I do not own Young Justice or any of the characters.


Identity

Canary sat beside Cassius's bed with Dick, and Cassius pushed himself up into a seated position, leaning back against the headboard, Rose and Cassandra sitting up with him, neither having left his arms except for food or to use the bathroom since he had woken up about a day ago.

"So, Dick tells me you know what the Reach is after, and also your past life and want to tell me about it?" Canary asked.

"Yeah," Cassius said. "I should have told you about my past before, but..." He sighed. "Anyway, I'll start with the Reach. They want to study the Meta-Gene some humans carry, and hope to weaponize it. It's a genetic marker in some humans that allows them to develop superpowers under conditions of extreme stress or trauma."

Canary nodded. "Based on what the others all told me, that's the conclusion I'd come to."

Cassius nodded. "It's also the same reason they had the Light experiment on me in my past, back when I still went by the hero name Copycat."

Canary's jaw actually dropped. "What?"

Cassius smirked knowingly. "I know. Not what you were expecting, right? In my past life, I was Copycat, bane of the League of Shadows' existence."

Canary stared at him for a few minutes before smiling and nodding. "So you really were a hero."

Cassius shook his head. "Heroes don't kill, but when I fought the League of Shadows, the reason I was the bane of their existence was that I only spared the grunts, who I could take down with one or two hits each. I didn't waste the energy trying to spare the Shadows higher ups. I just killed them."

Canary nodded. "So that's what you weren't proud of that you were considered a hero for."

Cassius nodded. "I spent years slaughtering their best, and they wanted me dead. But about the same time Lady Shiva captured me for...personal reasons, the Reach had asked the Light to capture a human with an active Meta-Gene to be studied. So, once Lady Shiva had finished having her fun, she took me to the island to be studied by Reach scientists and guarded by Shadows, and Deadshot. I don't remember the scientists being there because of the nature of the tests. They submerged me in a thick black fluid they called tar. It's thick and black, about like you'd expect, except that it's boiling and acidic. By the time it reached my knees, I was already in too much pain to think straight. In order to try and protect myself from the pain, I tried to use my Body Modification to transform my body into tar, except that I couldn't concentrate properly through the pain, and as I was shifting, I accidentally overexposed my cells to the tar, and I drew in some of the tar. As a result, the chemical reaction the tar causes with cells bearing a Meta-Gene, active or not, mutated my Meta-Gene, changed my powers, and I literally became tar with a consciousness. The process was extremely slow, and was excruciating. I was being broken down on a molecular level. It was the same level of pain as what the Reach did to me. I can't describe it, and I wouldn't want to even if I could, because I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Even Nemesis."

"Special hate for Nemesis?" Canary asked.

"He earned it," Cassius growled. "I'll get into that later." He took a long breath, refocusing his thoughts on his past. "The pain of being broken down on a molecular level wiped my memories. Ironically, feeling that same pain again restored them. Anyway, I doubt the Reach got what they wanted, or recognized me after they caught me this time. At the end of my...transformation, my sister found me, but got captured. I was able to...sense her, I guess. I didn't have a body at the time, but I knew she was there and needed my help, despite having come to save me. So I was able to ignore the pain of trying to use my Body Modification again, even without knowing what it was, and was able to form myself a body with a random appearance in order to break free and rescue her, but without memories, I didn't know her, and Deadshot killed her before she could tell me. David Cane and Lady Shiva found me and brought me into the Shadows."

"You said that lady Shiva captured you for personal reasons," Canary said. "Was it anything related to your Meta-Gene?"

"No," Cassius said. "When I was Copycat, she had an...obsession with me. The first time I fought her, I humiliated her by beating her in seconds, and she only managed to escape thanks to Slade-uh...Deathstroke-shooting me with a sniper rifle while she fled. I managed to shift into an alien species that is able to survive excessive amounts of physical damage without dying so that I survived, but both of them escaped. After that, Lady Shiva tracked me down about five or six times a month. Not all of them were to fight me, but even when she was trying to fight me, she was also trying to seduce me. It was infuriatingly annoying, but she never gave up, and she always managed to escape before I could kill her, through one bullshit trick or another. I'm partially the reason she got so good at fighting and escaping capture. After she finally caught me, she spent weeks...enjoying her victory, before taking me to the island to be experimented on."

"I see," Canary said, glancing at Cassandra. "Just to be clear, is Cassandra-"

"Cain's," Cassius said. "She was born years after I became Void."

"How old is Lady Shiva?" Dick asked.

"Fifties, maybe sixties," Cassius said. "As near as I can tell, she hit her late twenties and just stopped aging. I'm not sure how, but based on how many times I seriously wounded her, I have a feeling Lazarus Pits might be involved."

"It's possible," Dick nodded. "If Ra's al Ghul wanted to keep her around."

"Deathstroke has his own Lazarus Pit," Cassius said. "It's partly responsible for his own powers, and how he's lived so goddamn long."

"Partially?" Dick asked.

"He was also injected with an experimental serum," Rose said. "He told me it was made from Venom, water from the Lazarus Pit, and several other chemicals, including bits of Nemesis's DNA, but all of it broken down to its most basic form. He said the one he was injected with was imperfect, and it put him in a coma for months before he woke up with near-superhuman strength, speed, agility, reflexes, healing, and intelligence. He claimed he later perfected the serum, which he injected me with when I was young while I was in a Lazarus Pit. That's probably where my own abilities come from. Specifically the limited precognition, as well as my enhanced strength, agility, and healing. They're not on my father's level, but they're more stable than his, so I don't need to go into a Lazarus Pit once every few months to keep my body from breaking down."

"That would explain a bit," Dick said.

"So, what can you tell us about Nemesis?" Canary asked.

"He's an alien species from several galaxies away," Cassius said. "The Kryptonians tried to go to that galaxy several times in order to get a special type of mineral there that would make them immune to kryptonite, but Nemesis's species was able to hold them back, thanks to his helmet."

"What's special about it?" Canary asked.

"Well, it used to belong to the ruler of Nemesis's species, until he killed him and stole it," Cassius said. "It amplifies the wearer's power several times over, but Nemesis's evil intentions corrupted it. It sort of, absorbed all the darkness from his heart. Without it on, he's a timid, kind-hearted person, who's too afraid of his own power to be very strong. He was also a friend of mine as Copycat. With it on, however, he's a ruthless, evil being, with his power amplified by the helmet, and a desire to slaughter anyone the good side of his soul cares about, as well as cause the good side of his soul so much pain that he loses the strength to keep the dark side contained. In the past, the dark side killed everyone the good side cared about, except me. I was able to fight him, albeit not on equal ground, and managed to get the helmet off. Nemesis became the evil side's name because he was the good side's nemesis, not mine. However, beating the evil side made him hate me as much as the good side, so he made me suffer without trying to fight me by raping both my wife and my sister. I hunted him down and beat him to within an inch of his life before taking the helmet off, and the good side wanted to commit suicide to stop the other. I stopped him and he locked the helmet away. I'm not sure how he ended up wearing it again, or why the evil side is in complete control now, but I assume we have the Light to thank for it."

"Probably," Dick said. "Nemesis is a powerful asset on their side, as long as they have you to aim him at."

"Would you like to talk in private about anything, Cassius?" Canary asked. "I'm willing to listen if you need to."

"No," Cassius said. "I'll be okay. Thank you, though."

Canary nodded, smiling, then stood. "I should go and tell the League what you've told me. Do you mind if I tell them who you are?"

"Go ahead," Cassius said. "As long as I don't have to deal with the initial reactions. I'm too tired for that. That's why I wanted to tell only you, since I knew you'd be able to take it in stride."

Canary nodded. "Get some rest, then."

Cassius nodded and she left, Dick standing.

"I gotta get back to the Team," Dick said.

"Where are we, anyway?" Cassius asked.

"Oh, you're on the Watchtower," Dick said. "With the Cave gone, it's the only place that had the equipment to treat you without having to try and explain to a civilian hospital why you were in the condition you were in, or why you healed faster than a normal human."

Cassius nodded. "Thanks."

Dick nodded and left, and Cassius lay back down with the girls, closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift off to sleep again.


Cassius sat on his bed and sighed, looking around. It felt good to be back in the Manor after having been stuck in the Watchtower's makeshift medical wing for so long. He looked around slowly at his bare room. The didn't have any spare clothes since he just made what he needed from his goo, he didn't have decorations because he usually was too busy being beaten bloody by Batman or else staying at the Cave to avoid him, and therefor had no time to enjoy decorations, so he never got them.

"You need anything?" Dick asked.

"Sleep," Cassius said. "Shit-tons of sleep."

Dick chuckled, nodding. "Alright. Get some rest. I'll keep the girls off missions until you're recovered."

Cassius sighed, smiling tiredly. "Dick, let's be honest here. You won't be able to get them out of the manor until after I'm healed."

Dick chuckled again. "True."

He raised a hand in farewell and left. Cassius retracted the goo making up his shoes and climbed into bed, yawning. A few seconds later, Cassandra and Rose joined him, Cassius smiling knowingly and wrapping his arms around them both, not bothering to open his eyes before beginning to drift off to sleep. After a while, he wasn't sure how long, he stirred as Cassandra tightened her arms around him and whimpering. He tightened his arm around her as well and she stirred, beginning to cry silently. he trailed his hand up and down her back silently as she cried, continuing to do so until she finally drifted off to sleep again. He sighed, closing his eyes and following her, memories of his life before, of being with his wife, plaguing his sleep.


Cassius set his freshly cleaned plate on the stack in the cupboard, closing it, and headed toward the bedrooms. Cassandra and Rose had gone to bed in their own rooms for the night, and both were sleeping soundly. He sighed, walking outside and spread his wings, grimacing against the pain of using his goo while still not healed. Then, he took off, flying to his family's grave. He landed at the edge of town, as always, and shifted into his old life's form, walking through town and getting some flowers, pushing money through the mail slot, as he always did when the shop was closed, then walked to the grave. He knelt down on it, staring at the names in silence for a few minutes.

"I finally remember," Cassius said. "I remember everything. It took me so long to remember. Wouldn't you know it, it took me being tortured until the brink of death for me to remember my life. Ironic, huh?" He fell silent for a few minutes, allowing his old memories to play behind his eyes. "I love you, Eveline. I'm so sorry for what I did. I wish I could take it back." He took a long, shaky breath. "You told me once that you'd be watching. I can't imagine it was very easy to see all of it, was it? I...I'm sorry. I...I won't be coming by anymore. It's time for me to let you rest." He smiled sadly as his tears began to fall. "I tried. I really did. But you knew, didn't you? That was why you gave me that message, right?"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back, seeing Evaline standing behind him, one child in her arms and his sister beside her, holding the other. Both women smiled supportively, Eveline nodding mutely. He smiled as well, even as tears began to fall faster. He reached up, wiping his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was alone. He took a shaky breath and turned back to the grave, reaching out with a strand of goo, carving his sister's name on the grave as well. He wiped his eyes again and smiled.

"Goodbye Eveline, Jake, Cody, Amanda," Cassius said. "Have a good rest. I'll see you again someday."

He stood slowly and took a long, shaky breath before reforming his wings and turned, taking off again, flying back to Wayne Manor and walking into it. As he was heading for his room, Rose opened the door of hers, leaning on the doorway.

"Cassandra had another nightmare," Rose said. "They've been worse since we rescued you. Killing so many, as well as seeing you like that, really shook her up."

"I know," Cassius said. "Is she alright?"

"Tim's with her now," Rose said.

Cassius nodded. "I'll check on her before bed."

Rose nodded. "You went to the grave, right?"

"Yeah," Cassius said. "I wanted to say goodbye in person. I'm not going to visit anymore."

"Why?" Rose asked.

"I've held onto them for two lives already, and I'm the reason they're dead," Cassius said. "It's time for me to let them go."

Rose nodded. "Well, I'm going to go back to bed."

"Rose," Cassius said, making her look back at him. "Are you okay?"

Rose dropped her gaze to the floor for a moment. "Not really. But I will be. Now that you're okay, I'll be alright."

Cassius nodded and hugged her before letting her head back to bed. He walked to Cassandra's room, finding the door was still open. He looked in silently just as Tim leaned in, kissing Cassandra. She hesitated before beginning to kiss him back. Cassius smiled, eyes softening and itching. However, after a moment, Cassandra reached up, hands pressing against the front of Tim's shoulders. He pulled back immediately and Cassius backed away, heading to bed before they could see him. He climbed into bed in silence and lay on his back, eyes staring emptily at the ceiling. This was good. Tim would be good to her, and he was better for her. He rolled over, closing his eyes and letting out a slow breath, allowing himself to slip into his memories in place of dreams.


Leave a review.