Summary: Takes place a day after the previous chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own DC
"We've been at this for hours now, and still nothing!" Bruce placed a hand on his son's shoulder to calm him down.
"Relax. It usually pans out this way at first, but we'll push through it." Dick let the tiniest smirk cross his face.
"Since when did you get so optimistic?"
"Since I accepted his offer to move in." Dick turned to see Diana, decked out in her Wonder Woman attire, enter the Batcave and walk up to them. He embraced with her shortly before she did the same with Bruce, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. She then turned back to Dick. "How are you, Richard? It feels like millennia since we last spoke." Dick chuckled a bit.
"It's only been like a week, Diana."
"Has it really? Perhaps I miss your presence at the Manor more than I let on." The ex-Boy Wonder smiled a bit at his 'mother' as she turned to Bruce. "Where is Alfred?"
"Away on personal affairs, he'll be back tonight."
"I see. What are the two of you up to down here?" Bruce showed her the knife.
"Dick recovered this from an assassin decked out in all black in Blüdhaven. According to him, the assassin's mask, just like the knife and throwing stars, had an owl motif." Diana rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"I have a vague recollection of an organization involving owls…perhaps I could check with my sisters on Themyscira for mo-" the Batwave alert on the computer went off as the trio rushed over to see what was up. Bruce narrowed his eyes as he read the alert.
"Reported ninja sighting at City Hall. Mayor Hill is there now."
"Looks like Ra's Al Ghul wants to purge the corruption in Gotham's bureaucracy. Not that I can fully blame him, but we should probably do something."
"Agreed, but there's more to it than just eliminating a corrupt politician. Ra's never thinks so small, he has something more planned."
"Maybe the Light wants to replace Hill with one of their own operatives. Would track with what they did in Bialya and Qurac a few years ago, not to mention Star and what they're trying to do in Metropolis."
"If so, Gotham is a critical point in their conquest. The city is suffering enough without being under Vandal Savage's thumb. This owl issue can wait."
"Indeed." Diana looked to Bruce. "Mind if I tag along?" He let the tiniest of smiles cross his face before putting on his cowl and jumping into the Batmobile. Dick grabbed his own mask and hopped in besides his mentor while Diana took to the skies, following the car as it rocketed off.
The crew arrived at City Hall not long after. "Doesn't look like anyone's here." Bruce hummed in agreement.
"Stick to the shadows. I'll keep an eye on the mayor. He's likely the only one here this late, but don't take any chances."
"Copy that."
"Affirmative."
Dick hacked into various security cameras and motion sensors to cover a wider area in his search. Doubt that would help much, the League knows how to avoid those. But might as well try. He sighed as he finished his third full coverage of the premises, and was just about to start a fourth when his visor picked up on a shadowy being sprinting towards where Bruce was posted. "Bats, you've got incoming. Looks like only one guy."
"One? Keep an eye out for more, where there's one there could be multiple. Radio if you need backup."
"Will do." Dick approached the assassin, who had slowed down to observe their surroundings, and lunged at them. The assassin moved out of the way flawlessly and grabbed Dick by the leg, flinging him out of the room and through a glass window where he fell to a lower level. Several janitors and other people working late gasped as Dick crashed in front of them. The warrior leapt after him and landed on the floor. Ow…well that's new…didn't think these guys were that skilled. No worries, I got this, probably, maybe, I hope.
The ninja was dressed in very traditional League garb, but her proportions were distinctly feminine, and she seemed rather young. She was around Tim's height, maybe a bit shorter. Dick drew his escrima sticks and readied himself. Surprisingly enough, she didn't attack, instead remaining very composed and almost meditative. He eventually chose to make the first move, attacking her with his traditional precision and flair. She moved out of the way with minimal effort, countering all of his attacks before uppercutting him rather fiercely. Dick was sent flying away, but flipped in midair to land on his feet. He attacked again, but with the same outcome, this time being sent hurtling through a door. The assassin slowly approached him, but was knocked away rather fiercely by Diana, who offered Nightwing a hand up.
"She seems rather young."
"Yeah, but she packs a punch. More skilled than most assassins I've encountered." Diana furrowed her brows as the ninja leapt back to her feet. The duo were prepared to move in once more when the windows behind the girl burst open to reveal an army of more ninjas. Dick and Diana held their stance as Batman dropped in front of them. The girl made a break for Hill's office as the ninjas charged at the trio.
"Wonder Woman, engage the assassins, Nightwing, secure the civilians. I'll go after her." The trio sprung into action. Grayson dropped a smoke bomb, leaving Diana to steamroll the hordes of hostile targets as he ran for the handful of civil workers and janitors watching in horror.
"Everyone, out, single file. I'll cover you, go!" Dick escorted the group of civilians to the nearby exits, waiting till all of them were safely evacuated before turning around to return to the fray. Unbeknownst to him, the girl from before was watching him as he did so, with interest in her eyes. He saves the innocents. Rather that eliminates his foes. Why? She shrugged it off and continued to Mayor Hill's office, Batman not far behind. She broke down the office doors, eyeing the fearful mayor before hurling a dagger at him, which was deflected by a Batarang. She turned around to face Batman while the mayor hid underneath his desk. Batman glared at the girl as she leapt into action against him. Dick, who had caught up with his mentor, ran to secure the mayor. The girl once again eyed him in wonder, managing to keep Batman at arm's length with relative ease. He saves the man, despite his corruption. Why? Before she could do much else, Diana came in and knocked her out swiftly.
"Are you okay?" Bruce shrugged off a bruise the girl had given him and nodded.
"Fine. Let's tie her up, carefully. She's well-trained, probably better trained than any LOA member I've ever come across barring Ra's and Shiva herself." Dick turned to the mayor, who was ranting about how he was going to come after the Bats for this "unprovoked attack on City Hall".
"You're welcome for the save. Now get out of here before more of them show up. Or do you wanna be around when 50 ninjas come bursting through that door looking to kill you?" Hill gulped before running out without so much as another word.
The girl woke up shortly after, tied to a pillar as Batman glared at her. She was unmasked and Dick took note of her short, black hair and brown eyes, as well as the numerous scars all over her face. Damn. What's this girl gone through? "Let's make one thing very clear. You are not in any position of power here. You've already seen that Wonder Woman can deal with you, so don't even try to escape. You are going to tell me everything you know, starting now. What is the League's endgame here? Is Ra's looking to replace Hill with an operative of the Light? Who?" Dick wasn't sure he agreed with Bruce's tone here. The girl was clearly damaged, and the softer approach would likely have gotten them further.
The girl looked at Bruce wordlessly, not even wavering her breath. Batman growled in response, and Dick placed a hand on his shoulder. The man may have been getting better with his…issues after Jason, but he had to make sure his mentor didn't backslide.
"Why don't you run a recon on the area, make sure there aren't any other operatives in the area. I'll stay with her." Diana nodded in approval and Bruce hesitantly nodded before grappling off wordlessly, Diana flying after him. Dick eyed the young girl, smiling. "Hey." The girl softened her glare at Dick, almost feeling more comfortable with him. "So…you're pretty young, aren't you?" She nodded. "You, uh, you got a name, or something?" The girl didn't speak, so Dick dropped the subject. Figures. What trained assassin would toss around their name willy-nilly. Well, she IS pretty young…not to mention those scars. Dick sat down, realizing she wouldn't speak no matter what he did, and decided to stay silent for a while. The girl did not take her eyes off him, and eventually asked what was on her mind.
"You saved mayor. Why?" Dick raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Corrupt man. Why save?" The vigilante sighed.
"He's as corrupt as they come, but it's not my place to pick and choose who to save. If someone is in danger it's my responsibility to do something about it, no matter how bad they are. First thing Batman taught me."
"Batman ineffective. Lets criminals live." Dick sighed.
"Now you sound like your boss, kid. Look, it may be…ineffective, but that's not the point. We save people cuz it's the right thing to do. Even someone terrible. Even a monster like Joker. We have skills, talents, and we have to use them responsibly. Otherwise, they're just…wasted on us. You've got so much potential. I saw how you manhandled me earlier. How you almost manhandled Bats. You could save so many lives with those skills. Why do you follow a monster like Ra's Al Ghul? He kills anyone who defies his 'vision'. That's not someone I'd wanna follow." The girl looked down, almost in sorrow. Dick sighed. "Sorry, I…didn't mean to come off as harsh. I, uh, I have a friend who used to be involved with the League. Her dad was one of their operatives, so she kinda had no choice. She and her sister. But she chose her own path. And you could too." The girl looked at Dick with curiosity. "I saw you fighting back there. You could have easily killed me, killed Bats! But you didn't. Hell, you could have killed Hill back there, but you didn't. Something tells me you've got your own reservations about which side of this war you're on. Trust me, I know a thing or two about not wanting to follow in your parent's footsteps." Before Dick could say anymore, the window above him shattered and dozens of ninjas landed all around him. He hurried up to his feet, grabbing his sticks and readying himself for battle. However, he was not expecting to see who was leading them.
Lady Shiva stepped forward, drawing her sword. "Hello, little bird. It has certainly been a while since our last encounter." Before Dick could attack Shiva, a poison dart hit him in the neck and he fell to his knees in agony. God, what is that?! N-nonlethal, I hope…REALLY hoping Bruce gets back h-here soon with an antibiotic syringe, cuz I d-don't have one…Shiva kneed him in the face before pressing a boot to his skull to keep him on the floor. Her warriors freed her daughter and picked Dick up so he was on his knees, being held up in front of Shiva. She backhanded the girl hard, and Dick gritted his teeth. "You couldn't even escape mere shackles?! Pathetic, Cassandra, where did all my efforts go?! No matter. You can redeem yourself here. Kill Nightwing." Shiva tossed the girl, Cassandra, a sword as she stood up, wiping the blood from her mouth.
"M-mother, n-no ki-" Shiva death-glared Cassandra once more as she shuddered and nodded in fear. Dick widened his eyes. SHIVA is her MOTHER?! She somewhat hesitantly approached Dick, locking eyes with him. He saw the sorrow and regret in her eyes and tried to put on a smile for her. She slowly pulled up the blade before a Batarang landed next to Dick and blinded the lot of them. His lenses kept him safe from the flash as Bruce dropped down, kicking the two warriors who were holding him up.
"P-poison dart…" Bruce pulled out a metallic syringe from his belt and stabbed it into Dick's neck, the fluid nullifying the poison in his bloodstream. Dick shook it off as he stood up.
"Dose should keep you going until we get back to the cave. I'll have the computer generate an antidote from the DNA sample the syringe collected." Dick nodded as he rubbed his neck, but Shiva gritted her teeth, the effects of the flash having worn off. Diana landed next to the original Dynamic Duo as assassins surrounded them.
"Kill them all. But leave Batman to me." Bruce and Shiva locked in combat as Dick and Diana took on the assassins. Cassandra simply stood there and watched, unsure of who to even help. She eyed Dick and Diana as they fought for their lives against the ninjas, and she eyed Bruce and her mother clash in deep combat. She thought back to what Dick told her. "Something tells me you've got your own reservations about which side of this war you're on. Trust me, I know a thing or two about not wanting to follow in your parent's footsteps."
Shiva managed to get the upper hand on a momentarily stunned Bruce, but before either of them could continue their duel, Cassandra leapt in, knocking her mother away. "You dare?!"
"Yes." Cassandra pulled out her own sword, locking in combat with her mother.
"After everything I did for you, this is how you repay me?!"
"Torture, killing, hurt. No more." Cass fought back against her mother with impressive grit, and Bruce watched with interest. Dick and Diana finished off the foot-soldiers not long after and ran up to him. Grayson watched with somewhat bated breath as the girl took on her mother in single combat. She's good…don't think I've seen anyone her age even come close to keeping up with Shiva…but it won't be enough. Nightwing and Batman flung their respective projectiles at the assassin as she started to get the upper hand on Cass, and the three of them ran up to support her. Shiva's eyes went wide with anger as she leapt backwards.
"You will regret this, Cassandra! Mark my words!" She vanished in a puff of smoke as Dick smiled at Cass.
"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all." Cass smiled at Dick as he placed a hand on her shoulder. He then turned to Bruce, who was staring rather intently at the girl, and nodded.
The crew brought Cassandra back to the Batcave, upon much convincing on Dick's behalf, and Bruce even went so far as to offer her a home at the Manor after learning of her backstory from Dick. He always did have a problem with lost children, it was only a matter of time till he considered offering to adopt her. She graciously declined the living opportunity for the time being. "You're leaving?"
"Want to travel, see who I can be. Will return, soon." Dick smiled.
"Yeah, I get it. Hey, if you ever need anything, feel free to stop by Blüdhaven. Something tells me you'll be able to find me pretty easily." Dick embraced the young girl. He hadn't known her much longer than a few hours, but he always had a soft spot for kids in troubled situations, something he picked up from his mentor. Besides, the girl reminded him so much of Artemis. Same tragic upbringing, same desire to forge her own path, same no-nonsense attitude that he somehow managed to worm his way past. It was probably pretty silly to any outside viewer, but he felt connected to the girl, just like he had felt connected to Tim when he first arrived, or Zatanna before then. "Take care of yourself, Cass."
"You too."
Diana smiled at the girl and Bruce nodded stoically before returning to his work on the dagger. Cass noticed the dagger and her eyes widened a smidge. Dick traced her eyesight and raised an eyebrow. "Cass, do you know anything about that?" She nodded.
"Mother told stories. Court of Owls." Something in Diana's mind clicked, and her own eyes went wide.
"I believe I have heard of this…Court of Owls before. I came across some research on them from my archeologist days. I can see if I can narrow down a lead on their organization." Bruce nodded before turning to Dick.
"In the meantime, we should pay Ra's Al Ghul a visit."
"Yeah, after what we did today, something tells me he won't be ecstatic to tell us anything about these guys."
"Cassandra, the Court, what did the League think of them." Dick turned to Cass.
"Great one said…Owls dangerous. League feared them." An organization the League of Assassins was afraid of? This is getting more interesting by the minute…
"Then Ra's will be more than happy to offer us any information he can about them, so as to use his enemies to eliminate one another. Thank you, Cassandra."
Over on the other side of town, Ra's Al Ghul smiled as his warriors unearthed a coffin. A relatively fresh coffin, from the looks of things, not much more than a few months old. They opened it to find a boy with horrible bruises and distinguishing injuries all over his body, with the letter 'J' cut into his upper chest.
"The detective and his fools turned one of our own against us? Perhaps we shall return the favor. What say you, Lady Shiva?" By his side, Shiva grinned.
"An eye for an eye. He will serve us well, both as an adversary and as a mentor for your heir." Ra's smirked as he looked to his followers.
"Bring the corpse and erase any evidence of our tamperings. It would be…counterintuitive for the detective to discover our plans early. We have some work to do."
This feels like a much lower quality chapter, sorry about that. I kinda wanted to exposition dump a bit and introduce Cass for later at the same time, thought I probably could have done it less clumsily. As always, your tolerance for this sort of stuff is very appreciated, I promise to try and make up for it with the next few chapters. I've gotten a decent amount of suggestions recently, so I'm gonna try to sprinkle them throughout other chapters, and HOPEFULLY make them better than this mess was. Next chapter will be one such suggestion, mostly because it was a Christmas-related one and I wanted to try and post it by New Years for the theme and all. I'll be sure to get to others shortly as well though. More suggestions are always welcome, so keep them coming. I will try my best to balance between the overarching story and the requests everyone sends in. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions for chapters you wanna see. Next chapter up soon.