At almost 4 in the morning on this grey Gotham night, Cassandra is staring out the front passenger seat window and observing. Dane driving the all-black sedan pulls up into the shipping yard right off the Gotham River. You can tell it is a police-issued vehicle because of the hidden lights on the top of the windshield and the dispatch radio on the center dashboard. Slightly confused about why Dane would be taking her here, Cassandra grows more dubious of him even more than before. She thinks, "What would a squadron of the Special Crimes Unit be meeting at the docks?" Cassandra is starting to feel a little uneasy but doesn't have enough reason to actually distrust him.
Dane: My squadron should be here soon. We have a safe house here in case of an emergency that's off the grid from the rest of the unit. You'll be safe here I assure you.
Cassandra looks at Dane with a blank look as if she is no longer taking anything he says of value. For all she knows, he could be leading her here to kill her. The car stops right in front of a brown shipment container sitting at the end of the docking bay. Dane shuts his car off and reaches for his door.
Dane: Come on. It's just right in there.
As Dane exits the vehicle and walks toward the container he stops and then turns around to see Cassandra still sitting in the passenger seat.
Dane: Come on don't be stubborn, Cassandra.
Immediately Cassandra's eyes widen in slight surprise. How does this random guy know her name? She has never spoken to him about it obviously. Now she knows something is up, and has to have her full guard up around him. Dane walks up to the container and positions his right hand on it as if he is going to touch it. As he hovers his hand over the container, a black panel suddenly appears. Dane then places his hand on the mysterious panel and it scans his handprint. Interested in what she sees, Cassandra then opens the car door and steps out to observe more. Once Dane removes his hand from the panel, it immediately disappears and then the container door opens outward.
Dane: Home sweet home.
The door fully opens revealing a room with a desk holding a giant computer and what looks like small living quarters with a couch, a bed, and another room leading to an armory. Cassandra instantly notices the heavy artillery in the armory from all sorts of handguns and assault rifles to even katanas and other swords. That makes Cassandra warry thinking about why SCU would carry illegal firearms and swords. Dane then turns around and looks toward Cassandra who is still standing near the car.
Dane: You like it?
Cassandra glares at him not trusting him more and more by the minute. She is not sure whether she should even move from the vehicle and is even thinking if she should just run from him. Cassandra then grabs onto the car door telegraphing that she is about to run. Dane notices and squints his eyes a little glaring back at her.
Dane: What are you doing?
Cassandra just continues to glare at him then looks to her right where she sees a long road in the middle of towering shipment containers then looks back at Dane.
Dane: Don't do it, Cassandra.
There he goes again saying her name out loud. As Cassandra attempts to take off, a red sticky substance suddenly hits her in the arm sticking her wrist to the car door window. Cassandra in shock looks at the substance while trying to yank her arm loose but to no avail. Cassandra looks up towards the direction in which the substance would have been shot to see Black Spider who is hanging on the side of one of the containers stacked on top of the others waving at her.
Black Spider: Sorry, girly. You're not getting off that easily.
Cassandra, who has no idea who Black Spider is, scowls at the wall-crawling menace. Dane then looks up at the spider in disgust.
Dane: What the hell are you doing here!?
Black Spider then drops down onto the pavement and walks toward him.
Black Spider: I'm here to pick up a package, "Mr. Lisslow."
Black Spider says while making an air quotes gesture. He then walks right up to Dane's face.
Dane: Get the hell out of my face.
Black Spider then walks even closer now directly in front of Dane.
Black Spider: Or what? You're gonna...
Right before Black Spider could finish, Dane sucker punches him straight down into the pavement. Black Spider lays there flat on his back holding his jaw in shock.
Black Spider: Wow! Cheap shot, "Lisslow."
Black Spider then quickly flicks his wrist to shoot out some of his red webbing at Dane which he dodges and then jumps in the air to stomp on the spider. Black Spider evades it by rolling over and then instantly hops off the ground and sticks to the side of one of the shipment containers.
Black Spider: Missed me! Getting pretty slow in your old age, huh?
Dane looks at him in anger and then pulls out his handgun and points it directly at Black Spider.
Black Spider: Really?
Dane then fires multiple shots at Black Spider and he evades the bullets by jumping and maneuvering against the shipment containers. Cassandra still trying to break free from the sticky webbing, decides that it would be best to ditch the hoody. She forcefully tries to slip her hand from under the webbing trying to get her whole arm free from the sleeve and eventually gets it. As she free's herself, Cassandra watches as Dane is still letting off shots at the Spider assassin.
Black Spider: You know, there could be some highly explosive chemicals in some of these containers, and you just don't care!
Dane fired his last bullet from the gun and reaches into his back pocket for another magazine. He ejects the empty magazine onto the ground and loads the new one straight into the gun never leaving his eyes from Black Spider.
Dane: You talk too much.
Dane then points the gun right back at Black Spider, but before he can let off a single round, a string of the red webbing sticks to the barrel of the gun and is pulled from his grasp and into Black Spider's procession.
Black Spider: You know, being an assassin and all, I still never liked guns all that much.
Black Spider then dismantles the handgun and throws the components onto the ground. Black Spider then looks toward Cassandra who has already started running away from the two of them.
Black Spider: Damnit! My prize is getting away!
As Cassandra continues to haul toward the city street, she notices a shadow from above her and immediately looks up into razor-sharp metal claws coming down toward her face. She quickly dodges it and notices a female assassin dressed in short green ninja armor and a cat-like mask. Cassandra kicks the assassin while she is still coming down, but as she made contact with the assassin, she gets cut in the leg by her metal claws. The mysterious ninja then flips and sticks the landing despite being hit in midair and then slowly stands up straight. Cassandra then gets into a fighting stance and stares at the female assassin, but then suddenly gets staggered by an intense headache. Cassandra just shakes it off at first but then she realizes her vision is getting blurry and a sudden hint of dizziness follows.
Female Assassin: Yes. You're starting to feel it aren't you? Cassandra.
Cassandra then drops her stance and falls to the floor on her knees. Not knowing what is happening to her, she is trying to fight it but it is getting the best of her. Black Spider then shows up.
Black Spider: Nice catch, Cheshire.
Jade Nguyen. Cheshire is another member of the League of Assassins. Known for concealing her face behind the Cheshire Cat mask.
Cheshire: No thanks to you two idiots!
Black Spider: Hey, that guy got a huge hate boner for me. What do you want me to do?
Suddenly radio dispatch calls in from Dane's sedan.
Police Dispatch: We have a report of shots heard from the Gotham Shipping Yard. Any nearby officers in the area please investigate.
Black Spider looks toward the car then looks back at Cheshire.
Black Spider: We got to jet soon. Don't want "you know who" coming in brooding on our parade.
Dane then walks toward his car.
Dane: Don't worry I got this.
Dane then reaches into his vehicle through the passenger side which was left open and grabs his dispatch radio to call in.
Dane: This is Dane Lisslow of the SCU on the scene. Everything is under control here.
Cassandra slowly losing consciousness is still trying hard to escape. She crawls along the ground still making her way toward the city streets but is not making much progress.
Black Spider: Look at her! She still holding on to hope. How cute!
Cheshire: Not for long.
Cassandra then gives up and looks up at the two assassins with a bit of worry on her face not sure if this will be her last moment or not. Cheshire then walks toward her as her vision begins to go dark.
Cheshire: Soon it's into the rabbit hole you go!
Everything suddenly goes black and Cassandra passes out completely.
As Cassandra walks cautiously behind the tall stranger, she can't help but feel uneasy being around him. Although he helped her get out of that scuffle in the Iceberg Lounge, something doesn't seem right about a random man helping out a young lady he barely knows. On top of that, he isn't just some regular man. Cassandra could tell by how he handled some of those guards at the lounge that this guy has had some legitimate training. Could he be some kind of cop or federal agent? Or maybe even another masked vigilante? Gotham seems to have a lot of those these days.
The stranger glances back at Cassandra to witness her cold stare beaming at him. He then looks forward and continues down the street.
Stranger: We aren't too much further from my place. You can hang out there for a while.
Cassandra continues to stare at the stranger and makes no response at all. The stranger then looks back at her again this time to actually engage in actual conversation.
Stranger: So do you choose not to speak or are you physically unable to?
Cassandra just shakes her head and continues you glare at him.
Dane: Hmmm interesting. By the way, my name is Dane. Dane Lisslow.
Cassandra has no idea who that is, but at least she has a name now. Dane Lisslow. Now all she needs to know is who trained him and why is he helping her.
Dane: I work for the special crimes unit for Gotham. I heard about the situation at Black Mask's place, so when I saw you in the Iceberg Lounge, I assumed you were the mystery girl. You fit the description perfectly. Plus no normal girl would have broken that man's hand the way you did.
Although Dane just admitted to who he is, Cassandra is still not fully convinced of his intentions. Someone from the special crimes unit usually doesn't have that kind of combat prowess.
Dane: So you like the Bat, huh? I saw your little shirt underneath with his symbol.
Cassandra then lightens her mood a bit with the mere mention of The Batman. Not many people know that she idolizes him. Before she had gotten to Gotham she would always hear stories and see the news about The Batman and all he does. He's well trained just like her, but uses his skills to help people and not hurt them like she was taught to do. Something Casandra secretly admires and would love to see in action.
Dane: Yea the guy is good. Really good.
Cassandra looks down at the ground as she tries to contain her slight grin.
Dane: But he could be doing better if you asked me.
Cassandra's grin went away instantly as she went back to glaring at Dane. She didn't quite understand what he meant by that.
Dane: I mean if he really wanted to make Gotham better and take crime off the street, he should kill some of these lunatics. Instead, he puts them in jail or insane asylums just for them to be released again or even escape.
They both approach a garage-like building just at the corner of the street where Dane resides.
Dane: If I were the Bat, I would have ended these lunatics years ago.
Cassandra is kind of surprised to hear that coming from him. It just makes her even more suspicious of who he is. Dane then pulls out a set of keys which he uses to unlock the door of the complex. The both of them enter the complex which is small and only consists of a tiny desk with an open laptop sitting on it, a small tan couch, an old Harley Davidson motorcycle by the garage door, and a bunch of plaques and military awards. In the back of the complex was a plain black door likely leading to another room in the small space.
Dane: I know it's not much, but it's a spot you can crash until we figure something out.
Cassandra looks at Dane with a blank look on her face as if she has no idea what he's referring to. She then looks over at the military plaques and walks up to them. She can't read them of course, but she can tell they are important to who this Dane guy is.
Dane: I was a marine before joining the crimes unit. A damn good one too.
Cassandra not at all interested in what Dane has to say then looks over at the black door. She walks up to it and tries the doorknob to reveal that it is locked from the inside.
Dane: That's just my closet. Nothing interesting in there but old gear.
Cassandra's suspicion grows more. Why lock up old military gear? Cassandra is eager to know what is behind that door, but that might have to wait till later. She then walks over to the tan couch, sits down, and glances up at Dane.
Dane: Just sit tight. I'm going to go make a phone call real quick to my captain. Then we can figure out where to go from here. Be right back.
Dane then exits the complex to go out front. After watching him leave out the door, Cassandra then looks back at the black door. This is her only chance to see what's really behind there and maybe find out more about who Dane Lisslow is. She gets up from the couch and approaches the door looking over her shoulder to ensure Dane doesn't walk in on her. She looks into the keyhole to see if she could peek inside the room through the slit but to no avail. She then reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a small kunai knife and attempts to break the lock with it. Cassandra struggles to get the door open, but she is persistent in seeing what's inside. She continues to giggle the knife into the door, but it doesn't seem to be making any progress at all.
After several minutes of trying to break down this door, Cassandra hears Dane approach the front door to enter back into the complex. Cassandra tries to get her knife out of the door, but it's wedged in there tight. She Slightly panics and tries to pull on the knife harder to get it out. The front door then opens and Dane enters.
Dane: Alright here s what we are going to do...
Dane fully enters the complex and looks over at the couch to see Cassandra sitting there as if she had never moved. He then glances over at the door which remains closed and seems untouched.
Dane: We are going to go meet up with my squad and then go from there. Sound good?
Cassandra nods then stands up from the couch to walk towards the door. She glances back at the door for a quick second then proceeds to exit the complex. She is overly curious about what it is he is hiding in there and almost doesn't want to leave just yet.
Dane: Wait. I have to grab something right quick.
Dane then pulls a set of keys out of his pocket then approaches the black door. Cassandra doubles back into the complex with her face lighting up as he puts the key into the doorknob. As Dane twists the key, you hear a series of electronic switches and locks activate from behind the door. Cassandra realizes that she wouldn't have been able to get past all of those locks regardless. As Dane opens the door, Cassandra immediately walks up closer to peek at what's inside.
Dane: Eager, huh? I told you it's nothing but old gear of mine.
Dane was right. It was just a closet with tactical gear hanging and an old duffle bag. He then leans over to the duffle back and pulls out a holstered 9-millimeter pistol from it.
Dane: This is what I need.
Dane then wraps the holster holding the handgun around his waist.
Dane: Alright now we can head out.
Cassandra (slightly disappointed) starts to make her way to the exit of the complex, but right before she turns fully around she notices something peeking out of the duffel bag in the closet. Laying in the bag with half of it still covered up appears to be an orange mask with a slit for the eye but no opening for the mouth. She can't tell what's on the other half of the mask, but even so, Cassandra has never seen that mask before. Dane then closes the closet door and all of the mechanical locks automatically set themselves. Growing even more curious by the second, Cassandra isn't fully sure that Mr. Lisslow is who he says he is.
Dane then grabs Cassandra by her shoulder on their way out of his complex.
Dane: Come on. We can't keep my people waiting much longer.
Cassandra looks at his hand on her shoulder then looks up at Dane with a grimacing look then shrugs his hand off her shoulder. She doesn't like when people touch her. Dane then gives her a slight scowl and walks ahead of her.
Dane: Just follow me, kid.
As Dane starts to walk down the street, Cassandra paces very slowly behind him still not sure if he can be trusted. She learns a little about him, but at the same time grows even more suspicious of him. It's as if she's back a square one on who really is Dane Lisslow.
A helicopter hovers over a landing pad of a mysterious compound hidden in the mountains of an island far from the mainlands. Lawton (the passenger on board) looks out of the opened chopper door. On the ground he sees a barrage of ninjas lined up behind a single woman wearing Red. It's Lady Shiva waiting for the chopper to land so she can greet the marksman.
Lawton: Where are we, Spider?
Lawton asks as he gives Shiva a blank stare. Never seeing her in his life, while also never being at this facility, Lawton is a little uneasy about his rescue from the insane asylum now.
Black Spider: Welcome, Mr. Deadshot, to Infinity Island! Home to the League of Assassins. You're gonna love it here I'm sure.
As the helicopter finally lands Shiva walks up to the doors with her hands behind her back. Lawton hesitates before undoing his seatbelt and then exits the chopper.
Lady Shiva: Welcome to Infinity Island, Mr. Lawton. I am the head martial arts master here that goes by Lady Shiva.
Lawton's eyes widen slightly as if he just had a thought.
Lawton: Like the Lady Shiva? The assassin's assassin? I heard rumors about you.
Shiva then turns around facing the compound.
Lady Shiva: Have you? Then you know what I am capable of and how serious I am. But we aren't here to talk about my past. Follow me into the dojo. We have much to discuss.
Lady Shiva begins toward the compound stairs as Lawton and Black Spider follow behind her. The compound resembles a modern dojo right at the base of a huge, inactive volcano. Inside the compound are several rooms where ninja assassins train different martial arts and fighting styles. One room had two ninjas practicing with katanas. In another room, they were practicing deadly pressure points on practice dummies. In another room, they were shooting automatic rifles at targets.
Lawton: This is quite the club you have here, Miss Shiva.
Lady Shiva: Yes. The League of Assassins is a bellicose group of the world's deadliest killers. You would fit quite well among us, Lawton.
Lawton then smirks and mutters under his breath.
Lawton: Hmm. I probably would.
As the group approaches a room locked with a keypad that requires a scan retinal to unlock. Shiva looks straight into the lens of the module as it unlocks the door and opens automatically. Inside the room sits two ninjas as well as a familiar face.
Captain Boomerang: Aye, Lawton! Bout time you got out of the loony bin, mate.
Captain Boomerang sits on the side of a long table with his feet up. Lawton and Black Spider then enter the room and take a place at the table. Shiva instead prefers to remain standing.
Lawton: How did you make it out all of that mayhem in Gotham, Boomer?
Boomerang sits up straight at the table.
Captain Boomerang: Got myself right out of there as soon as it got hot. It's a shame what happened to the Russian though.
Lawton: Yea well he should've listened to Waller.
Lawton then places his hand on the back of his neck and rubs the scar caused by the bomb Amanda Waller planted inside to keep the convicts obedient.
Lawton: Speaking of which is yours still active?
Captain Boomerang grins hard as he starts to chuckle a little bit.
Captain Boomerang: Hehe I'm free as a bird, mate.
A confused look goes across Lawtons face.
Lawton: How?
Black Spider then places his feet on the table and leans back into his chair as he interrupts the conversation.
Black Spider: With a little ninja magic as I like to call it.
Lady Shiva who is staring outside of a window looking down upon an open courtyard where a multitude of assassins are training intensely then interrupts the conversation herself.
Lady Shiva: We deactivated the bomb and tracker in his neck to insure that Waller wouldn't interfere any kore in our operation, and we can do the same for you.
Lady Shiva then turns around and looks across the table at Lawton with her hands behind her back.
Lady Shiva: But you have to agree upon something first.
Lawton leans back in his chair as if he is not surprised at that last part.
Lawton: There's always a but.
Lady Shiva: You must abandon your loyalty to Amanda Waller and join us in the League of Assassins alongside your friend here, and assist in acquiring the girl.
Lawton: Wait. You're the client that hired Waller and had us go through that bullshit? What is so special about this girl?
Lady Shiva: Can't you tell? She is a trained assassin. She would be perfect for the league.
Lawton leans forward from his chair.
Lawton: So this is just a recruitment mission? No. There has to be something more to this. Risking a talented group of mercenaries and criminals all for one girl just doesn't seem like a logical approach. Anatoli knew the girl and sought revenge. What did she do?
Lady Shiva then turns to look at Lawton straight into his eyes as if he had spoken out of turn. She then paces around the table with her arms still folded behind her back.
Lady Shiva: If you must know, Her name is Cassandra Cain, the daughter of David Cain. David Cain is a former member of the league of assassins before he abandoned us for his own selfish vendetta. She was trained at birth to be the perfect assassin. With the ability to read people's micro-movements, she can predict any fighter's actions before they even make it. Apparently, she has fled from her father's guidance, and now I must have her.
Lawton then squints his eyes at Shiva not really sure if she is telling him the full truth, but for now, he'll just go along with it.
Lawton: Hmmm so the world's greatest weapon, huh? It's gonna be a lot harder to track her down now that she knows we're onto her. Plus the bat gang is gonna have her under their scope for sure.
Lady Shiva returns back to the window to stare out.
Lady Shiva: I wouldn't worry too much about any of that. I already have someone looking into it as we speak.
Lawton then relaxes in his chair and looks and Boomerang who is still kicked up, laying back in his chair.
Captain Boomerang: Look, Lawton, these guys got it all figured out. They are the real deal! Got assassins all over the world in places you wouldn't even think to look, mate. Plus we can be free men again and won't have to listen to Waller's whining ever again.
Lawton looks back over at Lady Shiva and then glances toward Black Spider, who also seems comfortable and unworried. Lawton knows Waller won't like this, but what does he care? He gets to be among a large army of the world's top assassins, and then he remembers one thing.
Lawton: Alright I'll join your little ninja group here, but I have one request before I can do anything for you.
Shiva turns to look over at Lawton across the room. Black Spide looks toward Lawton himself curious of what his request would be.
Lawton: A friend of mine who was in the cell to the left of me at the Asylum. He's been trying to get in on Task Force X for a while, but Waller never gave him a chance for some reason. He's a big deal! Real gritty, but tactical mercenary from South America. The only guy I know in all of Gotham to actually cripple the Bat. He'll want in.
Black Spider looks over at Lady Shiva to await her response. It is unlikely that she would listen to such a ridiculous request normally, but she is interested in the part where he "crippled the bat". Shiva then moves toward the table.
Lady Shiva: Who is this mercenary.
Lawton then grins.
Lawton: He goes by Bane. Real powerhouse if you ask me.
Shiva has never heard of a Bane. She's been around the world hunting assassins and mercenaries before her time on Infinity Island, and not once came across the name. It piques her interest. She feels she must know this Bane. She looks over at Spider and nods her head. Immediately Black Spider gets up out of his seat and bows to Shiva.
Black Spider: One big, bad Bane coming right up, sensei!
Spider then leaves the room on his way back toward the chopper. Shiva then makes her way toward the door herself. Before exiting she looks back at Lawton.
Lawton: Follow me to remove that device from your neck. Once we retrieve your friend, you two will wait till my agent on the field has the girl. I'm sure the bat and his people will intervene in her retrieval, and maybe even Waller once she finds out that you haven't shown up after your escape. You two will then assist the agent and bring Cassandra to me alive.
Shiva then exits the room. Lawton gets up out of the seat, but before he makes his way to the door, Captain Boomerang whistles for his attention briefly.
Captain Boomerang: Don't worry, mate. It's gonna sting a little at first, but it'll be totally worth it in the end.
Lawton then walks toward the door as he replies back.
Lawton: Just stick to the plan, Boomer.
As Lawton exits out of the room to follow Lady Shiva, Boomerang stays in his seat to relax some more with a giant smile o his face.
Captain Boomerang: Just like always, captain. Just like always.
Two nights since the fiasco at the office of the Black Mask, Cassandra finds herself sitting outside on the railing of a fire escape outside the window of the room Ming Chen allowed her to use. Cassandra decided to stay an extra night to fully heal from the gunshot wound in her shoulder. Now that she is rested and kitted up with new clothing and even weapons, Cassandra is ready to continue roaming the dangerous streets of Gotham City.
As she makes her way down the street, Cassandra is thinking about all the events leading up to now. All of the brutal training from her father, her running away and fleeing to Hong Kong, and even the events from the other night. The fact that she even survived all of it being only a teenager is quite remarkable. Is it because of all the training from her dad, or was it all just luck? Then she thinks about Robin who randomly swooped in and saved her. Although being her first time in Gotham City, Cassandra knows that Robin works for Batman. She begins to wonder why it was him to come in and save her and not Batman himself. She would have rather seen the Dark Knight himself rather than one of his sidekicks. Cassandra then looks down at her shirt, still wearing the black shirt with the yellow bat symbol on it even though it is stained with blood on the shoulder area and even shows a hole from the bullet's point of entry. Cassandra then lets off a slight sigh and zips up her hoody covering the shirt and throws her hood over her head.
Without any real destination to go to, Cassandra continues to roam the city streets, in the most grueling of neighborhoods as well. She is hoping to find something that piques her interest even a little. Maybe get into some more trouble and test out her skills on Gotham's scum. As she walks down the dreary roads, Cassandra suddenly stops and looks behind her. Seeing nothing but vacant, trash-infested streets and dark buildings, she can't seem to fight the feeling that someone is watching her. Could she have gotten Batman's attention? Could it be Robin following up on an investigation? Or is she just imagining things? Cassandra then continues to walk forward hoping the feeling will just go away.
Cassandra finds herself in a little more lively area of Gotham on a strip with an assortment of clubs and bars. The one that sticks out the most to young Cassandra has to be the one with a giant neon penguin wearing a monocle in front of it. Not sure why it catches her eye, but the music and lights coming from the club are the most vibrant on the entire block. Cassandra looks behind her one more time to ensure she isn't getting tailed and then makes her way toward the doors of the penguin singed club. At the double doors of the club is a huge bouncer blocking the entrance wearing nothing but all black. As the guard stands there arms crossed looking menacing, Cassandra walks up to the gentleman looking to get inside the club. The guard holds his hand out blocking Cassandra from getting past him.
Bouncer: Sorry, kid, but this club is for grown folks only.
Cassandra just stares at the guard and quickly peaks over her shoulder another time. Now she's unsure what to do.
Bouncer: Besides, you're not even dressed to code. No street clothes. So you gotta bounce.
Cassandra looks down at her clothes and then looks up. She remembers all of the equipment she took from Ming's closet. Cassandra walks away from the bouncer with a slight smirk on her face as she continues around the corner of the building. Up above her is a small window cracked open leading inside the club. Cassandra looks up at the window and reaches for something on her side. She then pulls out a rope cable with a hook at the end of it and begins to twirl it as she attempts to throw it up at the window. She tosses the hook end up into the window and snags right onto the ledge on her first try. As she tugs on the rope to ensure that it is stable, she then glances over her shoulder once more. She still can't shake this very odd feeling and it is starting to concern her more. After seeing that there was nothing there, again, she then makes her way up the side of the building and into the club window.
As Cassandra drops down from the window into the building, she realizes that she is in some sort of dressing room. Around her are lockers with suits, jackets, leotard body suits, and a bunch of other equipment inside each one. There is also a small ton basket filled with umbrellas by the door of the room. Cassandra peaks inside one of the lockers and examines one of the jackets finding that it has a button pinned on it with the same penguin symbol displayed on the front of the club. She then looks into another locker at someone the bodysuits with the same button on them as well. She picks up one of the bodysuits and holds it up in front of her to examine only to make a disgusted look on her face at how tight and revealing the suits might be. She can tell these were specifically for the bottle girls of the club. She tosses the bodysuit back into the locker and picks up one of the suit jackets and she gets an idea. The bouncer out front said that she wasn't dressed up to code, so what better way to blend in than to be in employee uniform? Cassandra then changes out of her new clothes into one of the club's suits and makes her way toward the door.
Cassandra peeks her head out of the dressing room door she observes the setting of the club. On one side of the club is a restaurant with waiters dressed in black suits while on the other side is a nightclub kind of setting with a bar and a spiral staircase made of ice leading to more VIP areas. In the very middle of the club is a giant iceberg infested with live penguins sitting in a giant pool of water, and right above it reads a huge neon sign that reads "The Iceberg Lounge". She has heard rumors about this place and that it was run by a mob boss that goes by The Penguin. Cassandra assumes that if this is his night club then he has to be storing dirty money somewhere in here.
Cassandra peeks over at the bar and sees the bottle girls headed over to one of the VIP areas on the lower floor of the nightclub area with ice buckets filled with champagne. After the bottle girls drop off the buckets they make their way to the side of the nightclub through double doors. Interested in where they lead, Cassandra makes her way toward the doors but has to do it discretely. Cassandra makes her way through the crowded dance floor that is packed with drunk adults. She bumps into a few people as they are dancing to the loud, intense electronic club music.
Random Man: Hey! Watch it!
Cassandra pays the guy no mind and keeps walking, but then the guy reaches and grabs her by the arm to get her attention. Cassandra then turns and looks at the man.
Random Man: Hey, you work here? Think you might be in the wrong uniform, sweetheart.
Drunk out of his mind, the man then gives Cassandra a creepy grin, and immediately Cassandra scowls at the man. She then grabs his hand that was grabbing her arm and lifts it up.
Random Man: Oh you wanna dance?
Cassandra instantly breaks one of the man's fingers and lets go of his hand. He screams and grabs the attention of the surrounding dancers.
Random Woman: What just happened?
Random Man: Dumb broad just broke my finger I think.
The random lady then smirks and mutters under her breath.
Random Woman: You probably deserved it.
The man then reaches for Cassandra again as she continues to walk through the crowd. As he catches up to her, he aggressively grabs her shoulder.
Random Man: where do you think you're go...
Before the man finishes his sentence, another man grabs his shoulder from behind. As the drunk man looks to see who it is, he is instantly greeted with a mean jab to the face. The drunk man falls to the ground unconscious and the whole dance floor freezes in astonishment. Cassandra looks up at the stranger who saved her. The stranger has white hair and is wearing an all-tan suit. He has to be in his 40's. As the man starts to walk over to Cassandra, the bouncer from the front of the club and a few other guards walk up to the dance floor.
Bouncer: What's going on here?
The Bouncer looks at the man laying unconscious on the floor.
Bouncer: Just another drunk making a ruckus.
The bouncer then looks up at the stranger in the tan suit, glances over at Cassandra, and instantly points toward her.
Bouncer: Hey your that girl! How the hell did you get in here?
Without hesitation, the stranger grabs Cassandra and nudges her toward the double doors.
Stranger: We got to get you out of here. MOVE!
Cassandra and the stranger then both make a run for it through the doors leading to the kitchen.
Bouncer: HEY! DON'T RUN! GET BACK HERE!
The bouncer and the guards chase right after them both.
The chefs and other workers turn their heads to look at the two bolting through the very active kitchen with an entourage of guards following behind them. The stranger then picks up an empty tray from one of the counters and tosses it with great speed right at the guards. The bouncer who is leading the pack notices the tray heading straight for him and ducks his head to avoid it hitting one of the guards in the temple and knocking him out cold. They ignore their falling comrade and proceed to chase down the assailants. Unaware of where they are headed, Cassandra begins to look around for some way to get the guards away from them. She then looks down at a large kitchen knife and stops to pick it up. She turns around and moves the stranger out of her way and tosses the knife toward the bouncer and then charges straight for them all. The knife stabs the bouncer in his left thigh as he falls to his knees in pain.
Bouncer: AHH DAMNIT!!
Cassandra then flies toward him with her foot out ready for a kick of great momentum and knocks out the bouncer. The stranger just looks and has a small grin on his face.
Stranger: Hmmm. Impressive.
He then follows Cassandra to assist her with the other guards. Cassandra dodges almost any attack they throw at her for these guards aren't trained as well as she is. As she strikes one of the guards in the mouth knocking loose one of his teeth, the stranger then knees the same guard in the face knocking him back and leaving him incapacitated. The stranger then begins to fight off the other guards by himself dodging their every move and returning strikes with great precision, and even brutality. He throws a kick at one of the guard's knees breaking it and causing him to fall to the ground. The stranger then knees him in the face hard enough to break his nose and part of his jaw. Cassandra at this point just watches in astonishment at how well and brutal this older guy fights. It reminds her a lot of her father's way of combat. To cause as much damage to your opponents as possible so they won't get back up. Cassandra squints as she is studying the stranger more.
As the stranger finishes off the last guard with a jab to the face, he then looks up at Cassandra with not even a scratch or a drop of sweat on him and signals her to follow him.
Stranger: Come on! Let's move!
Cassandra looks at the stranger and then begins to run back toward the dance floor.
Stranger: Where are you going?
Cassandra then runs through the nightclub part and makes her way back toward the dressing room. The stranger not too far behind her begins to question her.
Stranger: Are you crazy? We have to get out of here!
Cassandra opens up the door and sees two of the guards rummaging through her stuff. The guards look up and immediately draw their guns.
Guard #1: There! That's the girl they were talking about!
Cassandra stands there with a serious look on her face, but before she could even make one move the stranger pulls her away from the door and throws a knife from the kitchen at one of the guards hitting him directly in the hand holding his gun.
Guard #2: AHHH WHAT THE HELL!?
The stranger then goes for the other guard at lightning speed and breaks his arm, followed by a mean punch to the face. He then spins to kick the injured guard in the face knocking them both out in only a few swift moves.
Stranger: You could have gotten your head blown off, kid!
Cassandra looks up at the stranger with a slightly angry look. She removes the club jacket revealing her batman shirt with the hole in the shoulder in which the stranger glances at the symbol and grins. As she goes to gather all her equipment and belongings she points up at the open window she climbed through earlier. The stranger looks up at the window and nods his head.
Stranger: An exit. Good call. Next time, communicate that with me, please.
Cassandra looks at the stranger and shakes her head no then points to her mouth trying to signal that she cannot speak.
Stranger: You're mute? Well, that figures. We'll figure that all out later. Right now we have to get out of here before more guards show.
The stranger then jumps up toward the window and makes his way out into the street. Cassandra right behind him hesitates for a moment as she zips up her jacket given to her by Ming. She then hops up on the window ledge and follows the strange man onto the street.
Stranger: Come on follow me. I know a safe spot we can go.
The stranger begins to walk down the street as Cassandra just looks at him momentarily. She has no idea who this skilled stranger is and she can't shake this strange, eerie feeling about him either. She then begins to follow him. She knows if she needed somewhere to stay she could always return to Ming's place, but she wants to know more about this mystery man and why he chose to help her in a nightclub. She keeps her guard up and distant at all times as she shadows the stranger.
The world's top marksmen, Floyd Lawton also known as Deadshot, is walking down the dark, musty, mysterious hallways of Arkham Asylum chained up at the wrist and feet alongside three armed guards. As they make their way down the creepy halls of the insane asylum, loud shouts and banging noises comes from some of the cells as if they were the sounds of the damned. Arkham Asylum is where all of the criminally insane end up if apprehended in Gotham City, and since Floyd Lawton has quite the reputation in Gotham, this is where he'll stay until his sentence.
The escort stops in front of an 8-inch thick glass cell with a nametag on its control panel that reads "Lawton" on it. One of the guards then punches in a code and opens up the cell door where another guard shoves Lawton inside as the other points his assault rifle at him in case he tries to make any sudden moves.
Arkham Guard #1: In you go Lawton. Just like you left it. Hehe.
One of the guards proceeds to unlock his chains while the other stands alongside them with his gun ready.
Arkham Guard #2: Should have just stayed out of trouble, Lawton. Then you wouldn't be back in this hell hole.
Lawton rubs his wrist as the chains fall off of him and he looks up at the guard.
Lawton: Don't worry gentlemen. I don't plan to be here long.
The guards then exit the jail cell and look at each other as the hard glass door closes then looks back toward Lawton and crack a smile.
Arkham Guard #1: Yeah whatever you say, man. Hehe.
The guards walk away from the cell to continue their duties patrolling the Arkham floors. Lawton walks over to sit on his stiff cot inside his cell and lets off a huge sigh.
Lawton: *Sigh* Home sweet home, I guess.
???: Welcome back, my friend. I've been expecting you.
Lawton is familiar with the voice as it's coming from the cell right next to his.
Lawton: So I'm guessing you heard, huh?
???: I have. Quite embarrassing to be taken down by the boy wonder instead of the bat.
Lawton sits up straight from his cot to engage in the conversation more.
Lawton: Hey the new kid is actually pretty good. He actually uses his head unlike the last one.
???: Even so, he's still not the bat.
Lawton then stands up and walks right over to the glass door of his cell.
Lawton: The Bat that even you couldn't take down you mean?
???: Hmm. A minor mistake. One I won't make again when I get out of here.
Lawton chuckles
Lawton: Mhmm hate to break it to ya, pal, but that's what everyone tends to say.
???: Oh trust me, my friend, I never make the same mistake twice.
Lawton then has a look of curiosity on his face towards his neighboring cellmate.
Lawton: So how do you plan to do it then?
???: I tell you what, You convince the bruja, Waller to release me from this Asylum and I'll let you get a little piece of the Bat.
Lawton with a shocked look on his face is taken back by how he knows about Amanda Waller.
Lawton: How the hell do you know about Waller?
The mysterious man in the cell chuckles a bit.
???: I know more than you could imagine, my friend. Like how your time here will most likely be short. I bet you won't be here by the end of the day, maybe even sooner.
Lawton grins then steps away from the glass door and lays back down on his cot.
Lawton: Yea. The calvary will probably be here soon.
In the security surveillance room of the Asylum, two guards are sitting watch as they have their feet kicked up on the computer desk chilling. While barely paying attention, a guard on one of the screens disappears from the feed. Then simultaneously, more guards start to get taken out one by one on each screen. One of the guards notices that no guards are on the floor where Lawtons cell would be located.
Surveillance Guard #1: Hey where is everybody?
The other guard looks up at the screen for a second and then continues to lay back.
Surveillance Guard #2: Ehh probably just in a blindspot.
The one guard sits up straight in his chair to further examine the security footage.
Surveillance Guard #1: All of them though?
The Surveillance guard just shrugs his shoulders like he doesn't have a care in the world. Arkham Asylum is one of the most secured facilities on the planet. Not many can escape from there. Or so they think.
Soon after, a slim figure appears right behind the two guards.
???: Ahem, gentlemen.
The guards immediately stand at alert and reach from their handguns holstered to their side, but in an instant are both shot in the hand by a sticky red goo sticking them to their guns as well as on their mouths to prevent them from yelling for help. Standing there is a man dressed in a purple and black bodysuit with golden eyes and a black spider logo on his forehead. He then wags his finger at the guards for trying to pull their weapons on him.
???: No, no, no. There will be none of that today.
The mysterious man then knocks the guards out with two swift kicks to the head and runs down the hallway.
Lawton still laying in his cot, begins to think about how Waller plans to get him successfully transferred to Belle Reve in order to continue on Task Force X. Then out of nowhere, he hears a knock on his glass cell. As he turns his head to look he sees the mysterious purple man hanging upside down stuck to his glass cell as if he was some sort of bug crawling on the wall. Lawton looks confused as he has never seen this man before in his life.
Lawton: Who the hell are you supposed to be?
The man then jumps off the glass and lands upright.
Black Spider: I'd be the calvary, Mr. Lawton. They call me the Black Spider. By the way, I'm a huge fan!
Eric Needham also known as the agile assassin, the Black Spider is a top member of the League of Assasins. His advanced climbing suit and web-shooters give him the abilities of a spider while also being a very lethal hand-to-hand combatant and expert gymnast.
Lawton then stands up from his cot and walks toward the glass door. As he approaches he notices an armed guard stuck to the ceiling of the hallway by some red weblike goo. He looks at it in disgust and then looks back at the purple-suited man.
Lawton: Waller sent you?
Black Spider: Oh no, no, no. We don't work for Waller. Waller works for us. We just need to get you out for our own convenience.
Lawton has a confused look on his face but then soon shrugs his shoulders. He never was too fond of Waller anyway. He only agreed to partake in Task Force X so he could lighten his sentence and "stretch his legs" occasionally.
Lawton: Alright then, you know the passcode to the door then?
The man looks at the control panel for the door then looks back up and shrugs.
Black Spider: Don't need it. I just need you to brace yourself.
The man then moves to the side of the glass door as if he was moving out of the way of something. Lawton with a confused look on his face just stares back at the man.
Lawton: Brace myself?
Not even a second later a massive explosion goes off behind Lawton taking out the entire back wall of his cell leading to the outside world. Fragments from the explosion shattered the 8-inch thick glass wall through which Black Spider walks right through. Right outside is a helicopter with a ninja-like pilot controlling it, hovering over the cliffside of the Asylum. The helicopter then turns with the door wide open with another ninja reaching out his hand to signal Lawton to climb aboard.
Black Spider: And there is our ride!
Black Spider then jumps right onto the helicopter without hesitation. Lawton smiles as he can smell the taste of freedom and makes his way toward the copter himself. Before he boards, he hears the voice of his neighboring cellmate call out to him.
???: Do not forget to mention my name, Lawton.
Lawton looks back behind him.
Lawton: Trust me, my friend, I won't.
Lawton then boards the chopper and it takes off into the night sky. Above Lawton's control panel hangs his cell's nametag as it wobbles back and forth then eventually falls onto the hard floor right in front of the other cell's control panel, which right above it reads the name in all caps, "BANE"!
Several hours have passed since the huge clash with Black Mask and the Suicide Squad. Cassandra is slowly walking down the Gotham streets holding her wounded shoulder. Luckily there wasn't a bullet lodged in her there, but she needed a way to stop the bleeding. Her clothes are also filthy from all the soot and brawling. Her hoody was still torn from that Black Mask thug, exposing her black shirt with a yellow bat symbol on it. Cassandra needed to find a change of clothes, someplace to sleep for the night, and something to eat.
As she continues to walk the creepy streets at night, Cassandra soon finds herself wandering into Gotham's Chinatown district, specifically near the Triad's hideout. As she walks toward one of the alleyways, she notices a large barrel with a fire in it supposedly for homeless people to seek warmth at night. Cassandra happens to find a wooden stick on the ground, most likely from a broken mop or broom and makes her way toward the fire. She places one end of the stick into the fire and lights it. She then removes the remains of her hoody and pulls her shirt down over her one shoulder where the gunshot wound is as she attempts to cauterize it. As soon as she positions herself to place the lit end of the stick on her shoulder, Cassandra hesitates as she knows it will hurt, but all she can think about is her training as a girl. Her father used to purposely shoot her in her limbs to teach her how to endure pain. She could handle a little fire, right?
Cassandra takes one huge deep breath and starts to grip the wooden stick tighter. She then starts to shake in nervousness as she prepares herself for what's about to happen. Then, quickly, Cassandra lodges the hot end of the stick directly into her shoulder burning the tissue around her wound as she lets out a loud grunt of pain. Cassandra immediately drops the wooden stick and falls to her knees in agony as she is regretting even thinking about doing that to herself. As she sits on the ground on all fours, two devious-looking men appear from the shadows dressed in cheap suits. Cassandra looks up at them as they hover over her speaking Cantonese to each other.
Triad thug #1: [ You ever seen this chick before? ]
Triad thug #2: [ Nope. Never .]
Triad thug #1: [ Must be some homeless girl or something. ]
The one triad thug then leans over closer to Cassandra in an attempt to speak to her.
Triad thug #1: [ Hey, young lady. You lost or something? ]
Cassandra then stands back up and leans against a brick wall just staring at the man still in pain. Although she can not speak or communicate with others, she can still understand speech, but not in Chinese unfortunately.
Triad thug #2: [ Maybe she only speaks English? ]
Triad thug #1: Hey you lost or something?
The one thug reaches out his hand to try and help Cassandra and her first instinct was to grab his hand and break it with a slight twist. The Triad thug moves back in pain as he is holding on to his broken hand.
Triad thug #1: Ahhh! You little bitch. Now you're gonna die for that.
The second thug instantly pulls out his handgun with no hesitation and points it straight at Cassandra who is still in so much pain from her wound. As she looks down the barrel of the gun she knows this might not end well for her. She knows she will have to fight back, but she is unsure if she is well enough to succeed. Right before the thugs pulls the trigger, a lady shouts from the backdoor of her building.
???: Hey stop! STOP!
The Asian woman then runs over to Cassandra and shields her from the Triad thugs. The one thug holding the gun then lightens his grip on his gun and starts to lower it. The lady then angrily bickers at the thugs in Cantonese.
???: [Can't you see this young girl is hurt? And you were just going to shoot her just like that?]
The thug then completely lowers his weapon and looks at the other thug holding his broken hand.
Triad thug #2: [ She had it coming to her. ]
???: [ She's a young lady. She's probably scared and doesn't understand you. Jesus! Where is your dignity? Your honor? ]
The second thug then scowls at the lady then at Cassandra then holsters his weapon. They both turn away and start to walk away from the girls.
Triad thug #2: [ Whatever. She gets to live now. Come on! Let's go fix up that hand of yours. ]
The thug with the broken hand looks back at Cassandra with a mean look in his eyes and mutters one last word to her.
Triad thug #1: [ Bitch. ]
The two thugs walk away and the random lady then gives Cassandra all her attention.
???: Can you speak English?
Cassandra shakes her head no.
???: But you understand it?
Cassandra then shakes her head yes.
???: Good! You are filthy and you would is very bad, child. We must tend to this at once. Come! We will take care of this in my apartment.
The woman then helps Cassandra into her apartment building where they make their way upstairs to tend to Cassandra's wounds.
The Asian lady sits Cassandra on a bed in a vacant bedroom as she gathers medical supplies to help treat her bullet wound.
???: Here. No one uses this room. You can stay here for the night if you need to.
The Lady then goes to remove Cassandra's hoody, but Cassandra flinches back refusing to let her do it.
???: Come child. That wound is serious and needs attention. I won't bite.
Cassandra then lets her guard down slightly and allows the woman to help remove her hoody. As it comes off the woman is slightly shocked by how many scars Cassandra has all up and down her arms and even on her neck. It is as if she has been fighting in a war for many years.
???: [ You poor child. ]
Cassandra scowls slightly as she doesn't like it when the lady speaks another language she doesn't understand around her.
???: What you don't like that? My apologizes. Only English from now on.
Cassandra's mood lightens up as she pulls her shirt down over her shoulder revealing her wound. The lady pours some ointment onto a cloth and presses it on Cassandra's shoulder. Cassandra endures the pain pretty well as she barely flinches or even makes a sound.
???: Tough girl, huh? I figured since you tried to fight those triads out there.
Cassandra just looks up at the lady as she continues to treat her wound. Wondering why this lady decided to help her in the first place, and why didn't those Triads try and kill her.
Ming: My name is Ming by the way. You must be new here I assume. It's not safe to be roaming Chinatown this late in the night. Even for a tough girl.
The Lady then reaches over for some bandages to wrap around Cassandra's shoulder.
Ming: My father was one of them Triads before. He was one of the bosses. He hurt a lot of people. Was well respected among the other Triads even to this day. Growing up, the Triads was all I knew, but when he died everything changed. I knew my father was a bad guy, and he hurt a lot of people, but he was still my father, and I missed him. So I decided when I got older to get my family out of that business. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt. It also served well that the Triad bosses seek to protect me to this day. Guess it paid off to be the daughter of Mickey Chen.
Mickey Chen was head of the Chinatown Triads in Gotham at one point before he and a few other of his men were gunned down by the Holiday killer on Thanksgiving Day a few years back.
Cassandra stares at the woman with a slightly sympathetic expression on her face. She feels as if she can relate to Ming in a certain way as both of their fathers were not great men, and they both wish to no longer live under their legacy. It's somewhat relieving to Cassandra to be able to relate to another human being in a way. Unfortunately, she has no way of expressing that to Ming due to her inability to speak.
Ming finishes wrapping up Cassandra's shoulder and gathers all of her medical supplies.
Ming: There! I will make you some food and tea for you to have and then you may rest here. No one should bother you. Down the hall is a bath so you can freshen up and in that closet is a fresh pair of clothes you could wear.
Ming points to a tall closet at the far end of the room. She then leaves Cassandra alone to get comfortable and prepares her with food and tea. Cassandra looks at the closet and then jumps off the bed to observe what is in there. When she opens the closet door she sees a blue and black ninja-style jacket and a fresh pair of pants along with some ninja tools like shuriken stars and kunai knives. Cassandra slightly grins at what she finds and reaches for the nice, fresh, new clothing.
Somewhere in a remote area in the United States, lies a base buried in the mountains hidden from even some of America's top elite. That base holds an organization specializing in gathering an elite group of "soldiers" capable of fulfilling missions that most decorated soldiers wouldn't even dare to take on. Of course, this organization is highly classified to even the US government. It is so secret that the President of the United States doesn't even know about it. Running this organization is none other than a politician by the name of Amanda Waller. Starting as a Warden for Belle Reve, the prison for metahuman and highly skilled criminals, Waller has then found her way into a seat in the United States Congress. Waller was the founder of Project Cadmus, a secret weapons development project funded by the government to help "protect" the US citizens from metahumans, preferably the Justice League. That was soon shut down due to the dangers it has caused to civilians, and Waller now finds herself in this secret base running a smaller operation of her own.
Taking place in the conference room of the secret base, Amanda Waller sits at a round table with two other individuals as well as a giant board behind her collaged with photos of Cassandra Cain taken without her knowing. Waller is looking over documents with an annoyed look on her face.
Waller: How did this even happen?
One of the individuals to her left, General Wade Eiling, looks over to the board as he replies to Waller.
General Wade: Seems like your informant left out some key information about the operation.
Waller looks over at General Wade still with a look of annoyance.
Special Agent: If we were aware of Anatoli's connection with the Cain girl, we could have better prepared for it.
Waller then looks over at the young male agent on her right with the same look she gave Wade.
Special Agent: Who is the client anyway? Why do they need our help exactly?
Waller's face then transitions to a scowl towards the young agent. She then tosses the documents on the round table and leans closer toward the agent.
Waller: The client's identity is of no importance at all. We were to capture the girl and bring her in. That is all you need to know.
The agent then nods and turns his head in silence.
General Wade: I don't know, Waller. Something seems fishy. This isn't the kind of work we usually do. Kidnapping a young lady just cause of her family's lineage just seems wrong. You sure nothing else is going on?
Waller then stands up from her seat and leans over the table. You can tell her patience was thinning more.
Waller: Worry about getting Lawton out of Arkham, and I'll inform you on our next attempt on the girl in time. Until then this meeting is adjourned.
General Wade: Next attempt? Maybe you're not hearing me, but I don't think...
Before General Wade could finish, Waller leans over closer to his side of the table with a serious look on her face.
Waller: Meeting adjourned, General.
General Wade scowls back at her then stands up from his seat and walks toward the double doors at the end of the conference room. The Agent gathers all of the documents off the desk and also makes toward the doors as they both exit the room. Waller then sits down in her chair and sighs heavily.
???: Seems as though your people show little faith in you, Waller. What a shame.
Says a voice hidden in the shadows in the back corner of the conference room. Waller in shock, jumps up from her seat and pulls out a gun from the holster hidden beneath her suit jacket, and points it toward the corner.
Waller: Who...?
From the shadow emerges a lady with long black hair dressed in a red shirt and a long black trench coat.
???: Relax, Waller. I'm only here on business.
Waller's grip on her gun tightens in resentment and she gives the lady a grimacing look.
Waller: Shiva.
Lady Shiva. Known as the most dangerous woman on the planet, Lady Shiva would go around the world and fight all of the world's greatest martial artists and assassins to the death and never lose. She since then found a calling among the League of Assasins as the head martial arts master where she trains some of the world's deadliest warriors.
Lady Shiva: Seems your little "Suicide Squad" failed to bring the girl in for me. And at a cost as well.
Waller then lowers her weapon and continues to grimace at the assassin.
Waller: We didn't know about KGBeast knowing who the Cain girl's father is. That would have been some very useful information for us.
Lady Shiva: I know that's why I didn't tell you.
Waller's scowl became more intense.
Waller: May I ask why?
Shiva starts to pace around the round table away from Waller and eventually stops when she gets to the board with the photos of Cassandra.
Lady Shiva: If Anatoli succeeded in Killing the girl, then she would be of no use to me. But if the girl killed him instead and even the rest of your squad...
Waller places the gun in her holster and then briefly interrupts Shiva.
Waller: Then she would have been more valuable and I would have lost my entire squad. What kind of game are you playing at here, Shiva. Who is this girl exactly? I did multiple background checks and it is as if the girl doesn't even exist. Not even you can be that far off the grid.
Shiva turns toward Waller.
Lady Shiva: That is of none of your concern. The girl must be brought to me alive. She could be very useful to the League of Assasins. That is all you need to know.
Waller looks down at the table with a file on Deadshot.
Waller: I'll need Lawton back at Belle Reve in order to set up another task force. He is my best man.
Lady Shiva removes a photo from the board.
Lady Shiva: Your best man who was caught by a bird.
Waller looks up at Shiva
Waller: not no ordinary bird. This Robin is good! He's not as brutal of a fighter, but he is almost as smart as Batman.
Shiva then turns toward Waller and looks at her as if she is thinking of something.
Lady Shiva: I'll acquire your marksman for you in addition to lending you one of my assassins for your next attempt at the girl. He will be able to handle the detective and his flock. But hear me, Waller, if you fail again, you won't have time to pull that gun out next time.
Lady Shiva then throws down a photo of Cassandra wearing an all-black hoodie and a mask around her mouth area onto the round table in front of Waller. Waller looks down at the photo for a second then looks back up to realize that Lady Shiva was no longer there. She just vanished. Waller then leans over the round table in relief and a beat of sweat trickles down her temple. An armed soldier then appears from the double doors in a hurry.
Soldier: Mrs. Waller? Is everything alright? I thought I heard someone else in here.
Waller then whips the sweat from her forehead and lifts from over the table.
Waller: No. Just talking to myself.
The soldier then nods and exits the room. Waller picks up the photo left on the table of Cassandra and stares at it as if she had a personal vendetta against the young girl in the photo.
While in deep slumber from anesthetic gas Number 1 dispersed on her, all Cassandra could dream about was all the intense, inhumane training her father had her do as a little girl. She could still feel the snaps of her bones and the cuts from a blade when he wouldn't hold back during combat training, and the sound of a handgun firing at her legs and arms to teach her how to endure pain. Not very pleasant dreams to conjure every night, but this was normal for Cassandra. This was her childhood.
As Cassandra starts to regain consciousness, she attempts to move her hands only to be unsuccessful due to the chains wrapped around her wrist and ankles and being carried over the shoulders by the thug known as Number 1. They continue down a long hallway that resembles something of a luxury hotel building. Crisp white walls and floors with a fine red carpet leading to a set of tall black double doors. As Number 1 enters the double doors, at the front stands 2 more black-suited thugs in a giant, penthouse-sized suite with giant windows looking down at the Gotham city skyline. At the end of the suite are a long black desk and bright white desk chair facing the huge window.
Number 1: Excuse me, boss, I brought the girl.
Number 1 then throws Cassandra down onto the ground as she smacks her face onto the hard marble floor.
???: Watch the damn floor!
Yelled the man sitting in the desk chair.
???: I don't want to ruin the nice white floors, Number 1!
The man then turns around from the chair slowly and reveals himself. Roman Sionis. Also known as Gotham City's kingpin, The Black Mask. His appearance explains the name perfectly. On his head is a black skull-like mask permanently attached to his head making him look grim and menacing. Aside from his all-white pinstripe suit with a black shirt and white tie, everything about this guy just screams bad news for Cassandra.
Black Mask: So who do we have here?
Black Mask comes from around the desk to confront the restrained Cassandra as she is able to at least sit upright.
Number 1: She is very skilled, sir. She took out at least a dozen of our men during the dropoff, and she wears the Bat's sigil.
Black Mask: I can see that.
Cassandra looks down at the yellow bat symbol on her shirt then looks up at Black Mask with a mean mug on her face.
Black Mask: Taking out a bunch of my men with guns ain't something a normal girl would do, so Lemme ask you, what was it you wanted with my guns, little miss?
Cassandra: ...
Black Mask: Not talking huh? Well, let me ask you this...DO YOU WORK FOR THE BAT!?
Black Mask yells as he gets uncomfortably close to her face. Cassandra just sits there in silence, staring up back at him. If she could speak she would. The thing about Cassandra's condition is she can understand spoken language but cannot communicate it back in any way. She can't write, read, or speak, but Black Mask doesn't know that. He just thinks she's being stubborn.
Black Mask reaches for his handgun on his desk. He cocks the hammer back and points it straight at Cassandra's head which Cassandra doesn't flinch at all.
Black Man: I'm not gonna ask you again, little girl. Are you or are you not WORKING FOR THE DAMN BATMAN!?
The entire time Cassandra has been quietly fiddling with the chains around her wrist trying to break free. Part of her training with her father was learning how to escape any bindings while being submerged underwater, so doing it on the dry ground shouldn't be difficult for her. As she continues she notices a bright red glare through the window. The light seems to be coming from another roof of a skyscraper across from the building they're in. It's a sniper. Cassandra's face then went from serious to surprised and Black Mask took notice and lowered his weapon.
Black Mask: What? Why so surprised now?
Black Mask begins to turn around but before he could rotate fully, Cassandra releases herself from her chains and leaps toward Black Mask knocking him down to avoid the sniper. The glass on one of the tall windows suddenly shatters and the bullet of the sniper penetrates the marble floor where Casandra was. Black Mask takes cover in front of his desk while Number 1 and the two thugs point their weapons towards the rooftop where the sniper is perched.
Black Mask: WHAT THE HELL?!
Number 1: BOSS, A SNIPER! GET DOWN!
Black Mask: YEA NO SHIT, DUMBASS. SOMEBODY GET THAT SHOOTER!
Number 1 pulls out a sniper rifle from a large gun locker on the left side of the office suite and stares down the scope towards where the shot had come from. There he sees and man in a grayish mask with a giant red lens on the right side of his face. He is fully kitted up in military-grade armor and ammunition rounds in many pockets around his suit.
Number 1: It's Deadshot! There! On the roof!
Warned Number 1.
Black Mask: Lawton! What the hell is he doing out?!
Floyd Lawton also known as the world's greatest marksman, Deadshot, is an assassin for hire that Black Mask has hired in the past to take down their masked vigilante in Gotham. He didn't succeed and was facing life in prison for all the lives he took before.
On the roof, Deadshot just sits there with his sniper mounted on the perch of the roof. He loads another large round into the chamber of his rifle and cocks to shoot another shot to then be rudely interrupted by some radio chatter.
???: You missed, Lawton!
Deadshot then reaches toward his radio in his ear and replies.
Deadshot: Didn't miss. The target just moved out of sight.
???: Sounds like some excuse if you ask me. Maybe ol' Lawton has lost his touch.
Deadshot: Just shut up and do your jobs, boys.
Deadshot proceeds to look down the scope of his rifle where he sees Cassandra pop her head up from behind the desk.
Black Mask: Take the shot, Number 1.
Black Mask still hiding behind the desk as well, is losing patients to his henchman. As Number 1 prepares to fire a shot at the marksmen on the roof, a loud explosion blows the black doors off of the hinges knocking down Number 1 and the other two thugs to the hard floor. Cassandra turns her attention to the gaping hole in the wall where the doors were and Deadshot takes advantage of the situation.
Deadshot: Bang.
Deadshot then pulls the trigger, and it penetrates Cassandra in the back of her right shoulder piercing straight through as she releases a small grunt of pain. She then realizes that she is the target, not the Black Mask.
Deadshot: And hit. Time to move in.
As the smoke clears from the explosion, two male figures walk into the office suite. One with a blue hat and a long blue trench coat with what seems to be boomerangs attached to his torso and jacket. The other was a large muscular masked man wearing a shirt with no sleeves and military cargo pants with an arsenal of weapons and grenades attached to him including an automatic machine gun for his left arm.
Black Mask picks up his handgun and points it toward one of the gentlemen standing at the door.
Black Mask: Who the hell are you guys?
The man in the blue trench coat suddenly tosses a boomerang at Black Mask striking his wrist and making him drop his handgun.
Black Mask: AHH! Why you stupid son of a...
The man then catches the boomerang as it flies back over to him and interrupts Black Mask with a strong Australian accent.
Captain Boomerang: Why, I think that should answer your question there, mate.
The two men were Captain Boomerang, a known villain from Star City, and KGBeast, an Ex-KGB assassin.
Number 1 attempts to retrieve the sniper rifle he dropped during the explosion, but KGBeast uses his machine gun on his arm to rain bullets down on the henchmen killing him.
Black Mask: That was my top guy!
KGBeast turns and points his gun toward Black Mask and with a strong Russian accent replies to him.
KGBeast: Well you're going to need a better one.
Black Mask's eyes turn dead as he feels it in his soul that his time is up. Suddenly Cassandra kicks KGBeast's arm up into the air causing him to spray bullets into the roof of the suite, saving Black Mask from his own demise. She then throws multiple strikes into the assassin's torso and ends it with a roundhouse kick to the stomach knocking the Russian down onto the floor. As KGBeast lies still on the floor, the sound of radio chatter comes through his earpiece.
Deadshot: Damn, KG! I saw that from all the way up here.
KGBeast then lifts his head up and mutters under his breath.
KGBeast: I'm gonna kill you, Cain.
Boomerang then throws multiple boomerangs at Cassandra who dodges each one dashing left to right as they miss her stabbing straight into the floor. As she inches closer and closer to Captain Boomerang, he quickly throws a boomerang straight into the ground in front of Cassandra that begins to beep with a flashing red light. Cassandra noticing the projectile's timer quickly changes direction and jumps backward as it explodes.
Captain Boomerang: I've read your file, love. I'm not letting you get that close to me. I'll leave you to the brawler.
The small shock of the explosion catches Cassandra and blows her back toward KGBeast who is already standing up and grabs her in a strong bear hug.
KGBeast: Gotcha!
Cassandra begins to struggle as Captain Boomerang walks up to her pulling out another boomerang, but this one is as sharp as a blade.
Captain Boomerang: Now hold 'er still, mate. This one's gonna hurt.
Cassandra continues to struggle in the grasp of KGBeast as Boomerang inches closer. She then forces her head backward slamming it into the Russian brute's face. She repeatedly does so until he eventually loosens his grip.
KGBeast: Ahhh! My nose!
Boomerang then lunges forward to slash Cassandra, but she flips out of KGBeast's grasp and on top of his shoulders causing Captain Boomerang to slash him in the torso cutting his shirt instead.
KGBeast: AHHH!
Captain Boomerang: Geez, mate. My bad.
Boomerang looks up at Cassandra on KGBeast's shoulders to only be welcomed with a kick to the face knocking him down. Cassandra then repeatedly strikes KGBeast repeatedly on the head attempting to lay him out.
KGBeast: Get off me, Cain!
KGBeast throws her off his shoulders, but Cassandra is able to land softly on her feet and immediately goes straight for him. KGBeast throws some punches, but Cassandra is able to read his every movement making it easy to avoid every strike of his and return some accurate strikes of her own.
Back on the rooftop, Deadshot observes the fight and holds his finger to his earpiece to communicate.
Deadshot: This girl is good. I put an entire bullet through her shoulder, and she is still kicking Anatoli's ass. I'm not sure if bringing her in alive will be an option.
The voice of a woman responds to Deadshot through his earpiece.
???: Unless you would want to answer to our special client, I'd expect you to do exactly as I tell you to do, Lawton.
Deadshot: Whatever you say.
Deadshot then places his hand on the back of his neck gracefully and mutters under his breath.
Deadshot: God, I hate her!
He then continues to place another bullet in the chamber of his rifle to get ready to fire another shot at Cassandra. As he looks down the scope of the gun, he is interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
???: Ahem. Lawton?
Deadshot quickly pulls his handgun from his side and immediately turns around pointing it towards the stranger to only have it knocked straight out of his hand and off the roof. Deadshot then looks toward his falling weapon then looks up at the stranger holding his wrist.
Deadshot: Ah no! Not you!
In an instant, Deadshot is hit directly in the face with a long metal rod and knocked unconscious.
Back at the office suite while Cassandra is fighting KGBeast and Captain Boomerang, Black Mask sneakily crawls to his gun locker on the side of the office and punches in a code in the electronic keypad to acquire another weapon. As KGBeast still tries to land a hit on Cassandra, Boomerang tries to get an angle on her to hit her with a sharp projectile. KGBeast attempts to grab Cassandra again in another hold but jumps up and with force, knees him in the bottom of his chin knocking him down instantly. She then jumps over top of him and is delivering quick, precise strikes to his head as he is blocking his face. Boomerang then prepares himself to throw his boomerang.
Captain Boomerang: Gotcha, love.
He throws the boomerang and hits Cassandra right in the shoulder directly into the bullet wound where Deadshot shot her. Cassandra then lets out a loud groan of pain as she stumbles over KGBeast. He grabs her by her ankle and forcefully slams her to the ground.
KGBeast: I got you now, Cain!
KGBeast then points his machine gun arm at Cassandra's face as she sits there in pain holding onto her shoulder where the sharp boomerang is sticking out.
Black Mask: And I got all of you's!
The three of them turn to look at Black Mask as he stands there with an RPG loaded and ready to fire.
Black Mask: Bringing that girl back here was a big mistake, and has caused me nothing but unwanted attention, so how bout all of you GO TO HELL!
Before Black Mask could even fire the weapon, a titanium-weaved rope with a grapple at the end of it wraps around the barrel of the RPG and is instantly flung from Black Mask's grasp. As he looks up towards the flying launcher, his eyes widened as Robin flies through the broken window and greets the kingpin with a solid kick to the head knocking him down to the hard, white floor.
Robin: Causing quite the commotion over here huh, Roman.
KGBeast immediately points his gun toward the boy wonder as Boomerang backs up in confusion.
Captain Boomerang: What the hell?! Do all the psychos in this town start off this young? This kid don't look old enough to drink yet!
Black Mask then picks his head up to respond.
Black Mask: Welcome to Gotham.
Robin then pulls out his metal bow staff from the back of his utility belt which extends longer and knocks Black Mask unconscious. KGBeast and Captain Boomerang then hear the woman in their earpiece soon after.
???: Sounds like you ran into the boy wonder, which means the Bat might not be far behind. This operation might be botched now. I suggest that if you can escape with the girl then do it quickly. If not then get out of there now! I already lost radio signal from Deadshot.
KGBeast then points his attention back to Cassandra.
KGBeast: No! Cain dies tonight.
Captain Boomerang: What?
Cassandra then takes out the boomerang from her soldier and stabs it into KGBeast's shoulder which distracts him enough to lodge an accurate strike into his deltoid of the arm holding his gun with the tips of her fingers. He then stumbles back and realizes that he can't move his entire arm holding his machine gun, and out of frustration charges at her.
KGBeast: I'LL KILL YOU!!!
Robin then launches himself using his bow staff as a vault and knocks down KGBeast.
Robin: Don't know who you two are, but I'm assuming you're with Lawton, correct?
Captain Boomerang: Don't matter now.
Boomerang throws down smoke to cover his escape from the boy wonder. He searches for KGBeast in the thick cloud and finds him lying on the ground holding his shoulder.
Captain Boomerang: Come on, mate! Waller says we gotta bolt before the bat gets here.
KGBeast sits upright and reaches in his back pocket to retrieve something. He then pulls out what looks like a C4 explosive device and places it on the ground to arm it.
KGBeast: I'm not leaving until Cain is dead!
Captain Boomerang: What is it with you and that girl? We were supposed to bring her in alive not kill her.
KGBeast: Ignores Boomerang and proceeds to arm the explosive.
Captain Boomerang: Whatever, mate. I'm out of here.
Captain Boomerang then runs through the hole in the wall in an attempt to escape the building. As KGBeast arms the C4, Robin is walking through the thick smoke fanning a pathway with his bow staff and finds Cassandra bleeding from her shoulder.
Robin: Are you alright? What's your name?
Cassandra shakes her head no then points right behind him. As the smoke clears, the first thing Robin sees is KGBeast arming the C4 explosive and standing up with a detonator in his hand as he backs up slowly from the explosive.
Robin: What are you doing! Are you crazy!
KGBeast then places his finger on the red button of the detonator as he continues to back up slowly.
KGBeast: David Cain caused me so much trouble in the past. I'm not leaving till I kill a Cain, even if I have to kill myself.
The woman then screams through KGBeast's earpiece.
???: Anatoli! Abort mission NOW!!!
KGBeast then pushes the button and a large explosion blows a giant hole through the floor of the office suite causing the three of them to fall through.
Robin quickly grabs Cassandra and shoots his grapnel gun toward a beam on the ceiling of the upper level. The hook wraps around, but the beam can't hold and snaps anyway causing them to fall to the lower level. They hit the ground of the level beneath them but not as hard as KGBeast did. Debris continues to fall from above them as they try to avoid as much of it as possible, but Cassandra gets caught under a large chunk of floor. Despite his hard fall, KGBeast gets up and immediately looks for Cassandra who he sees stuck underneath the rubble. He gets up and starts moving toward her chuckling in the process.
KGBeast: Hehehe. I gotcha now, Cain.
The earpiece in KGBeast's ear is damaged from the fall and the woman on the other side attempts to give orders to the Russian, but the audio is distorted.
???: ANATOLI, YOU BETTER LISTEN TO ME! GET OUT OF THERE NOW!
He ignores the orders and proceeds toward Cassandra.
KGBeast: No. This must be done.
He then removes his earpiece and throws it on the ground next to him as he is determined to kill Cassandra. He limps closer toward her as the lady in the earpiece continues to yell at him unaware that he has removed the communicator from his ear.
???: NO! YOU BETTER LISTEN TO ME ANATOLI! YOU ARE TO LEAVE THAT AREA IMMEDIATELY! DO YOU HEAR ME, ANATOLI KNYAZEV?! LEAVE NOW OR I'LL BE FORCED TO HIT THIS BUTTON.
Robin who is laying on the ground in pain from his fall can't get up in time to save Cassandra before KGBEast gets to her. Cassandra just watches helplessly under the ruble as KGBeast approaches her. Robin is able to sit up straight and makes an attempt to go save her, but as KGBeast leans to pick up the rubble on top of Cassandra, a beeping sound comes from the back of KGBeast's neck. He then stops suddenly and grabs his head in a panic.
KGBeast: NO NO NO NO NO! WALLER DON'T!
A red light on the back of KGBeast's neck flashes faster and faster simultaneously with the beeping sound indicating that there was a bomb planted in his head. He backs up yelling for it to stop as the countdown continues to accelerate.
KGBeast: WALLER!!!
Cassandra braces herself as well as Robin as moments later a small explosion occurs severing KGBeast's head from his body. His headless body stands there for a few seconds then tumbles over hitting the ground right next to the removed earpiece which the woman speaks from one last time.
???: You made me do it, Anatoli.
Robin then retrieves his bow staff he dropped during the explosion and made his way toward Cassandra.
Robin: Jesus! What was that about?
The boy wonder then helps Cassandra out from underneath the rubble.
Robin: Are you ok?
Cassandra, covered from head to toe in black soot, shakes her head up and down to signal she is unharmed, but then covers the wound on her shoulder with her hand.
Robin: That seems like a nasty wound. Let me help you.
As he attempts to help Cassandra she flinches back signaling she doesn't need his assistance.
Robin: Alright then. Can you speak?
Cassandra: ...
Cassandra just stares at him.
Robin: The big guy kept calling you Cain, is that your name.
Cassandra shakes her head up and down.
Robin: Ok, Cain, who were these guys, and what did they want from you?
Cassandra: ...
Robin: Still not speaking, huh? But you understand me right?
Cassandra shakes her head again.
Robin: Alright then. Give me a minute and I can take you home.
Robin then turns around to search around him for any clues. Robin happens to be an expert detective, so any small detail could help him figure out what was truly going on. He walks by the body of KGBeast and stumble upon his communication earpiece. Robin picks it up and studies it for a second and continues to ask Cassandra a question.
Robin: That guy kept yelling out the name Waller. That wouldn't happen to be Amanda Waller, would it?
Robin turns around to realize that Cassandra was no longer there. Robin looks around and finds no trace of her anywhere except a small puddle of blood from her gunshot wound. He then takes a sample in a small capsule for analysis. As he puts away the capsule in his belt a woman then speaks to him through his communicator in his ear.
???: I saw the whole thing through your mask, Tim. Who was that?
Robin: Don't know, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing her around more.
*This is strictly a fanfiction story. I do not own rights to these characters or images*
Gotham City at midnight is far from a "lively" city. Twelve a.m. is the peak crime hour in the streets and most of the pedestrians have locked themselves in their homes. With minimal lighting on the roads and thugs roaming the alleyways, that would typically be the safest place for law-abiding citizens to settle at this time of night.
Walking down the creepy nighttime streets, alone, is young Cassandra Cain, shrouded in all black clothing, soaking wet from the intense rainfall. Cassandra's been on the run for years now. Nine years to be exact. After having been trained by her world-renowned assassin father until she was eight, Cassandra fled her father's captivity and has been searching for a new life all on her own.
Cassandra attempts to find shelter and food to last her the night, or at least until the rain finally lets up, but it seems hopeless to find such a haven at this time of night in the city. Every house is quiet, every door closed, and every window dark almost throughout the entire neighborhood...except for one. A local convenience store still shines its bright, deceptively warm lights through its windows. Cassandra notices and starts to pace faster towards the door. As she approaches she tries for the door to only realize it is locked. Out of slight frustration, she continues to pull on the door hoping it would eventually open and lead her to a dry room. As she pulls and pulls, a man walks up to the window with an annoyed look on his face.
Store Clerk: Hey! Can't you see that we're closed!?
The clerk points to the big square sign that reads "Sorry! We're Closed." Cassandra stares at the sign with a blank face, then looks back at the man and scowls. Unfortunately, Cassandra cannot read. Part of her training as a girl was to read only the body language of her opponents to anticipate their every move. The part of her brain that speaks, reads, and writes is nonfunctional, leaving her practically mute and unable to fully communicate with others.
Store Clerk: Go head. Beat it. Scram!
Cassandra continues to stare at the man for a second, eager to break the glass and invite herself inside. Instead, she turns back towards the sidewalk and pulls the hood on her drenched hoodie over her head more. She continues to walk down the street, finally turning into a dark alleyway.
As the rain continues to pour down heavily onto the filthy streets, Cassandra is desperate to find somewhere warm and dry to stay. Having only been in Gotham for not even a full week, she begins to wonder if staying here is even worth it. As she nears the end of the alleyway she notices a very bright beam aiming toward the sky. Immediately her face brightens up and she starts to jog toward the street. The rain begins to slow down as she approaches the end of the dark street. As Cassandra clears the buildings she looks up into the grayish sky and removes her soaked hood revealing her short, black silk hair to see the Bat-Signal brightening up the night sky. Cassandra sits there and stares at the light in admiration. She may not be able to read, but she knows what it means when that symbol hits the skies.
Cassandra is truly fixated on the large symbol and is even contemplating following it hoping to encounter the real reason she came to the city, but her stomach suddenly grumbles. Cassandra holds on to her stomach realizing she hasn't eaten since she arrived in Gotham. Of course, she has gone a lot longer without food during her training. He would put her through the most horrible situations in order to turn her into "the perfect weapon."
Cassandra continues down the dark street approaching what seemed like a small warehouse where she hears the doors of freight trucks being opened and closed, and men loudly chatting to one another. Could it be food? Maybe even some dry clothing? The sounds alone made Cassandra curious as she slowly approached the trucks. In the front of the warehouse are a bunch of men in black suits carrying large wooden crates into the warehouse, with one man wearing a tactical mask, dressed in an all-black tracksuit. Suddenly Cassandra becomes suspicious. Smugglers, she reckons. Since she's been in Gotham the most crime she has seen was petty thefts and drug dealing, but she hasn't seen smuggling of any kind yet.
Very stealthy, Cassandra manages to sneak behind one of the open trucks and peeks inside to see only one wooden crate remaining. She boards the truck and attempts to open the crate to see exactly what these guys are smuggling. At first, she struggles to get the lid of the crate to open, but after a few more tugs she finally rips open the crate, making a loud sound of wood breaking in the process. She peeks in the crate and immediately scowls at the sight of guns neatly packaged inside the crate. But not just any guns, military-grade weapons. M16s, AK-47s, Grenade Launchers, and more. Some very heavy artillery for your normal street gang.
As Cassandra sorts through the variety of firearms in the crate, four of the suited thugs approach the vehicle to remove the final crate. Cassandra hears their footsteps and chatter and quickly hides behind the wooden crate.
Thug 1: Man, Bossman sure is packing some serious heat now. There are enough guns here to start a small army!
Thug 2: I still don't think it'll it be enough.
Thug1: Enough for what? The Bat?
Thug 2: Yea who else. We've been shooting at that lunatic for years and ain't killed him yet. What's a bunch of "newer" guns gonna do?
Thug 3: That's because none of y'all can shoot straight. How hard is it to kill a man in a bat suit?
Thug 2: Clearly you've never went up against him.
Thug 3: I have so. Back when I worked for Falcone. Bastard broke my arm in three places that dirty motha...
One of the thugs interrupts by holding his arm out signaling the others to a halt.
Thug 4: Wait! Hold up a minute.
The thug boards the truck to find the lid of the crate ripped off.
Thug 4: Any of you guys open up this box?
Each of them looked at the other, then shook their heads.
Thug 1: Nope.
Thug 2: Well, who could have done it?
Suddenly the heavy crate rushes past the floor of the truck bed, knocking each of the thugs out of the truck and smashing onto the hard street, spilling all the weaponry onto the ground. The sound of the wooden crate smashing into pieces and the grunt of the thugs catch the attention of the man in the mask.
Masked man: What are you doing?!
As the man in the mask starts towards the truck, Cassandra leaps out of the truck with her black hood up and a mask covering the bottom half of her face. She knocks one of the thugs on the ground unconscious and looks up towards the man in the mask.
Masked man: What? Who the hell are you?!
One of the thugs recovers himself, stares at an assault rifle from the ground, and immediately points it toward Cassandra. Before he could even let off a single bullet, Cassandra grabs the barrel of the gun and, like a flash, quickly disarms the thug and kicks him right in the face, knocking him back down onto the ground. She then disassembles the components of the weapon as another thug gets up and charges her, throwing the full magazine straight at his head and knocking him down, as well.
One of the thugs watching from one of the other trucks exclaimed,
Thug 5: Is that some ninja chick?
Masked man: Don't care. All of you: take care of her, NOW!
The masked man commands the remaining thugs to go after Cassandra. One by one, over two dozen men arm themselves with guns and melee weapons and begin to charge after her with the intent to kill.
Cassandra then leaps on top of the truck, throwing any of the remaining parts of the disassembled rifle at some of the thugs, but knocking only a few off their feet. One of the thugs cocks the lever on a sub-machine gun and begins to fire it at her. Bullets start to strike at the bottom of the truck at first and work their way up to where Cassandra stands, but she leaps out of the line of fire and begins to use the other parked trucks as cover as she darts behind them avoiding any contact. A few other thugs begin to spray bullets at Cassandra as well, but to no avail, as she continues to dodge behind the trucks. As she runs across the last few trucks she stops and hides behind one as bullets continue to rain on the truck.
Pinned down behind the large vehicle, Cassandra looks for a way to get out of the situation. She sees the door of the truck is slightly opened and on the bed is a small, opened box of what looks like flash and frag grenades. She then grabs one of each and pulls the pins on both simultaneously. As the shooting thugs gradually walk up closer to the truck, the frag grenade rolls from under the truck catching the attention of the thugs immediately as they ceasefire.
Thug 5: GRENADE! GRENADE!!!
All of the thugs begin to scatter away from the truck as it explodes seconds later going up in huge flames from the remaining weapons still on board. As the thugs begin to gather themselves, the sound of a small metal canister clangs right in the midst of them, but before they can even look in the direction of the sound, a bright flash goes off, blinding all of them.
Thug 6: UGH! I can't see!
Thug 7: What's happening?! Where is she?!
Cassandra rolls into the middle of all the men and begins to further incapacitate them one by one. One of the thugs desperate to find her attempts to grab onto where he thinks she is but she grabs his arm first and strikes him multiple times in the face causing him to fall backward. On his way down he grabs onto the front of her hoodie and rips it, exposing her shirt underneath. One of the thugs begins to get his senses back and looks toward the girl in confusion, but once he sees her shirt, his facial expression changes to trepidation.
Thug 6: It figures. She's working with the Bat!
The thug yells as he points to Cassandra's black shirt bearing a yellow outline of a bat symbol on it. Cassandra then proceeds to fight and disarm all of the thugs in order to properly escape, but the masked man has other plans.
Masked man: Move! All of ya!
The masked man then rolls a canister towards the stockpile of thugs surrounding Cassandra as it lets off some sort of green gas. Cassandra can't help but breathe some of it in as she's fighting, causing her to cough. A few of the thugs begin to pass out from anesthetic gas. Cassandra begins to feel the effects starting to kick in herself, but is fighting it as long as she can.
Thug 7: She's still fighting!
Masked man: Not for long.
Cassandra, managing to get a few more hits in on the thugs, begins to become sluggish and weaker. Eventually, she starts taking hits herself, then eventually falls down to the ground, landing in a rain puddle. The masked man walks up to her and pulls out a communication radio as it beeps. He begins to speak.
Number 1: Boss? It's Number 1. We got some ninja girl trying to foil the operation. She's wearing the bat symbol, but I doubt she's working for him, 'tho. What do you want me to do?
The masked man then waits for a response while standing over Cassandra as she lay helplessly in the puddle. Then a beep comes from the radio and a raspy, aggressive voice comes through the speakers.
Boss Voice: Ninja girl, huh? Bring her in to me first. I want to see who she's really working for!
Masked man: Understood, Boss.
The masked man then clips the radio to the backside of his belt and picks up the girl. At that moment, Cassandra's vision begins to fade as she struggles to remain conscious. Then, everything goes black.
*This is strictly a fanfiction story. I do not own the rights to these images or characters.*
17-year-old Cassandra Wu-San Cain (Daughter of Assasin, David Cain) has fled to Gotham City hoping to escape from her father's grueling training and methods he had her do for the first 9 years of her life. Unable to speak and properly communicate due to her intense training, Cassandra is trying to find purpose and hope in her life and not turn out like the living weapon her father has trained her to be. Little does she know, Gotham City should be the last stop on earth to help her in this journey. This city will really test her skills and mental.
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*This is strictly a fanfiction story. I do not own the rights to any of these characters or images. Cassandra Cain was originally created by writers Kelley Puckett, Damion Scott, and DC Comics *
