO THIS. I find this incredibly annoying, and frankly it makes me NOT want to update the fic. To be clear, I don't mind when I have reviewers saying "update soon!" because it reminds me that people actually like this fic and want to see more and that can be motivational. But I do not appreciate people using the review section of my other fics to complain about this one. I'm working very hard to catch up on everything and I WILL update all of my fics unless I say otherwise, trust me! If you have something to say about THIS STORY please post a review on THIS STORY.

Sorry about that little rant but I felt it was necessary to mention.

Chapter 3

Interrogation

Consciousness returned to her slowly. She'd dealt with her fair share of poisons and sedatives, but this one was by far the strongest, leaving her body slow and lethargic. Shade kept her eyes closed as she regulated her breathing, assessing her situation as her body recovered. Cold concrete floor. Jail cell. Hands cuffed in front of me, they don't doubt my abilities, want to keep an eye on what my hands are doing. How long has it been? Metal handcuffs are still fairly cold. Less than an hour? She shifted ever so slightly, letting the cloth of her pants brush against her legs, feeling the emptiness of her pockets, the lack of weight around her waist. Weapons confiscated, equipment confiscated. Mask hasn't been removed though. She listened carefully for any sound near her. Alone in my cell. The hallway? Nothing. No wait, creaking, a chair leaning back. One guard at a desk. The lack of sound meant she wasn't in a cell block, and a single guard at a desk was indicative of a police holding area, not a prison. So they hadn't moved her from police headquarters.

That was unconventional.

Police jails were reserved for low level offenders, drunks and people with minor assault charges who could post bail the next day. So why was she still here? She, who had just broken into a police station, knocked out two guards and stolen confidential information.

And why was it so quiet?

Shade had to assume that they'd cleared this hall just for her then. Slowly, carefully, she opened her eyes, watching as the world came back into focus. Her cell was small and dim. She was sat on the floor with her back against the far wall, facing the row of bars that separated her from the fluorescent-lit hallway beyond. She shifted her weight and moved her legs under her so she was on her knees as if in silent prayer. Quickly slipping a small metal pin from her sleeve, she loosened the handcuffs but left them around her wrists just in case. She closed her eyes once more and took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was to come. Only when she heard approaching footsteps did she remove herself from her meditative state. Heavy boots, but light footsteps.

Shade opened her eyes to see a shadow standing on the other side of the bars. The same shadow she'd seen fall out of the night sky. But she could see now that it was not a nightmarish bat like she'd first thought – well not entirely anyways – but a man in a black cape and cowl. Male, Caucasian. 30s? Even distribution of muscle on both upper and lower body. Above average fitness. Average height, not bulky, light footsteps; agile. Gauntlets, dangerous in close combat. Cape, utility belt, high probability of variety of concealed weapons. Cowl covers ears and eyes, possibility of blind spot—

"Are you finished?"

The deep gravely voice came suddenly, but Shade kept her shock hidden. He'd known exactly what she was doing; sizing him up, assessing him and his potential abilities. She didn't respond to him, choosing to stay silent instead.

Trained, perceptive, skilled.

Dangerous.

"Then perhaps it's my turn," the man spoke again in that intimidating voice.

Shade maintained eye contact as he began.

"On the roof, you demonstrated skills in aikido, tae kwon do, xingyiquan, jujitsu and tessenjutsu, though I can safely assume you know more. You've mastered several forms of martial arts, from an early age given how young you are and how skilled you appear to be. Despite your obvious skill in an array of martial arts, you seem to favour your fighting fans. Which leads me to believe they hold a sentimental value as well. You've been trained and disciplined by a respected master, you bowed to your opponent after defeating him; you have a code of honour. Further proven by the fact that you haven't broken out of those handcuffs yet, which I'm sure you're fully capable of. But you are resting in a kneeling position, which might seem like a sign of respect but is also to make sure you can get to your feet quickly should anything happen suddenly. You've also encountered various martial arts, since you were able to so easily assess your opponent before attacking. You came alone, you copied information from the GCPD database, but only files involving the League of Shadows."

The caped man stopped there and fixed her with an accusatory glare. Briefly ignoring her training, she glared right back and snapped at him. "I am not a member of the League of Shadows."

"I'm aware. If you were sent here by the Shadows to steal that information, you would have been ordered to destroy it afterwards. You copied the files, but you didn't erase them. I believe you pulled a similar stunt in Star City a few days ago, when you broke into Royal University and interrogated Dr. Roquette but left her unharmed."

How did he know about Star City? Had he been there too? Followed her all the way to Gotham City? No, he would have taken her down much sooner. Then that meant... "The archer," she spoke quietly.

"You're not one of the Shadows, you're chasing after them. Why? What does a kid like you need from the League of Shadows?"

"My business is my own," Shade said very conclusively.

"You just tried to steal confidential information from a police station. Unless you'd like to spend the rest of your year in a jail cell, I suggest you start talking."

She could feel her frustration rising. This was all a waste of time, she had a mission and this entire interrogation was keeping her from accomplishing it. Perhaps some cooperation was worth a try…

"I have unfinished business with the League of Shadows. I sought the information to help my mission."

"And what makes you think you'd stand a chance against them?"

For a moment, everything she'd been keeping locked away came rushing back. The feeling of choking on the suffocating clouds of smoke, the heat of the blaze as her home burned to the ground, the agonizing pain in her body and the feeling of hollowness and betrayal…

But it was only a moment. Shut it out, don't show weakness. She steadied herself and answered very calmly. "Because I have nothing left to lose."

"A person with nothing left to lose has the potential to be very dangerous."

"I'm sure my word means very little to you, but I assure you the only people I intend to harm are the Shadows."

"And my partner?"

"He attacked me. I would not have engaged otherwise. I do not provoke violence where it is not due, and engage only when it is necessary."

Something changed in him in that moment, her caped interrogator. Shade saw his shoulders tense, his head twitch to the side ever so slightly. He seemed to go from looking at her to looking through her, the gears in his head turning as he tried to see something that clearly was not there.

Suddenly, the cell door was open and the man slipped inside, being careful to close the door behind him. Shade felt every muscle in her body prepare for whatever was to come. If he attacked, perhaps she could evade him long enough to find an opening for her escape. If not… well I've dealt with torture before, I'm sure I could—

"Give me your arm," the man said with a voice of authority.

She knew better than to anger him by refusing verbally, so she settled for simply ignoring the request, keeping her hands resting on her legs.

"I won't ask you again," he spoke again. He crouched in front of her so her unwavering forward gaze was forced upon him, and waited.

Refusing verbally might provoke him, but her silence was disrespectful in its own way. And at the very least, the man deserved some form of respect. Respecting one's opponent is a sign of dignity and honour. And so, Shade spoke.

"I believe my answer is clear." There, that ought to—

Her thought was interrupted when the man made a move for her arm. Shade moved out of the way just in time, expertly twisting her wrists out of the pre-loosened handcuffs. She was thankful for her kneeling position as she sprung to her feet, but the man was standing right there to meet her. She jumped back to put some distance between them, but he followed. There was little she could do in such a confined space. She aimed a kick at his solar plexus but he caught her foot instead, pulling her forward. In the second it took for her to regain her balance, he pushed her against the nearest wall and slammed her right wrist above her head. Only after he drew back did she realize he had placed something there – some type of heavy handcuff that left her stuck to the wall. He subdued her other arm in the same manner before pulling away. She realized her struggles were in vain as the man grabbed hold of her right arm and pulled her long black armband down from her wrist to reveal a small but intricate tattoo.

The inky black mark stood out against her pale skin: a simple circle with elegant designs woven inside of it, all leading to the centerpiece – a single crimson dot.

The man stood up straight and looked her in the eye with an unwavering gaze. He knows. He knows what it means. But then… then that means he's…

In clear, perfect Japanese, the man spoke once more. "The path of true justice begins with self-sacrifice."

Shade felt as though she could not breath let alone speak, but somehow the words found their way past her lips.

"And ends only with life itself."

The secret phrase confirmed what she had refused to believe. This man belonged to the Order.

A/N: Somehow this managed to be the longest chapter so far. Huh.

NOTE ABOUT ROBIN: A reviewer seemed to be confused about which Robin we encountered in the previous chapter. This is currently set in season 1 of Young Justice, so it would be Dick Grayson as Robin.

Thank you for the faves and follows everyone! Read and review! :)