Disclaimer
I don't own anything. DC Comics, and anything that it publishes, is not in anyway owned by me. It is all owned by rich, talented people. I'm a nobody. Please don't sue me.
Distant Strains of Triumph
The next two works were far more pleasant for the two young vigilantes. They had made up, which made spending time together far less awkward. They were also making good money for the first time, as Stephanie received impressive tips for a job at a diner, and Cassandra's job paid fairly well. While they weren't exactly rich, they were able to afford a few luxuries.
One such luxury was getting cable television hooked up, which the two girls spent a fair amount of time watching. Stephanie had found shows for helping children learn to read, and had taken to singing the songs from them whenever she had a chance. Cassandra had thought that was strange at first, but eventually she had gotten used to it, although she still couldn't bring herself to join in. She had never sung anything before, and the very thought of doing so filled her with a confusing sense of dread.
The two girls hadn't made any headway against Mandragora, however. While they had a good theory about how he smuggled in illegal goods, they hadn't managed to find any evidence of it, although they had made plans for their next opportunity. They had kept up the pressure on the street gangs, however, and they were finding fewer and more wary dealers and thugs out every night.
It was early on a Thursday afternoon when they finally had an opportunity to put their plans into motion. The same man that had been responsible for the possibly illegal shipment two weeks before arrived, and once again Cassandra was selected to help unload the cargo. She followed the other workers to the warehouse like normal, but while she worked she carefully kept an eye out for an opportunity to slip away.
She had been working for nearly an hour when she finally found it, as the person working near her went to use the restroom. She waited until no one was looking her way before slipping out of the back of the warehouse and down to a hospitality station that had a working phone. Stephanie had helped her memorize which buttons to press to call her at work, and soon the phone was ringing.
"Rick's," a man's voice said when the phone finally picked up.
"Need to... speak to Steph," Cassandra said.
A few moments later she heard her friend's voice answer. "Cass?"
"Is happening," she said. "Warehouse 22."
"Okay," Stephanie said. "I"m on it."
Cassandra quickly went back to work, managing to pick up her efforts without anyone having noticed her slipping away. It was nearly half an hour later when she realized that she was being watched, and with a casual glance she was able to see the edges of an eggplant colored cloak on the roof of a nearby warehouse. She smiled approvingly at how well her friend had hidden – none of the criminals they had seen in Hub City had anywhere near the skill to notice Stephanie's hiding place.
Eventually they finished unloading, and Cassandra completed her workday as though nothing unusual was happening. When she finally clocked out, she hurried home and changed into her Silent costume. She then returned to the warehouse, only to find Stephanie already gone.
Two hours later a very bored Cassandra noticed Stephanie finally returning. Standing up from where she had been meditating, she turned to her friend expectantly. Stephanie stopped trying to sneak up on her and walked over, her posture excited.
"You were right!" Stephanie said. "A truck came and got some of the crates about thirty minutes after you left. If we hadn't known what to look for, we'd never have noticed!"
"Where did... they go?" Cassandra asked.
"A grocery store downtown," Stephanie said. "I watched 'em for a while, and then I saw that guy from the bar... you know, the one who was threatening them and everything?"
Cassandra nodded. "Let's go."
The two vigilantes ran quickly over the roofs and swung across streets until they arrived at the grocery store. Cassandra noticed with a glance that everyone present was in fact a criminal. They were also all very well armed.
"We should... get police," Cassandra said slowly. "For when we beat them."
"I dunno, this isn't Gotham," Stephanie said thoughtfully. "They'll probably come when someone calls about the gunfire. And I'm not gonna leave you here to take them on by yourself."
Cassandra was glad that her outfit did a good job of hiding her expression at being caught. She really didn't want Stephanie angry at her again. "Lot of guns. We need... to be careful."
"Fine," Stephanie huffed. "Why don't I circle around, hit them from behind while you blitz them from the front. You can do that bullet dodging thing, and I'll take them out from the edges."
Cass considered the plan for a bit before shaking her head. "Too many guns. Armor... not made by Batman. Not trust bullets."
"Hey!" Stephanie objected. "We worked hard... fine. No catching bullets. What do you want to do then?"
"Like your part in plan," Cass said finally. "But can't just swing in and fight. I sneak, hit from sides... at start. Cut numbers. Use smoke grenades when need to."
Stephanie nodded as she went through her utility belt. "What about flash bangs?"
"No," Cass decided. "Better for quick surprise. Plan is not rush. Patience."
"Patience?" Stephanie asked skeptically.
"Yes," Cass said firmly. "Don't rush in. If see, sneak away, try again. Can dodge some bullets. You can't."
Stephanie nodded. "I may not be cautious, but I'm not stupid, you know. I'm not trying to get myself killed."
"Still worry," Cass grumbled, drawing a smile from Stephanie.
"When should I do my thing?" Stephanie asked.
"When throw smoke," Cassandra decided. "Use as cover, get some down before clears, then hide again. Stay street level. Hit stragglers after."
With a final nod of acceptance, Stephanie slipped away with adequate skill, circling wide to make sure she wasn't spotted before finally sneaking onto the roof of the grocery store without anyone but Cassandra noticing her. Once she was finally in position, Cass circled around as well, sticking to shadows and dark corners before finally stopping near some of the guards. They were some distance away and dressed like ordinary citizens, but she could tell from their body language that they were actually lookouts.
The first two fell before they could make a sound, dropped with pinpoint nerve strikes and pulled into an alley where she swiftly disarmed and bound them. She then circled around the block, jogging silently all the way, so that she hit the two guards at the other end of the street just as quietly. After that she slowly worked her way closer to the actual grocery store itself, her presence still unnoticed.
Cassandra managed to pick off three more criminals without being seen. While the guards had some skill for Hub City criminals, they were also complacent, years of easy shipments making them unwary as they waited. In Gotham the criminals had learned to expect vigilante complications, no matter how prosaic the job. Cass vowed to teach the criminals of Hub City a similar fear.
She decided to change her plan of attack after seeing the reactions of the guards. Unfortunately, the only communicators that she and Stephanie had were larger and noisier than they would have liked, so she decided to she trust her friend to stay out of trouble for a couple of minutes. It only took her a few moments to case the grocery store and find a side entrance that was unguarded.
Slipping inside, she found her way to the back room, where she saw piles and piles of illegal goods. Guns of every make and model, including military grade assault weapons, were piled next to drugs and counterfeit DVDs. Unfortunately, the room had two guards standing next to its doors, who actually remained alert as they waited.
Considering her options, Cassandra decided to clean up the rest of the people inside before she tackled the people in the back or the people still on the streets. There were only two other criminals hanging around the store and she was able to get the drop on both of them, binding them and leaving them out of the way without anyone noticing. Unfortunately, she was running out of time.
A man from out front came running in, heading to the back. She crept closer to overhear what he was saying. "Sir! There's something wrong. The perimeter guards are missing!"
"They wander off?" a man asked. Cassandra recognized him as the man that had threatened the gangs at the bar.
"No, sir," the messenger said. "They wouldn't have left. Something's happening."
The man who had run in led the person from the back room through the store and outside. As she was considering what to do, Cassandra suddenly saw something that gave her an idea. She grabbed a bag of marbles from a shelf and stuck it in her utility belt before pulling one out and moving closer to the back room.
The two guards were still on watch, and she could read the growing tension in their bodies. What had started as commendable wariness had crossed over into nervousness, and Cass knew how to take advantage of that. Steadying her breathing, she carefully tossed the marble so that it banged loudly against a table inside the back room.
The two guards both jumped and then turned as one, glancing inside to see what had made the unexpected sound. As soon as they started to move Cassandra shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, jumping into the air after a brief sprint and simultaneously kicking each guard in the head with a different foot. They plowed face first into the doorframe at the same time, knocking them out as Cass backflipped onto her feet before sweeping into the back room.
Two more people were within, and they both went for their guns. She swept sideways as she ran, ghosting across their sights too quickly to be hit. She took them both down easily, but unfortunately not before they got several shots off. Even from the heart of the building she could hear the criminals outside shouting and beginning to react.
Cassandra moved quickly, but she wasn't fast enough to get to an exit before gunmen started flooding the grocery store. Shifting tactics, she ran down the aisles on silent feet, coming out into the open for just a second to throw a spoilerang at one thug, disarming him before jumping in the air and ramming her knee into the head of another. She tumbled over her target as he hit the ground, unconscious, landing behind cover once again as automatic gunfire split the air all around her.
She sped down the aisles at a low crawl, bullets slamming into the shelves above her, spraying her with bits of food as she moved. Reaching into her belt, she pulled out one of her smoke grenades and tossed it towards the front of the store. The smoke filled the air quickly, blocking all visibility and causing the surprised criminals to begin coughing, which Cass used to home in on them and drop them one after another.
When most of the criminals were down the smoke began to clear, and she slipped back into cover again. Only two gunmen were left standing in the shop, and she could read the panic in their bodies as they retreated hastily out of the store. She could see their relief as they reached the street, until a moment later Stephanie landed on them, driving their heads into the concrete and unconsciousness.
Cassandra moved quickly to the door, where she saw only three criminals still standing. One of them was the man who apparently was in charge. He looked very angry as he slowly removed his jacket, letting the expensive tailored clothing fall to the asphalt.
"Hey Silent," Stephanie said. "That wasn't quite the plan."
Cassandra just shrugged as she sized up the remaining criminals.
"You have no idea what you've done," the man as he rolled up his sleeves.
"Pissed off some two bit thugs?" Stephanie offered. "Spoiled your day? Is this where the maniacal laughter comes in?"
"I am Frederic Datura, and I represent the Mandragora family," he said. "You are going to regret this before you die."
"Blah, blah, blah. Get some original dialogue, already," Stephanie said.
Frederic loosened and removed his tie, although Cassandra noticed that he was doing something else at his neck as he did so. When he dropped the tie he hunched over for a second, growling in his throat as his muscles began to expand and throb. Finally he looked up, a sadistic grin on his face. "I wonder, will you still have such a smart mouth after I tear out your tongue?"
Cassandra jumped forward, slamming a steel toed combat boot hard into Frederic's face. Instead of falling to the ground he simply rocked back on his heels, grabbing her leg before she could withdraw. He grinned malevolently, an expression which was knocked off of his face when she used her other foot to stomp on his nose, breaking it with a loud crunch.
Frederic howled in pain, but was fast enough to grab her foot with his free hand before she could withdraw it. "You're gonna pay for that," he growled, his voice garbled by his broken nose.
Cassandra could read his intentions just before he acted. He was going to swing her around and slam her repeatedly into the ground with his inhuman strength. Unfortunately, he was also faster than he should have been, and he had already begun swinging her before she could make a move.
Even as he swung her body Cass leaned forward, clapping his ears with both hands. He howled and accidentally released her as he instinctively raised his hands to his bleeding ears. Cassandra flew through the air, but gained control with a tumble, landing in a three point stance facing Frederic.
Cassandra paused for a second to take in the rest of the situation, but was relieved to see that Stephanie had things well in hand, having already taken out one of the other criminals, with the other on the defensive. Turning her attention back to her opponent, she waited until he glared at her to dart forward. She had a feel for his speed, stutter stepping just outside of his reach to cause him to mistime his attack, slipping under his arms to sidekick him in his knee, dislocating it.
Unfortunately Frederic was too angry to feel pain properly, and he caught her in the face with a punch that was far too strong for a normal human. Even rolling with the blow as only a true master of the martial arts could, her vision still became blurry and her ears began to ring. She still managed to flip back out of his reach before he could follow up.
She slowly circled him, considering her options. He was faster than he should have been, and far stronger. He also no longer felt pain the way that he should, and he was even managing to walk, if awkwardly, on his dislocated knee.
Cass finally came up with a strategy, darting in once again, this time with a fake towards Frederic's other knee, only to redirect his counterpunch with an advanced judo move, sending him crashing into the ground behind her. As he started to stand again she punched him in the throat with stiffened fingers, leaving him choking for air. She followed it up with a seven hit combination, cracking bones, smashing nerve clusters, and tearing tendons as she went. Despite the damage she was inflicting, he would not stay down.
He rose unsteadily to his feet, using a parking meter for balance. Once he was upright he ripped the meter from the ground and swung it in a wide arc. The attack was fast enough that despite her ability to read his intentions she was still clipped by the edge of it, sending her tumbling back. He then started to walk towards her, a vicious grin on his face.
Suddenly Stephanie leapt onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck in a chokehold. "Silent! Are you okay!"
"Neck!" Cassandra said. "Back of neck!"
Stephanie didn't question her, grabbing the back of Frederic's neck with one hand while she used the other to hang on. Frederic dropped the parking meter, reaching back to stop her, but he was too late. She had already found the device on the back of his neck that Cassandra had been referring to. She grabbed it and pulled, ripping it off.
Frederic suddenly collapsed to the ground, his swollen muscles shrinking back to normal as he lay stunned. He started to pull himself up after a moment, reaching for his gun as he did, but Cassandra was already standing over him. With one well placed kick she knocked him unconscious.
"What was that?" Stephanie asked, looking at the small device.
"Venom," Cassandra said.
"How'd you know?"
"Did something at back of neck before fight," she explained. "Then got too strong. Venom."
Cassandra took a moment to survey the field. All of the criminals were down, and most of them had been disarmed and bound as well. Before she could move to tie up the rest she heard the sounds of approaching sirens, and the two vigilantes quickly took to the rooftops to avoid the police.
"Take that!" Stephanie crowed as they watched the police start to process the scene from a safe distance. "Team Spoiler: 1, Mandragora: nothin'!"
"Team... Spoiler?" Cassandra asked.
"Ah, come on, what else would you call us?" Stephanie asked. "I mean, we use spoilerangs and everything!"
"Silenterangs," Cassandra grumbled.
"Fine," Stephanie said, rolling her eyes. "If you want to call use Team Silent, feel free. It's just not a very good description, 'cause I'm not usually really silent, you know?"
"Hadn't... noticed."
"Was that sarcasm?" Stephanie asked, looking at her friend suspiciously.
"Me?" Cass asked innocently. Before Stephanie could say anything, Cassandra suddenly darted forward and tapped her friend. "Tag!"
"Hey, get back here!" Stephanie shouted as she took off after her friend, laughing all the while.
The next day, the two girls happily sat eating brunch in front of their television as it showed the midday news. They watched as the camera panned over piles of illegal goods that had been seized by the police, as well as dozens of criminals. It was the biggest bust in Hub City in years, and was making national news because of the scope of the operation.
"While the police are still investigating how far the conspiracy reached," the reporter, a bright eyed woman with perfect makeup, said, "a significant number of business and civic leaders have already been arrested because of evidence that has been uncovered. The implications of this operation are far reaching. Earlier, Commissioner Avery had this to say."
The Commissioner of Hub City was a stern looking African-American woman in her early fifties. "With this bust, for the first time in years we have the opportunity to really clean up Hub City. It won't be easy. The extent of the arrest of public officials in the port authority indicates the potential for further corruption in our government. But this gives us a real opportunity, and one that we intend to take full advantage of."
From offscreen a reporter called out a question. "What about reports of vigilantes being involved?"
"No comment," the Commissioner said.
"Aw," Stephanie complained. "They don't want to talk about us!"
"Make them look bad," Cassandra said.
The two split up and finished getting ready, each going to their own work. While Cassandra was still sore from the fight, Stephanie had taken the time to help her use makeup to cover the bruise on her face, and she was in too good of a mood to worry about pain. Things were finally coming together, and she couldn't be happier.
When she arrived at work she noticed a large, upset crowd. Many of her fellow workers were heading home, obviously very unhappy. Before she could figure out what was wrong her supervisor called her name.
As she walked up to him she could feel her steps slowing. She could tell that something was very wrong. "Cassandra," he said gruffly. "Sorry, but we're gonna have to lay you off."
"Why!?" she demanded, a sick feeling pooling in the pit of her stomach.
"A bunch of people from the company were arrested for smuggling," he said. "We're going to be cutting our workforce because of it. You're newest, so you're laid off."
Cassandra heard little after that, her head spinning as she headed back to the apartment. Just that morning everything was going wonderfully. Suddenly, she had nothing. She was fired. She had failed. Again.
