"We're here!" My mother chirped from the front seat of the van.

"...yay," I muttered sarcastically, "do I bother unpacking this time?" Being an army brat had few perks though one was that I knew how to pack my stuff into one duffel bag in under two minutes, leaving no room for sentimentality.

"Are you awake, Jay?" She looked behind her from the passenger seat, an overly bright smile painted across her face. She knew using her pet name for me would guilt me into a better, if not fake, attitude.

"Yes, Ma'am!" I saluted playfully back. I sat up in my seat and looked out the window, past my own woeful reflection, into the streets, bathed by morning light, of my new home; Gotham. It looked like every other city my parents had been transferred to but I knew that beneath this faux exterior lay a dangerous undercurrent of criminal activity.

It was late afternoon by the time we had arrived at West Village, driving through the congested city roads, and as my father pulled the hire care into our awaiting drive-way both their phones sounded. My parents had received their first orders to attend their respective teams for a meet and greet and whatever else the night would bring.

"Stay safe, sir!" I stood at attention in front of my father in the front doorway.

"You too, Blue," he nodded, his own brilliant blue eyes twinkling back at me.

After a brief hug between the three of us, my parents left in separate black SUVs, leaving me alone in our new, already furnished, townhouse. About thirty minutes and a cheese toastie later, I had checked out the entire two-storey house and had picked out my room, unpacked our kitchenware that basically consisted of the bare essentials in groups of threes and packed away our linen and toiletries. Lastly, I picked up my pillow, after dumping my parents' duffel bags in their own bedroom, and flung it onto my made bed.

"Maybe, we can stay here for a little longer," I spoke out loud as I moved to my own small balcony, overlooking the edge of Gotham City. I threw open the gauzy curtain and pushed open the glass doors. "Or at least make sure the next place has this..." I spoke, leaning heavily on the black iron bannister.

I watched as the last of the sun's rays fell behind the castle-esque property in the distance. Wayne Manor, I thought. It was one of the first things that popped up in one of my many Google searches on Gotham and honestly what I saw on my smart phone paled in comparison to what I was looking at now. Even from a distance it looked majestic, with its sprawling hills surrounding it, and it's tall grey towers. I watched, dreaming of exploring its many, many rooms, as the windows came to life with merry yellow lights.

"Hey, blondie!" A voice drawled from beneath me.

Reactively, I peered down and saw a group of young men sneering back at me, one with an eye patch beckoning me down with a curled finger.

"Come down and play wit' us!" Eye patch spoke again, the apparent leader.

"Thanks for the offer but I'm about to have dinner."

"Aw, c'mon sweet cheeks! We'll fill you up!" He winked.

"No, thank... wait! Are you winking or blinking at me? I can't be sure... you know, because of the one eye."

I gleefully watched on as a few of his men stifled their laughter, masking it with an unbelievable cough. With his full focus on me, his demeanour completely and almost instantaneously changed.

"Be careful, girly," one of the other men spoke in a heavier accent, "you is insultin' a Maroni."

"A what? A macaroni?" I called back, unable to stop myself, "that reminds me! I have a pot full of pasta on the stove!"

Fighting the urge to watch my insult land, I skipped inside and fell on my bed in a fit of giggles.

I woke to the sounds of a key scraping against the locking mechanism of our front door and my parents loudly announcing it was in fact them entering the house. It was one of those rules that they enforced since they almost always had a gun holstered to their hip.

"Goodnight, Mom. Goodnight, Dad." I groggily called out before pulling my quilt back up over me, one leg sticking out, and fell back into an easy sleep.

I awoke to the smell of a fry up and yawned. I got dressed in my usual black tee, khaki cargo pants, belt and boots, and headed downstairs to the sounds of spitting bacon and the smooth tunes of Michael Bublé. I walked into the kitchen to my parents' waltzing, already dressed in their military gear.

"It was a good night, I take it?" How did they operate on little to no sleep was beyond me.

"Oh! Good morning, Blue!" My Dad awkwardly pulled me into their dance.

"Morning, Sir," I laughed, as his foot hit the chopping board, sending an array of vegetable off cuts into the air.

"It was a great night, Songbird," my Mum spoke from over her shoulder, her attention back on the stove, as my father and I began to clean up the mess and set the table. "We met our commanding officers, the commissioner of the local law enforcement and..." she paused, looking over to my father, now perched next to me at the table, "you tell her, Harry."

"You can tell her, Lou," he smiled back at her. They went back and forth until I had had enough.

"Will one of you just tell me already?!"

"Together?" They said in unison, I rolled my eyes playfully, taking a sip of my orange juice.

"Batman!"

I choked on my drink, my eyes flying wildly between my two parents.

"You guys met Batman?" I panted. The other articles that I kept happening upon during my searches of Gotham were of the masked vigilantes that protected the city. After years of being chased by authorities, the new commissioner decided it was time to team up with the Batman, treating him as an ally rather than foe.

"What's he like? Is he tall? Did you see the Batmobile?!"

"He stood away from us, with Robin. I'm not sure he can be called, Boy Wonder, anymore though..." My mother trailed off.

"We didn't get to speak with them but they both nodded before they left... in the Batwing!" It wasn't often I'd see my father show this much excitement but after seeing his reaction about our posting here, I wasn't surprised.

After our delicious breakfast and clean up, we said our farewells. My parents were headed back to base and since our wifi was yet to be hooked up, I was off to the local Library to catch up on my studies and my online study group. I took my time, wandering the winding roads of Gotham City, only stopping once at a boutique café to pick up a drink.

With my iced latte half-drunk, I finally arrived. My eyes scanned the wide, proud building with its large, brilliant white pillars that held up a banner spruiking it's grand re-opening all thanks to Wayne Enterprises. I stood gawking at the pristine white marble steps and the beauftifully carved figures standing at the entrance, welcoming me in. Slowly, I walked the twenty or so steps up, unable to take my eyes off the exquisite detailing of the marble around me. Once I was inside, my breath caught in my throat and I was, once again, awed into a reverent silence. Large marble pillars held up the sloping ceiling, that was decorated with a detailed mural of the night sky.

The expansive room was bordered with five floors and their balconies, teaming with shelves upon shelves of books. Dragging my eyes from the beauty surrounding me, I noticed the faint glow of computer screens coming from the far corner of the quiet room.

After organising my library pass and login information, I walked over, half tripping on people and seats as I found it difficult to keep my eyes from roaming over the stunning artwork lining the walls.

Finally, I found myself a computer and logged in, I set to work on my psych papers that were almost due. I ran back and forth from my desk to the psychology books that lined the walls directly behind me, responding to Skype messages from my Professors and classmates, and lost myself in my work. It wasn't until I was timidly tapped on my shoulder, that I stopped what I was doing and looked up, belatedly noticing the lights had been turned on and I was the only one at a computer.

"I'm sorry, dear, I really did not wish to disturb you but we'll be closing in ten minutes."

"Oh? Shoot! Thank you," I smiled back at the old Librarian and finished up the email I was ending to one of my professors.

I gathered my notepad, pen and, now, empty drink container, placing everything into my satchel and logged off. I placed the pile of books back to where I had found them and half-ran out of the place, thanking the kind lady as I ran past her, my footsteps echoing throughout the now empty hall.

Half expecting to be greeted by a warm, afternoon sun, the cool night air uncomfortably hit my lungs, making me gasp loudly. The once inviting library entrance had now taken on a gothic, threatening vibe; the marble no longer bright and alive and the floor spotlights now turned on, played over the features of the statues changing their once angelic faces into those of demons. I gazed around the empty street, listening to the wailing sirens in the distance and shivered.

"You're being ridiculous," I muttered to myself and started the walk home.

I began to recall the self defence moves my parents had taught me, not that I needed to actively remember; the moves were etched into my soul. From a young age, they instilled their own training into me, showing me how to defend myself and others, disarm attackers and ultimately keep myself safe.

"Never lose your cool, Blue," my father's voice spoke to me from my memories, a younger me thumping the floor after falling over.

"That's when you lose your edge," my mother finished, holding a mock knife to my throat, taking me by surprise.

I walked along the boardwalk, bordering Queen's River and North Gotham, lost in memories long gone. It was a longer route but I preferred the openness and the smell of water rather than the oppressive feeling I got walking along the tight streets. My pace slowed considerably as Wayne Manor came into view, perched on the other side of the river, lined with intricate garden work, its lights glowing from most of the large arch windows.

"I can't believe how big it is!"

"I haven't shown ya yet," a low voice growled from behind me, "Girly."

I didn't need to turn around to know it was Eye Patch. Internally, I cursed myself out for allowing this moron to get the drop on me. I took a deep breath, stilling my anger and turned around, plastering the brightest smile I could muster. I counted six other men in the shadows; same as the night before... his band of merry men.

"Oh! I remember you! What was that name your buddy gave you? Felony, Bologna...?"

"Watch yaself," one of the wannabe thugs interrupted me, dramatically stepping from the shadows, "it's Maroni."

"Ah! Yes! Thank you," I dipped my head in a playful bow then turned my attention back on his leader, "Maroni! That was it. How's the eye?" I spoke casually, holding my ground as Maroni's men slowly spread out into a semi circle, surrounding me, and so far I had counted four knives.

"You gotsa smart mouth," he glared back at me, his lips curling into a sinister smile, "I gots just the thing for it." He grabbed his crotch to emphasise his point.

"Wow, I'm flattered, Eye Patch. Unfortunately though, I must decline. I prefer my men to have two eye-"

I had barely finished my sentence when one of his men lunged towards me, his knife shining in the streetlight in a bid to take me by surprise but the funny thing was I would have been surprised if no one had tried to attack me. Time slowed and I was now in my element. I dodged, linking my arm through his that brandished the blade and dislocated his shoulder in one swift movement. He fell to the floor, screaming in agony, his weapon following with a loud clang.

I felt the wind change behind me and knew two were rushing me from behind. I held my arms out, allowing them to loosely grab one each and then jumped into the air before they could tighten their grip, landing behind them. I kicked one in the vulnerable spot behind his knee cap and heard the telling crack of broken bone. He let go of me and fell to the floor, writhing in pain. My right arm now free, I spun the other man around and drove my fist into his face. I hesitated before hitting him again, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck began to tingle and I knew I was being watched by a new set of eyes.

"What are you?" Maroni spoke, anger and shock mingling. His men were edging away from me.

"Huh?" Now that took me by surprise.

"You ain't human! You're one of those freaks!" He spat at me, reaching for his gun.

"Hey now," I slowly raised my hands, "there's no need for that. We were just talking, right? To be fair, your men attacked first."

His revolver is way too big for him... he's obviously overcompensating for something, I joked with myself, keeping my face as passive as possible. Unfortunately, now was not the time for one-liners, he was too far gone but I did have to keep him talking. I took a tentative step closer.

"Don't take another step! Get on your knees!" He shrieked, "Do you know who my father is?!"

"No, who?" I was bending my knee in a bid to keep him calm, allowing him to think he was back in control but in reality, I was sizing up the distance between the two of us and the knife, I had walked next to, now within my reach.

"It's Sal, isn't it, C.J.?" A deep voice spoke from the shadows behind, the now named, C.J. Maroni. My gaze snapped to the masculine figure outlined in the dim light and the three, now unconscious, men laying quietly at his feet.

"Wha-" C.J. spun around, his revolver shaking uncontrollably and he began to fire wildly into the shadows.

Seeing my opportunity, I moved to pick the knife up only to have a throwing star loudly hit the grip as my fingers grazed the pearl surface. I picked up the sharpened "R" from the ground, bigger than my hand, my focus no longer on the men in front of me.

"Robin!" I gasped quietly.