Chapter 12: Wonder Girl
A/N: Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy New Year! We're back, with our longest chapter to date at just shy of 20K words! This one took us a bit longer than expected, but it paid off! So sit back and relax, as a new player enters the game! We've also made some updates to Chapter 11 to better suit our plans going forward, so feel free to go back and see if you can spot them!
Cowriting done with Batmarcus, Editing and Proofreading done by Ghost Fire 6 and Lord Zeppelin.
Mount Justice, September 15, 17:32 EST
It was just another day at the cave. At least, that's how it appeared to Kaldur, anyways. Gathered at the Cave was himself, Wally, Jason, T'zari, Laura, Nolan, and Connor, as Superboy insisted on being called. M'gann was in New York, helping Francis prepare for a history presentation; Carter had an English assignment he had procrastinated for too long; and Artemis said she had to help her mother with something. All in all, an average day for the Team.
"I've got an inside source. VERY inside."
And yet he could not get Sportsmaster out of his head. When they fought in Taipei the previous week, the mercenary had mentioned things. Things he shouldn't have known. He knew about T'zari, their newest member. He knew about Bialya, their most recent mission. A mission that Sportsmaster was nowhere near. How had he known these things? Were whispers of the Team starting to spread throughout the criminal underworld, or did Sportsmaster indeed have an inside source?
The thought of the latter sickened the Atlantean to his stomach. These were his friends, the second family he had found on the surface. None of them could be traitors…could they?
But there were things that stood out to him. Things the Atlantean couldn't help but notice, that now stood out following Sportsmaster's taunt. Nolan's time of arrival to the cave had grown progressively more erratic over the past few weeks, and there were some days he didn't come in at all. T'zari kept to himself, and whenever Kaldur was in his room, he took note of a pattern of dust that indicated a missing photograph. What was the Wakandan prince hiding? Artemis claimed to be Green Arrow's niece, yet to Kaldur's knowledge, Oliver Queen had no living relatives. Was there more to the story, or was it simply a lie to hide her real identity?
M'gann said she was Martian Manhunter's niece, but by her own admission, Martian families were so huge that she'd never actually met J'onn until she came to Earth in June. Who was to say she was who she said she was? Wally was the fastest boy alive, with a fast mouth to back it up. Had he let something slip to the wrong person? Francis's family had a background in espionage, and most of the League's stance on SHIELD was spotty at the best of times. To the best of Kaldur's knowledge, Francis' parents had had some sort of falling out with the intelligence organization when he was born, but that didn't mean it wasn't some elaborate cover.
Jason had grown up in the rough part of Gotham, home to some of the worst criminals in the city. Who's to say he still didn't maintain some of those connections? Conner and Laura had been living essentially brainwashed for years. Or in Conner's case, his entire life. Not to mention that there were large parts of Laura's history prior to them finding her at Cadmus that she went to great effort to hide from even Logan. And the origin of Carter's powers were still a mystery to even him.
Put simply, the more he thought about it, the more he was rapidly coming to realize that for now everyone was a suspect in some way or another.
'There has to be a way to figure this out.' He thought, biting his lip. He couldn't go to Captain America or Batman with this. They would organize a mole hunt, doing it in such a way that was sure to tip them off. And if the mole didn't exist, and this was just some sort of mindgame, then bringing up his suspicions would only cause the Team to unravel.
"Penny for your thoughts, Kaldur?" Nolan asked, stepping up beside him and looking concerned.
"No, it's nothing. Just lost in my own head a bit," He spoke evasively.
"Okay, if you're sure. You know if you need to talk, we're all here."
"I know," Kaldur smiled, 'That might be part of the problem.' For now, all he could do was watch, and pray to the Old Gods of the sea that he was wrong.
Meanwhile, Jason stood in front of the door to Laura's room, staring at the door. "Alright, Laura, what'd you want to show me?" The Boy Wonder asked.
"Just…give me a second. I've gotta do it a certain way," Laura's muffled voice said from the other side, Jason tapped his foot impatiently. "Alright, I'm ready. Just…don't laugh." As Laura opened the door, Jason stepped into her room. For a second, he was momentarily struck by just how… spartan the room was. No posters, no books, just a computer, a bed, and a closet. He was about to comment on it, when the mutant cleared her throat as she shut the door. The boy wonder turned around, and was greeted with the sight of a blushing Laura in the black and yellow uniform of the Bumblebees. "How do I look?"
"What… what am I looking at here?" He asked, her blush deepening.
"It's… my uniform. I just got it at practice yesterday, but I haven't tried it on yet." She explained, Jason's brow furrowed.
"Uniform? Practice? What are you-" His question stopped when the lightbulb went off in his head, as all that training from the World's Greatest Detective paid off. "Oh my god. You're a cheerleader."
"Don't say it so loud!" The red faced X-23 shushed, but Jason's face was still in pure shock.
"How the hell did this happen?"
"M'gann dragged me to cheerleader tryouts, and I got accepted somehow. I've gone to a few practices, and…" She trailed off, turning a shade of red that would have given Red Tornado a run for his money. "I… actually really like it. It's… pretty fun." She explained, Jason scratched the back of his head. "Well, don't just stand there. Does this uniform look as stupid on me as I think it does?"
"Hm? Oh, no. It uh…" Robin answered, softly smiling. "It looks good on you. Like, really good." Did that come out creepy? Jason felt it sounded a little creepy, but Laura too seemed to like it as she returned his smile.
"Thanks. I uh… I'll send you the football schedule. You know, if you ever come see me. I mean us!" She corrected, but Jason didn't seem to mind.
"I'd like that."
In the lounge, Wally sighed as he watched an old episode of Rom The Spaceknight, earning a sigh in turn from T'zari, who simply sighed in return.
"You know, pouting isn't gonna change anything." He commented, but Wally brushed it off.
"Who says I'm pouting?" The redheaded speedster replied, earning a frown from the Wakandan prince.
"Despite the way you act sometimes, you are fairly intelligent. I have seen you and Nolan discuss physics and science with an enthusiasm that I have only seen from my aunt in Wakanda. You can figure out exactly how to recreate the Flash's experiment from an old notebook, and you cannot notice when a girl is not interested in you?" T'zari asked, and Wally looked away.
"You're starting to sound like Artemis. So M'gann was playing hard to get. I was wearing her down, and it was only a matter of time-" He started to protest, when the newest member of the Team cut him off.
"Wally, my friend, Artemis is right. M'gann…was just not into you. Deep down, you had to know that, right?" The Wakandan stated, causing Wally to sigh.
"...Yeah, I know."
"Now, are you truly upset that your friends are together? That they have found happiness with each other?" The prince asked, earning another sigh from Wally.
"No, I'm not. I'm actually pretty thrilled for 'em, but I'm just…I dunno...Jealous," The speedster answered, causing T'zari to smile as he patted his friend on the shoulder.
"Cheer up. I am sure you will find the right one for you," he reassured. Perhaps now was not the best time to ask what the deal was between him and Artemis...
Meanwhile, Nolan and Superboy were in the mission room, the silence more than a little awkward. "So…" Nolan spoke up after a brief moment. "...how's school?"
"It's good." Superboy replied, not elaborating at all.
"It's at the local high school here, right? The one where we fought the Shadows?"
"Yeah. About a fifteen minute walk."
"So did we leave any damage, or…?"
"They got a new computer lab. Apparently your dad felt bad or something." That was all Superboy seemed willing to share for now, causing the Stark to sigh.
"Good talk, Conner," He resigned, and much to his relief, the Zeta Tube powered up.
"Recognize: Wonder Woman, 04." The Zeta Tube announced, and from the glowing light emerged none other than the Star Spangled woman herself, emerging from the Tube as the others entered the mission area.
"Hello, Team," The Spirit of Truth greeted.
"Greetings, Diana." Kaldur greeted with a respectful bow, as was befitting of a founding member of the League. "I was under the impression that Black Canary was going to be handling our training today."
"She was, but she had to cancel. I volunteered to cover for her." She explained.
"Let me guess: twisted her ankle?" Jason asked.
"Sprained her wrist?"
"Concussion?
"Food poisoning." Wonder Woman answered, earning a sympathetic wince from several of them. "Originally, she was going to teach you certain fighting styles, but I had something different in mind. Suit up, and meet me on the beach." She instructed.
Several minutes later, the gathered team was in full costumed attire, gathered on the beach in front of Diana. They stood by the water, while the former Justice Society member stood in front of the entrance to the Cave. "Is there a reason you had us suit up?" Iron Knight asked, careful to avoid the water touching his armor.
"Because I wanted to even the odds for you," Diana responded with a smirk, causing several of them to exchange a glance. "Your opponent today is going to be me."
"Wait, just you?" Superboy asked, getting a nod from Wonder Woman. "No offense, but all of us against you? Isn't that a little… nuts?"
"Only if you've never seen her fight." Kid Flash remarked, as Diana planted her feet in the sand.
"Today, I am the enemy. Your goal is to make it past me and into the Cave. Should even one of you make it in, it will be considered a victory."
"That sounds simple enough." Laura shrugged.
"Then you can go first." Nolan offered stepping aside for the clawed girl, who simply popped her claws before stepping up.
"Oh, and here I was hoping the biggest challenge would go last." Diana said as Laura rushed her. She aimed a slash at Diana's mid section, which was caught by her opponent. Before Laura could even respond, Wonder Woman caught her by the wrist, swinging her around like a bat and hitting Kid Flash, who had attempted to run inside, hard in the ribs and sending both crashing into the water.
She just smirked as three Bird-arangs came flying at her, followed swiftly by its owner. She ducked beneath one shuriken, caught the others, and hurled it back at Robin. It exploded as the flashbang within went off. Temporarily blinded, the Boy Wonder never saw the punch to his gut coming until he was slumped on the ground, winded.
There were cries as Superboy, Iron Knight, Aqualad, and White Wolf all jumped in from each side. Diana wasn't even phased bringing up her bracers and almost gently clashing them together. A wave of energy burst from her and they were all sent flying backward. She pulled out her lasso before wrapping it around Superboys waist as he had been the one closest to jumping into the cave. He stopped dead before she swung him in a wide arc around her and smashed him into X-23. Both groaning as they hit the sand with the others.
"Ow…"
"So, who wants to guess where you all went wrong?" She asked casually, sitting cross legged from where she had barely moved as X-23 and Kid Flash emerged from the water, coughing. All in all, she had thoroughly beaten all of them in less than three minutes.
"Uh, we thought we could take Wonder Woman?" Robin groaned out, pulling his mask down to rub his eyes.
"Don't let my titles and reputation fool you. Here, I'm just another adversary." She corrected. "Tell me, why did you all decide to rush me?" Wonder Woman asked, as Kaldur sat up.
"Given how your strength was far superior than even Superboy, we all figured that distracting you with a layered assault would allow one of us to make it to the objective." He explained, Diana sighed.
"And that was your mistake." She stated. "Yes, in the past, you have been able to overwhelm the enemy by dividing up into groups, and even overwhelm them with superior numbers. However, they were simply unprepared for sheer numbers."
"So… strength in numbers isn't the way to go?" T'zari asked.
"Strength in numbers is a time honored strategy, but when you face an opponent such as me, with enhanced strength and combat experience, you must strategize. Find your own strengths and weaknesses, and compare them to your opponent's."
"But, and I don't mean to sound like a broken record, you're Wonder Woman." Nolan stated as his helmet opened up. "I mean, Superman has Kryptonite. Thor's fightable if you take away his hammer. If you can figure out where he's going to be, you can take out Flash. Martian Manhunter's weak to fire, Captain Marvel's body can't process certain kinds of energy…I could go on, but the point is, you don't have any weaknesses like that."
"But I am a fighter. Yes, I can fly. Yes, I have super strength, durability, and reflexes. But I am still a fighter. Still a physical object with mass and momentum, and one that can only process things so fast." The League founder explained. "There have been times in the past where I have been overwhelmed, ambushed by enemies that moved with more speed and precision than I could process. And more importantly, they worked together." This earned a few confused looks from the Team.
"But… isn't that what we've been doing for the past two months?" Superboy asked, and Wonder Woman shook her head.
"You all fight together, but not as a group."
"Ok, you've lost me now." The Teen Wonder spoke up.
"Let's break down what happened. Who made the first move?"
"I did." The mutant infiltrator spoke up, earning a nod from Diana.
"You all stepped aside, allowing your best fighter to take the lead. While she may have easily held her own against the assassins and soldiers you have fought in the past, I am an Amazon, trained by some of the best in the world. Had Robin and White Wolf joined her, I would have had to reevaluate the fighting style I was using, which would have then allowed Iron Knight to support from long range." Wonder Woman explained.
"While I was distracted, your heavy hitters would have been able to incapacitate me, allowing Kid Flash to move in and proceed to the objective." Diana sat back then folded her arms in front of her. "A crucial part of every team's development is learning how to play off each other's strength. Tell me, who here has heard of a Fastball Special?"
"Isn't that where someone throws Wolverine?" Kid Flash asked, earning a nod from their instructor.
"Let's break it down. Colossus is a mutant that covers himself in an organic steel that greatly increases his strength and size. Wolverine, as many of you know, is a man on the short side with a healing factor and a skeleton laced with adamantium. In other words, Colossus is strong, and Wolverine can take a beating." Diana broke down.
"Now, often times, the X-Men have found themselves facing off against enemies capable of flight. Something neither of the two are equipped to deal with. However, by working together, they combine Colossus's strength with Wolverine's stature in order to overcome their shortcomings, something they have used to take down many villains." She explained, as several of them looked at Laura.
"Don't even think about it." Laura warned, earning a chuckle from the older woman.
"What works for them may not work for you. I strongly recommend working with one another to find strategies and combinations best befitting you." The Champion of Olympus suggested, as the clouds rumbled with thunder above them.
"Weird. I thought it was supposed to be sunny all week…" Superboy muttered.
"Science can rarely guarantee the whims of Mother Nature. I suggest we continue our listen inside and-" Wonder Woman started to say-
KRAKOOM
When a bolt of lightning hit the ground directly between Wonder Woman and the Team, sending everyone scrambling to their feet. "Holy crap!" Jason exclaimed, pulling out his bow staff as the rest of the team pulled out their weapons.
"Anyone willing to bet that lightning hitting the ground in front of Wonder Woman is just a coincidence?" Nolan asked as his faceplate shut, smoke obscuring their view.
"Since when has anything in our lives been a coincidence?" Aqualad asked, and on the other side, Wonder Woman narrowed her eyes as the smoke began to clear.
"Diana." A deep voice stated, and the warrior braced herself as the figure towered to a most impressive height. Before she could react, he rushed her…
And wrapped her in a bear hug that lifted her off the ground. "It is good to see you, my friend!" The voice stated, and the smoke cleared enough to give the Team a good luck at the new arrival.
He was a large, muscular man who stood at about six and a half feet tall. He was built like an 80's action star, with the chest hair to boot. He wore a golden headpiece that framed his face and let his wild, curly brown hair be free. Across his chest was a golden sash with a green trim, the same color as the loincloth he wore, with leather wrappings across his legs.
"Hey, Arnold." A voice said as repulsors powered up, knuckles were cracked, waterbearers activated, claws were popped, and shurikens were prepped. "You might wanna put the lady down." Robin warned, and the man turned around, his eyes settling on Iron Knight.
"Stark? Is that you? The red and gold suited you far better than the black, Anthony." He said, before he looked at Superboy. "Zeus's beard, is that Kal-El?! What sorcery has turned you back into a teenager?!"
"Kal-El?" Superboy asked aloud, as Diana stepped forward.
"Team, stand down. This man is not our enemy." She stated as she gestured to him. "Team, meet Hercules. He was once a member of the League when we first expanded several years ago." Diana explained.
"So do all your friends drop in with lightning bolts?" Iron Knight asked. "I mean, it's just common courtesy to shoot someone a text when they come over."
"Because I come with an urgent mission from Olympus itself. One that requires nothing less than the full attention of Earth's mightiest mortals." Hercules answered, which earned a sigh from Diana.
"Let's just… go inside and you can tell me what this is all about."
A short while later, Hercules was walking into the mission area, looking around at the Cave. "By Apollo's bow, this is magnificent. The Mountain of Justice has truly evolved since I was last here…" He muttered to himself, and when he entered the mission area, the holographic screens appeared before him. "Zounds!" The large man laughed, looking at a particular area. "Why, I remember the massive computer Stark built right there! To think that now, such a massive machine does not need to be visible… you mortals are full of surprises."
"Well, they don't compare to traveling in a bolt of lightning, but y'know." Wally muttered, as Diana stepped forward.
"Hercules. Focus, my friend." She pleaded as she approached him. "Do you know how long it has been since you were last here?" Wonder Woman asked, causing a frown to fall across the face of the demigod.
"I… do not. When one has lived for as long as I have, you count things like decades and centuries, not months and years."
"It has been over six years since you were last here. Since the battle with Ares." Wonder Woman reminisced, and Hercules actually chuckled.
"And that… that is quite a while. By mortal definitions, anyway." The former Leaguer remarked, and he looked at the Team gathered by the entrance. "And they… they are not the Justice League, are they?"
"No, they are not. Not yet, anyway." Diana answered. "We have not used this location as a base of operations in many years, due to an incident that occurred not long after you left."
"So why did he leave?" Nolan spoke up. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I remember seeing this guy on the news, then he was just… gone. So what's his deal? Big Greek enthusiast?" She asked, Diana shook her head.
"No. I take it you're familiar with the Greek legend of Hercules?"
"Yeah, saw the movie when I was a kid."
"Bah, that mockery? They completely butchered my story!" The visitor exclaimed, causing Jason's eyes to widen.
"Wait, he's… the actual Hercules? That's not a myth some dead old guys made up?"
"All myths have a basis in fact. While the details have been exaggerated over time, Hercules is the real deal. The son of Zeus himself, champion of the Twelve Labors, slayer of the Nemean Lion and the Nine Headed Hydra." Diana explained, as Hercules smiled proudly.
"And what a fine battle that was. I have yet to face an opponent as worthy as them. Though there are a few in the modern world that dared to try." The Prince of Power explained.
"But didn't Hercules die from poison?" Kaldur asked, and Hercules winced as he recalled the memories.
"Aye, the centaur's blood did indeed kill my mortal self. However, due to my heroic deeds in life, my father Zeus chose to allow me to ascend to Mount Olympus as the God of Might." He explained. "When my dastardly uncle Hades schemed to bring the mortal realm into the Land of the Dead, I chose to intervene, fighting alongside your Justice League."
"Hercules would then join the League when we expanded our membership, fighting alongside us until his half brother Ares, the God of War, attempted to manipulate Black Adam of Khandaq into starting World War III." Wonder Woman explained.
"Afterwards, my father Zeus forbid any Olympians from interfering on Earth. Even travelling here now, I risk a great deal." Hercules stated, causing Wonder Woman to turn to him.
"Which brings me to my next question: why are you here?" She asked, and once more, Hercules's smile was replaced by a frown.
"I take it you are familiar with my father, Zeus? God of the Sky, Lightning, and Thunder? King of the Gods?" He asked, causing White Wolf and Aqualad to exchange a glance.
"Sure…"
"Oh please, children. If you have any knowledge of my people's stories, then you know of my father's… promiscuity."
"Whaaaaat? No, never heard of that!" Wally defended, earning a small smile from Herc.
"There is no need to deny it. It is how I am here, after all. Yes, my father has always been one to sow his wild oats in any that caught his fancy. Why, in Ancient Greece, his children, both godly and mortal, were too numerous to count." Herc recited, and Jason cleared his throat.
"Is uh… is the thing about the swan true?"
"Jason!" Kaldur scolded.
"Oh come on, we were all thinking it!" The Gothamite defended, but Kaldur still shot him a disapproving glare as Hercule's face fell.
"My stepmother, Hera, never approved of my father's dalliances. It was around the rise of the Roman Empire that she began to truly clamp down on his activities. While my father would occasionally sneak down to the mortal realm for an occasional affair or two, he fulfilled the one promise he made to her: he would sire no more children." He explained.
"And that's relevant because?"
"Because, evidently, he has broken that promise." Hercules stated. "Sixteen years ago, Zeus came to Earth and fathered a daughter with a mortal woman, one who would be about your age. Whether he wished for her birth, I know not, but I do know is that Zeus used his immense powers in order to hide the child's existence, so that none may discover her and use my sibling for their own nefarious purposes."
"But I'm guessing that is not the case." Kaldur concluded, earning a nod from the Son of Zeus.
"Aye. Recently, that child, whoever they are, has awoken to their godly gifts. When she did, it resonated throughout Olympus, shattering the spell and alerting us to their existence," The God of Might explained. "My father admitted his infidelity, and now, I come to Diana, the chosen Champion of Olympus, to ask for her aid."
"Why?" Conner spoke up. "I mean, sounds to me like, whoever this kid is, they're just trying to live their life."
"Because Olympian blood is a powerful thing, Son of El. The blood of my father, in particular, carries extraordinary power. It is what enabled me to complete the Twelve Labors thousands of years ago." Hercules stated, ignoring the irritation the Son of El comment elicited from Conner. "Though the time of the Olympians has long passed, there are still those who would seek to destroy us. And if this child ends up in the wrong hands, they might succeed." He explained, and Diana's eyes widened.
"You can't possibly mean her, can you?"
"I do not know. All I know is that securing my sister is paramount." The god stated. "Like I said earlier, I am forbidden from directly interfering in this plane. Even coming here, to request your aid, I risk incurring my father's wrath."
"What would you have me do?" The champion asked.
"Find my sibling, and protect them from those who seek to do them harm." The Greek God asked, and Wonder Woman nodded.
"Of course, my friend. You have my word that I will protect them." She responded, earning a smile from the Prince of Power as he clasped her shoulder.
"I knew that I could count on you, Diana. You have my thanks." He said, when they all heard the rumble of thunder, even through the walls of the cave. "I have been here too long. Zeus can only tolerate my flaunting of his rules for so long."
"Isn't that a little hypocritical, considering the reason why you're here?" Nolan asked, earning a laugh from Hercules.
"My father's rules often are. I shall be sure to tell him as much upon my return." The god said, as he pulled out a golden mace and prepared to slam it on the ground… before he caught himself. "I… should probably do this outside." With that, the Team followed Hercules back to the beach, where they would watch him slam the mace on the ground. Instantly, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck him, vanishing in a clap of thunder.
"So… that was weird, right? Like, even by our standards." Wally asked, and they all nodded in agreement as they walked back to the mission area.
"Not every day a literal god drops out of the sky." Jason remarked, earning a sigh from Nolan.
"He's not a god. He's just descended from a highly evolved alien race that presented himself to the Ancient Greeks like Thor did with the ancient Norse." Nolan 'explained', and Laura just rubbed her temples.
"Oh god, it's the Tower of Fate all over again..." She groaned out as Wally, T'zari, and Nolan began to debate the existence of gods and magic. Kaldur approached Wonder Woman, who was tapping her chin in thought.
"Hercules made it sound as if this child is of grave importance. Do you require assistance?" He asked, and the Amazon sighed.
"I would… if I knew where to start. Hercules only told me what he knew, and even that wasn't much to go on," Diana remarked, folding her arms. "If he knew where she is, what her name is, or what she looked like, I'm confident that he would have told me."
"We will assist you however we can." Aqualad volunteered, earning a smile from the Leaguer.
"Thank you, Kaldur. With the Justice League occupied around the world right now, it would be much appreciated." She thanked, and Kaldur turned to the arguing team.
"Nolan, can you find them?" He asked, and Nolan tapped his chin.
"Maybe. One kid on a planet of seven billion is a needle in a haystack, but I think I can shrink the haystack." Nolan said as he stepped in to the mission area, activating the holographic keypad. "My dad has an algorithm set to monitor news feeds from around the world in order to pick up on meta-incidents around the globe, just in case something pops up that needs the League's attention."
"I am familiar with it." Diana's voice carried a hint of bitterness in it, one brought on by memories of a dark time in the League's history that was better left buried. Nolan went to work, hundreds of news feeds appearing on the screens.
"Ok, so Hercules said that it's a girl, so that lets us narrow it down to incidents involving females." Nolan stated, and the amount of news feeds on the screens was drastically reduced.
"We should probably also filter out known superheroes, like Wonder Woman, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, etc." Robin piped up, earning a nod from Iron Knight.
"Good call. That should save us some time." Nolan commended, entering the parameters in. "Now, Hercules said that she should have powers from Zeus. What exactly would that look like…?"
"Try enhanced strength and durability." Diana suggested. "Those are the powers Hercules possesses due to his godly side, and both my abilities and Shazam's derive from the blessings of the gods, including Zeus." Nolan had to bite his tongue to keep from firing off a scientific response as he entered the parameters, and the amount of images once again reduced.
"Well, it's a start, but that's still a lot of leads to check…" Wally thought out loud, as the boy genius tapped his chin.
"There's gotta be something we can do to narrow it down some more…" For a moment, he considered calling Rhianna to see if she had seen anything on the darknet, but before he could, Diana spoke up.
"Try searching unconfirmed sightings of superheroes." She suggested, earning an eyebrow raise from the Stark.
"You want to add unconfirmed sightings? But that'll increase our sample size by-"
"I have a theory. When I was a girl on Themyscira, I learned the stories of Ancient Greece, of the heroes of that time. More than a few, such as Perseus and Hercules, were children of Zeus himself." Diana explained, tapping her chin. "If Zeus's daughter is cut from the same cloth, then it stands to reason she would follow in their footsteps."
"And in today's world, no one thinks twice at another superhero!" Nolan concluded, earning a nod from Diana as he entered the new parameters. It added more images, and T'zari sighed as he looked as a new screen popped up to contain the images.
"Well, that got us nowhere…" He sighed out, as they all looked at the screens.
"Does anyone see anything? Anything that stands out?" Kaldur asked, and they all looked at the screens. T'zari let out a sigh, folding his arms.
"I… do not see anything. It's all just noise and-"
"There!" Jason spoke up, pointing at an image. "There, in Gateway City!" He said, and Nolan brought up the Gateway City image. It was a news article from a local news station, and they all read the headline.
WONDER WOMAN RETURNS TO GATEWAY
This headline caused Wonder Woman's brow to furrow in confusion. "I haven't been to Gateway in years…"
"I know! Back when he was training me, Batman had me read up on League history. I just happened to remember that you used to be based out of Gateway back in the day."
"But I moved when Steve and I were married." Diana remembered, as the Team read the article.
"Says here that a woman with dark hair's been spotted in Gateway the past week. She hasn't been doing much, just stopping muggings and car jackings, but witnesses described her as wearing some sort of Wonder Woman costume." Wally read aloud, and Laura turned to Diana.
"Do you think it's a coincidence?"
"If there's one thing I have learned in the modern world, it's that there is no such thing." She remarked, as the young Stark began typing once more.
"Narrowing search parameters to only include Gateway City." He stated, and the amount of items was reduced drastically. "Alright, I think I've got something from last week." He announced, pulling up what looked like a traffic camera. The front of a cafe was visual, and at first, nothing looked out of the ordinary. People enjoying their day to day… when a semi truck rolled straight through a red light, about to crush all the people in the cafe. At least, it was, before a blonde girl knelt down in front of a boy to protect him and held her hand out. The team watched as the truck crumpled around her hand, stopping it in its tracks.
"Whoa…"
"If that's not super strength, I don't know what is." Superboy remarked, and they watched as the girl ran off. "Wait. Right there, you can see her face." Indeed, her face was visible to the camera, but it was only for one frame. The Team was silent for a moment, before Nolan sighed.
"Alright, I know you all want to say it. Go ahead and get it out of your systems."
"Can you enhance the image? Figure out who it is?" Kaldur asked the question they had all wanted to ask, and Nolan frowned.
"... maybe. Give me a second…" They watched as he isolated the part of the screen that had the girl's face, blowing it up to take the whole screen. This caused the image to become grainy and blurry, but using the Cave computer system's enhanced processing power, was able to clean up the image a little. Stark typed a few more keys, and the computer highlighted the girl's face structure.
"Well, now we know what she looks like. Now how do we find her?" Wally asked.
"Everyone our age has some kind of social media page. Hopefully, Mystery Girl here's got one with her face on it."
"Wait, so just because that little bit of her face is visible, you can find out who she is with social media? Isn't that a violation of privacy?" The redhead asked, and Nolan shrugged.
"Welcome to the digital age. It's why most superheroes wear masks that obscure their identifiable features, and the ones that don't are either public or they have some method to keep their faces from showing up clearly in pictures." The genius explained, and they watched as the computer beeped and flashed green. "And… we've got a hit!" He announced, and Diana's eyes widened as an image of an Instagram page appeared on screen.
"Great Hera, her…?" Diana gasped out loud, and they all turned to her.
"What's wrong?" Aqualad asked, and Diana frowned.
"How could I have not seen it sooner? I should've been able to tell it was her…" She muttered, before spinning to face the team. "We have no time to waste. Prepare the bioship, we must leave immediately."
"Whoa whoa, slow down. You're talking as if you know this girl." Robin asked, and Diana narrowed her eyes.
"That's because I do, which is why we must move." With that, Diana hurried to the hangar, before turning around. The others followed after her, but not before Superboy cast a look back at the screen.
"Who the hell is Cassie Sandsmark?"
Gateway City, 14:45 PST
While the Team was just getting acquainted with their new instructor, the bell was ringing at Marston High School, signifying the end of the school day. As soon as the bell rang, young Cassie Sandsmark tore out of the classroom, heading to her locker. She pulled out a duffle bag, and opening it to make sure that the contents were undisturbed. 'Alright, so far so good…' She thought, slinging the strap across her shoulder. She turned away, preparing to head out the door for her 'extracurricular activities'...
Only to run into a man. "Ah, Miss Sandsmark. I was hoping to see you." The man greeted, and Cassie let out a sigh. He was a little over six feet tall, with slicked back dirty blonde hair, a salmon-colored polo shirt, and a pair of khaki slacks.
'Oh great, this guy…' She thought, putting on a fake smile.
"Hi, Mr. Koil! What's uh, what's up?" The girl asked, trying to hide her displeasure. Mr. Koil was Marston High's newest guidance counselor, and 'tryhard' felt generous when describing him. Ever since the school year started, he was always trying to relate to the students and show them how 'hip and cool' he was. Cassie couldn't help but shudder as she remembered the guitar incident at the last pep rally…
"Well, I couldn't help but notice that your attendance has been slipping the last week or so. Plus, I did see a few write ups for sleeping in class…" Mr. Koil recited, getting Cassie to frown.
"Oh. I uh, I got a part time job last week. I'm still trying to adjust to the hours." The blonde girl explained, and Koil frowned.
"I didn't see a work permit filed with the school…"
"That's because...it's...a volunteer thing. There's an animal shelter near my house, so I decided to start helping out there. The owner's an old family friend." She answered, Koil just folded his arms.
"So this family friend is not only allowing you to work without a work permit, but they're keeping you out at all hours of the night?"
"Oh, did I say I worked all night? I meant that I get home late, so I spend all night studying to make up for it."
"Hmmm…" Koil didn't seem like he bought it a hundred percent, but he didn't seem like he was going to pursue it anymore. "Well, your grades aren't hurting yet, so I guess it's alright. But if they do slip, I'm going to have to have a talk with this friend."
"Right, of course. Well, I'd better get going. Bye, Mr. Koil." And with that, Cassie walked off. However, as she did so, Koil watched her, smiling to himself as she did.
"Good luck, Cassandra."
Cassie walked away from the high school as fast as she could, ducking into an alleyway about two blocks away. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Cassie took a deep breath. She jumped up, leaping all the way to the roof of the nearby building. She stumbled a little as she landed, but for the most part, the blonde girl was pretty satisfied from her landing.
"Getting better at that…" She muttered out, setting the bag on the roof and opening it, looking at the Wonder Woman logo sticking out.
Once she'd accepted that the incident with the truck had really happened, Cassie had set about experimenting with her newfound powers. Her first step had been sneaking in to a junkyard that was often used by high school students to get drunk and high. Upon arriving, she'd proceeded to test her strength. She started with abandoned ovens, then refrigerators, before moving on to cars. When she had lifted up one of many abandoned vehicles without breaking a sweat, that was when Cassie knew without a shadow of a doubt that she'd had powers.
So she knew that she had powers. Now came what to do with them. For a moment, Cassie had considered trying to use them in a way that would make money fast. That would have been able to help her single mother not work so hard… but Cassie couldn't seriously consider it. These powers… they were a gift. They had to be, and Cassie knew that she had a responsibility to do something with them. Something that could help people.
During her entire experimentation phase, Cassie had thought of Wonder Woman. Upon her return to the modern world, the League founder had set up shop here in Gateway City. When she did, she would often come to talk with Cassie's mother Helena, an expert in Ancient Greece at the Gateway Museum. Cassie had met her only twice, but Diana… Diana was breathtaking. She was everything Cassie aspired to be and more, and even when Diana moved, content that Gateway no longer needed her protection, Cassie had kept up with her exploits. As she grew older, people would often make fun of her fixation on the Spirit of Truth, but they just didn't understand. Diana wasn't just a superhero. She was a symbol, a beacon of hope that others could aspire to be.
Maybe that's why Cassie was currently changing her clothes. If she was going to do this, then she needed to protect her identity. After all, 'Honor Student Cassie Sandsmark, Hero of Gateway' didn't really have a nice ring to it. So, until she could come up with a catchy hero name, Cassie needed a disguise. Fortunately, she had just the thing: for Halloween this year, she had been planning a 'street Wonder Woman costume.' It consisted of a leather jacket, a black tank top with the Wonder Woman logo on it, red pants, and a black wig. Couldn't be too careful hiding her identity.
Once she was dressed, Cassie took out a pair of goggles, sliding them over her eyes. She stood on the edge of the building, hands on her hips, trying to look heroic… before she sighed. "I look like an idiot…" She muttered to herself, before stepping back from the edge. She took a running start, leapt into the air… and proceeded to jump off the roof. Rather than plummeting to the ground like one would have expected, she instead floated, though not steadily.
"Alright, not falling this time…" THAT had been an interesting afternoon, but fortunately she had managed to avoid causing any damage. Cassie wasn't going to try breaking any sound barriers just yet, instead choosing to just fly around Gateway City. On… patrol or something, she guessed. That's all the Squadron Supreme movies showed the heroes doing. At least, it was a way to kill time before the plot kicked in, and then-
A scream pierced through the air, drawing Cassie's attention. She touched down on the ground, where she saw a woman struggling with a large man. Here goes nothing…
"Hey, asshole." Cassie called out, doing her best to do her best heroic pose. Stand tall, hands on your hips, don't let them see the nervousness on her face…
The man turned to her, chuckling to himself as he sized her up. "What the hell is this? I thought Wonder Woman was supposed to be in town, not… whatever the hell you are."
"I'm your worst nightmare, punk." God, was that really the best she could come up with? She sounded like a walking cliche, and clearly, both the would be mugger and victim thought so, given the confused expression she had and the amused expression he had.
"Go home, kid, before I have to hurt ya." The mugger warned, and Cassie just held her hands up as she dropped into a stance. The man just shook his head, and reached for her…
Only to go flying back into a pile of trash, courtesy of a push from the disguised blonde. The man groaned as he sat up, and Cassie smirked. "Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing." She taunted, and the man sneered.
"Little bitch!" He groaned out, pulling out a switchblade and charging her. Cassie took a deep breath, avoided the man's swing, and shoved him once again, this time with a little more strength behind it. The man went flying back, landing in a pile of trash cans and groaning as he lost consciousness.
"Whoa…" The woman gasped out, so Cassie struck her best heroic pose.
"Run along, citizen! I've taken care of this… foul… fiend?" God she hated every word out of her mouth. Maybe Cassie should've consulted videos of actual super heroes instead of binge watching old Grey Ghost cartoons…
"Uh, sure…" The woman said. "So uh, thanks for everything. I'm just… going to call the police, if that's alright…" She said as she pulled out her phone, and Cassie nodded.
"All in a day's work. Best of luck!" And with that, Cassie flew off, leaving the woman to just shake her head as she dialed 911.
Cassie flew west a minute, before setting down on a rooftop. Ok, so she stopped a mugging, so far so good. Though Cassie didn't think she was quite ready to go toe to toe with Doctor Doom just yet. Soon, the call of sirens distracted her from her thoughts, and she sighed.
"Alright, let's get back to it."
Meanwhile
The bioship glided through the sky, Wonder Woman watching as the skyline of Gateway City became visible through the clouds, slightly smiling to herself. "It looks exactly as I remember it…" She muttered to herself, before turning her seat to address the Team. "It is paramount that we do not waste any time. Nolan, have you found her?"
"Not yet. Gateway's not quite as big as New York or Metropolis, but it's still pretty sizable. We could be waiting a while before someone posts a sighting." Iron Knight stated, observing social media feeds on his helmet's display.
"Then we start looking. We will be able to cover more ground if we split up." Aqualad suggested.
"I agree. Kaldur, as this is your team, I trust your judgement in configurations. I will be travelling to the local museum." She stated, earning an eyebrow raise from Wally.
"Wait, I don't get it. Why there?"
"It is a lead, one only I can follow." Wonder Woman bluntly stated, causing them all to exchange a glance.
"OK…" With that, Kaldur turned to the gathered heroes.
"We will stay here on board the bioship. Iron Knight, begin monitoring 911 feeds and police bands. If she's spotted, then we need to be ready to move."
"Got it, boss." Nolan replied as he pulled up the feeds, and Diana nodded.
"I'll be right back. Keep me updated."
Gateway Museum of Natural History
A woman in her mid 40's sat at her desk, sighing as she examined the paperwork for an upcoming exhibit.
Helena Sandsmark sighed. She loved her job, really, she did, but sometimes it got painfully dull. It had gotten even more so since Diana had left Gateway years ago.
"I almost miss the crazy villains. It broke up the monotony nicely." Helena sighed pushing her long brown hair back so her bangs stopped blocking her eyes.
She knew that wasn't true, what she really missed was Diana. She had been a great friend to talk to, if a little odd at times. Before she could get lost in her thoughts, an intercom on her desk went off.
"Ms. Sandsmark, you have a guest."
Helena froze. That wasn't right. She had no meetings, at least not for another few hours. Who thought they were so important that they couldn't make an appointment?
She pushed the button on her desk, "Lauren, who ever they are, tell them they had better be pretty damn important to just barge in like this. I'm up to my eyeballs in paperwork."
There was a pause and then a familiar voice come back, it's tone a bit teasing; "Well I thought what I had to say was pretty important, but I can come back later if you like?"
Helena jumped to her feet, a broad smile coming to her face as she pushed open her door. There she was. Diana, looking as usual like she hadn't aged a day. Diana smiled and hugged her, careful not to squeeze too hard.
"Helena, it's been far too long."
"I'll say. I was saying that you need to visit more. So what brings you here?" She asked.
At that, Diana let out a breath, Helena had learned that usually meant bad news. However, she looked up, determined.
"Helena, it's about your daughter."
'Yeah definitely not a good way to start.' Helena mentally sighed even as outloud she asked, keeping her tone neutral, "What about her?" The archeologist asked, she could tell Diana felt awkward.
"How is Cassandra? Has she been acting strangely, lately?" Diana asked, causing the mortal to raise an eyebrow.
"Not lately. I mean, Cassie's about as moody and stubborn as any other sixteen year old, but that's not strange. Her grades are good, and we're working on preparing for the SAT's." Helena stated, before her eyes widened. "Oh god, did… did something happen to her?" She questioned in worry, but Diana placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"No, nothing like that." She assured, before letting out a sigh. "Helena… what can you tell me about Cassandra's father?" If Helena wasn't confused before, she was now.
"I… what? I don't… I don't understand how that's important."
"Just trust that it is." Wonder Woman stated, and Helena took a deep breath as she placed faith in her old friend.
"I… don't know who her father is. Or rather, I don't know his name." The ally stated. "About seventeen years ago, I finished up a dig in Greece. Before I left, I went to a festival the town was having. I… met a guy there. He looked like a local, but he talked like he was from the States, so I thought he was some kind of investor. I didn't catch his name, but he was handsome, charming, funny. Add those together with a little alcohol, and, well…" Diana's reassuring squeeze let her know that she didn't have to go into detail, and she sent a grateful smile.
"Nine months later, Cassie was born. I never learned his name, couldn't find anyone who did, and I never saw him again. I probably could have found out if I looked a little more, but…"
"But you had other priorities." Diana finished, and Helena nodded before frowning.
"Diana… I haven't seen you in years, and you show up unannounced, asking about Cassie and her deadbeat dad. What the hell is going on?" She asked, Diana sighed once more.
"Helena, what I'm about to tell you may seem hard to believe, but I want you to know that I would not be having this conversation if I was not a hundred percent certain of it," The Spirit of Truth stated, taking a deep breath. "Do you recall Hercules?"
"What kind of Greek expert would I be if I didn't? I'll never forget when you brought him to meet me." Helena replied.
"Earlier today, he paid me a visit. He stated that he believed his father, Zeus, had come to Earth seventeen years ago, and that he had fathered a child, a daughter, who would be Cassie's age right now." Diana explained, and Helena's brow furrowed as she processed this.
"But… why would you be telling me this? What does this have… to do… with…" The single mother's eyes went wide as she began to process what her friend was telling her, steadying herself on her desk. "No… you can't possibly mean…" The brunette stuttered out, looking at Diana with pleading eyes. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't have some reason to think it was her. You… you'd have to have some kind of proof."
"Which we do." The Champion of Olympus stated. Helena watched as Diana pulled out her Justice League membership card, activating the built in holoscreen projector and showing Helena an image of the car accident last week. Even through the security footage, Helena would've recognized her daughter anywhere, she could only gape as the truck seemed to bend around her daughter who looked up surprised and completely unscathed. Helena collapsed in her chair staring at the footage as it began to replay.
There was simply no denying it now, there had been very little she could deny before anyway. She finally let out a shaky breath before staring up at her old friend who looked genuinely apologetic.
"I wanted you to come visit, but I never expected this." Helena sighed.
"I know, but we have to find Cassie. Hercules believes that we aren't the only ones aware of her new powers, and you've been around me enough to know that trouble seems to follow those with the blood of a god."
"Right okay, I… this is a lot to process. I'm going to need some time. I can't believe she didn't tell me about this, she should be home or at least on her way home depending on if she stopped for snacks."
"I will stay here with you, in case she comes here." Diana stated. "Don't worry, Helena. I have the best people out looking for Cassie."
Bioship
"Find her yet?"
"No."
"How about now?"
"No…"
"... Any-"
"Wally, the second something pops up, I promise that you will be the first one to know." Nolan stated from his spot in the bioships cockpit, causing Wally to sigh. While Diana went to go do...whatever it was she was doing, the Team was currently circling Gateway City in the Bioship as Nolan monitored the feeds.
"Could you at least let me steer the ship?" Wally asked.
"No, no I can't." Nolan replied, the others nodding in agreement.
"Why not?"
"Because the last and only time M'Gann let you steer you almost crashed through a build and seven lamp posts." Laura pointed out, glaring at the speedster.
"Yeah, and she said never again. Also, I thought it was more?" Jason added.
"It was hard to tell with all the spinning."
As Wally huffed, suddenly one of the screens went off, "Good news we might actually have something." Nolan sighed in relief as the display was taken up by a building on fire.
"Not exactly a super villian, but people could still probably use our help." Jason stated, Kaldur turned to Nolan.
"That is our best bet. Take us there." He instructed, Nolan nodded setting course to where the building was. They had just landed the bioship on a nearby rooftop, when someone nearby cried out;
"Look! It's Wonder Woman!" The citizen cried, pointing up to the sky, as someone they all could tell was definitely not Diana went flying into the building.
"Unless Diana's as fast as the Flash now, that's definitely not her." Iron Knight remarked,
"Great, rookie in a fire." Wally sighed.
"Kid Flash, X-23, White Wolf check the building for anyone trapped, Robin, help me put the fire out. Iron Knight, Superboy go to the top floor and see if she needs help." Kaldur said receiving nods as they all set out as they opened their comms.
None of them noticed the figures in the shadows watching them. "Did we have to set the fire?" The owner of the voice was female, and if one listened closely enough, she sounded slightly unsure about their course of action.
"It got her attention didn't it?" This voice was also female, with a faint english accent and a slight bestial snarl to her voice.
"Yeah, her and a bunch of other kids." This voice was heavily filtered through a helmet, but it was undeniably male.
"Kids from out of town. That's Aqualad, Robin, Iron Knight, and Kid Flash. I dunno who those other three are." Another male asked this question, and the only answer he got was a monstrous grunt.
"Boss says to watch for now. As soon as they're alone, we move on the target." The filtered voice ordered, and for now, the mysterious group would bide their time.
Cassie Sandsmark had bitten off more than she can chew. She'd been listening to her police scanner app when they'd relayed the information about the fire at the apartment building, and reasoning that she'd be able to get there faster than any fire truck, sped off to the scene. As soon as she arrived, she'd raced to the top floor, reasoning that whoever was up there was in more immediate danger. The smoke from the fire obscured her vision, even through the goggles, causing her to frown. "Hello? If you're in here, call out! I'm here to help!" She called out.
"Help me! We're… we're stuck!" A male voice called out, and Cassie swallowed the lump in her throat as she followed the sound of the voice. She found what looked like a collapsed rafter in front of a doorway, and she took a deep breath as she rushed over there. Well, a metaphorical breath, as an actual one probably wasn't the best idea with all this smoke.
Cassie grabbed the heavy beam and grunted as she lifted it out of the way, freeing the three occupants of the lawyers office. "Oh thank god, Wonder Woman!"
"I'm not-" Cassie tried to correct, but she sighed and just rolled with it. There wasn't time for that right now. "Look, just follow me! I'll get you out of here." She instructed, and they all nodded.
She began leading them towards the stairs, and pushed the door off its hinges. However, as soon as she did, flames burst out of the hallway in order to greet the new supply of oxygen. Cassie's skin was untouched ('super durability, good to know'), but her leather jacket caught fire, and she was forced to rapidly remove it and throw it on the ground. "Ok, stairs are out! Head to the fire escape, folks!" She instructed, and began to lead the three would-be victims towards the fire escape. However, as she did so, one of the women's heels gave out under her, causing her to collapse.
Without hesitating, as the others headed towards the fire escape, Cassie went back to help the woman, kneeling down next to her. "Are you ok?"
"I… I think I twisted my ankle." She replied, Cassie frowned.
"Here, lean on me. I'll carry you out." That felt like it was the most logical thing to do, and Cassie bent down to begin draping the woman's arm over the would-be hero's shoulder. However, before they could get up, they heard creaking above them.
Cassie looked up in time to see part of the ceiling falling towards her, and her eyes widened. She could (probably) take the hit, but the woman she was helping along couldn't. There wasn't time to jump out of the way, no way she could knock away the beam without it hitting the woman. She… she had no answers. What… what could she-
Fortunately, the answer was taken out of her hands, as a black blur appeared above her and grunted as the rafter fell against it. "You ok?" A male voice asked, and Cassie looked up at her savior, being eye level with a red Superman logo on a black t-shirt. She looked at her savior's face, and was stunned to see Superman. Well, if Superman was the star of a Disney Channel show, that is. Cassie realized she was probably staring, and decided to answer her question.
"I-I'm fine, but she twisted her ankle. There are others heading to the fire escape, but if the ceilings collapsing-"
"But nothing." Superboy cut off, and he looked behind him. "Knight, take the woman!"
"Got it!" Another voice yelled, and Cassie turned to see none other than the Iron Knight standing behind her. "Here, I'll take her. You two go help the others." He offered, Cassie got over her shock to nod.
"Right!" Handing the woman over to the Stark, Cassie and Superboy went off after the others, who had been cut off from reaching the window with the fire escape by flames. "How do we get them through?!" The blonde questioned, Superboy frowned as his brow furrowed.
"I've… got an idea. Step back!" He instructed Cassie and the others, doing as he ordered of them. Superboy took a deep breath, before blowing. He'd seen videos of Superman, observing how he'd used this trick to put out fires before. Superboy hadn't known for sure he'd be able to duplicate this power, and fortunately, his fears were assuaged, as a strong gust of air was blown from Superboy's mouth, temporarily extinguishing the fire. "Go, go!" He yelled, and the civilians hurried down the fire escape. As they herded them out, Cassie couldn't help but cast a look at Superboy. Just who was he? And what the hell was he doing here?
A short while later, Aqualad watched as fire crews worked to put out the remaining fires. Thanks to the Team, they'd been able to keep the fire under control and get the civilians out before the Gateway City Fire Department could arrive. Once they were clear that the first responders had things under control, Kaldur retreated back into the alley behind the building where they parked the bioship, where the Team was waiting. "Well?" Laura asked.
"It is under control. You all did good work out there."
"Thanks for the compliments, boss. Now…" Robin trailed out, as they all turned their attention to Cassie, who was seated on a dumpster. "...where were we?"
"Well, I was about to ask what the hell you're doing here. I mean, I'm not going to act like I know how hero turf works, but last I checked, Gateway's nowhere close to Central City, Gotham, or California." Cassie stated, folding her arms as she looked at the gathered sidekicks.
"Oh, yeah, don't be thankful for us helping you or anything." Kid Flash stated. "We're lucky that you didn't make things worse. What were you thinking, just rushing in like that?"
"I was thinking that, if there were people on the top floor, they needed help first."
"Right, but you didn't know for a fact that there were people up there." Robin spoke up.
"I…" Cassie paused, when they put it that way she couldn't help but acknowledge they had a point. If there had been no one up there, she would have wasted time and more importantly, lost lives.
"Yeah, I understand wanting to help others. We all do. But you do need to learn to get a handle on what the situation is before you act." Iron Knight voice didn't come off as condescending, but truly trying to make a point.
"Alright so I messed up a little bit, huh?" She sighed.
"Just a little, but don't worry no one got hurt for one, and for another you are pretty green to the whole superhero thing." Kid Flash pointed out, leaning against the wall.
"That's kind of why we're here." X-23 added. "We're worried that someone might have noticed your little dress up act, and they might want to use you for their own purposes." She explained, causing Cassie's brow to furrow.
"What are you talking about? I mean, I know that mutants still aren't the most popular but I don't see why anyone would go out of their way for me." She stated, causing the others to exchange a look.
"You… believe you are a mutant?" White Wolf asked.
"Well… yeah? I mean, my powers just showed up all of a sudden one day. Isn't that what happened to mutants?" She asked, they all exchanged a glance.
"I… am not sure how to say this." Kaldur admitted. "The reason we are here… that is, the reason we're looking for you-"
"Look, there's no point in dancing around it, so I'll come out and say it." Superboy cut off. "The whole reason we're here is because some guy literally dropped out of the sky a few hours ago and told us you're the daughter of Zeus. And then he told us to come and find you, before people could use you for some 'nefarious purpose.'" He explained, causing Kaldur to sigh. Leave it to Superboy to get straight to the point…
Cassie was silent for a moment, hopping off the dumpster she was sitting on to process for a moment… before she burst out laughing. "Seriously? 'Daughter of Zeus?' That's the best you could come up with?"
"Hey, I don't buy it either, but when a guy calling himself Hercules drops out of the sky- we're not making that up, he came in a literal bolt of lightning and everything- it's safe to assume he's not joking around." Kid Flash shrugged.
"Though, depending on who you are you could also make the claim that you're the daughter of an interdimensional being whose just come to be known as a god called Zeus. Whichever you prefer to believe." Iron Knight also shrugged.
"The point being you're a daughter to a very powerful person with the potential of becoming insanely more powerful yourself." X-23 finished.
"Meaning that sooner or later someone is going to come after you for whatever reason they have." Robin added.
"Also, Wonder Woman herself has taken an interest given this is her old home, and you choose to wear her symbol." Aqualad added, which took some of the humor out of Cassie and suddenly made her excited and nervous.
"Wait! She's here in town now? Oh wow I… oh no is she mad at me!?" Cassie gasped.
"No. Well we don't think so, but she is interested. We all came to meet you." Robin said.
"Sure, because that doesn't make me nervous at all. So, where is she then?"
"The Gateway Museum, she said that there was someone there who she wanted to see and might know something."
"Oh no." Cassie sighed. "That… means she's telling my mother. God, I was so not looking forward to that conversation…"
"Well, then I suppose you don't have much to worry about now, do you?" A new voice chimed in, the Team all sprung to attention. "You're not Diana. No, you're too young. Too raw." They looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, when White Wolf spotted something on a fire escape. It was a woman, or what had once been one. Her skin was covered in spotted fur, with tribal wrappings and long red hair that showed off her cat like face. "I can practically smell the Olympian stench flowing through your veins."
"Cheetah…" Aqualad growled out, as the villain surveyed them like… well, like a cat watching its prey. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I was in the neighborhood, and heard that an old friend was in town. Thought I'd pay her a visit. Though I must say, you're not quite what I expected." Cassie narrowed her eyes as Cheetah spoke, but Iron Knight and Robin drew close around her.
"Look, Queen Furry, I dunno what you want her for, but do the math. Seven of us, one of you… doesn't bode well for you."
"Yes, you would be right if I were alone." She corrected them as a gun shot rang out the bullet ricocheting off the wall and towards Robin who was shoved out of the way by White Wolf, the bullet falling harmlessly to the ground as the vibranium suit absorbed it's momentum.
"Hand over the girl and no one needs to get hurt." A female voice ordered as two shadows fell over them. The team looked up to find a man dressed in an all green suit with wings protruding from his back gliding above them. A few balconies above Cheetah sat a woman in a green leotard, boots and gloves with snow white hair, her face painted almost mime like.
Out of the shadows stepped two men dressed in all red one with a silver helmet on, the other with an eyepatch that had a red x in a white circle on it. And behind them was a mountain of a man with long shaggy red hair dressed in gold and black that they recognized all too well.
Cheetah, the Vulture, Screaming Mimi, Mammoth, Deadshot, and Crossfire began to take up positions all among the alleyway, and the Team all formed up around Cassie.
"What the hell is this?!" Cassie asked.
"Guess this is what Herc warned us about…" Iron Knight remarked, Wally's eyes scanning each villain as they circled them.
"Vulture, Screaming Mimi, Deadshot… doesn't get weirder than this."
"Guess Cheetah decided to hire some backup." Iron Knight stated, earning a scoff from Cheetah.
"Trust me, I wouldn't be with them if I had a choice…" She muttered. Before Knight could question what that meant, Superboy cracked his knuckles.
"Me and Ugly need to settle up from Santa Prisca. Leave him to me." The half-Kryptonian stated, Mammoth seemed to growl in agreement.
"No. The goal here is not victory, but distraction. You need to go get Cas-" Kaldur caught himself just in time. For now, it appeared that Cheetah and her motley crew had no knowledge of who Cassie actually was, and it was probably a good idea to keep it that way. However, he couldn't let his desire to safeguard her identity cause a breakdown in communication, so he said the first thing that popped into his head. "... Wonder Girl to the Museum." He instructed, causing Cassie to raise an eyebrow.
"I will handle Cheetah." White Wolf stated, as Robin extended his bow staff.
"I've got Mimi."
"I've got Crossfire." X-23 replied, popping her claws.
"And I will take Deadshot." Kaldur stated, and Iron Knight looked up to Vulture circling above them.
"Guess that leaves me with Vulture up there."
"So I guess that means I'm playing keep away with Mammoth over there." Kid Flash answered, readjusting his goggles as Mammoth seemed to size him up. As they discussed their plan among them, Cheetah jumped on the ground next to Deadshot.
"We really want to just stand here while they make up a plan?" Deadshot asked, Cheetah just smirked.
"Let them make all the plans they want. Just leave the little cosplayer to me." The villainess stated, Deadshot just sighed.
"Whatever. Just remember, we bring in her in alive." He ordered, earning a scoff from the human feline.
"She never said it had to be in one piece." At this, the Team all shared a nod.
"Now!" Aqualad declared, and swung a water whip at Deadshot, who dodged before he could fire his wrist guns. X-23 ran at Crossfire, the man fired off his twin handguns to no avail. The slugs impacted the wall behind her, and Crossfire narrowly avoided a slash to his head. Meanwhile, Iron Knight took to the sky, as he and Vulture began exchanging repulsor blasts and bladed flechettes. Robin threw two birdarangs at Screaming Mimi, only for a sonic blast to leave her mouth and knock the shurikens out of the sky. Mammoth made to rush at Superboy, only for Kid Flash to grab a trash can lid and toss it at Mammoth's head, the speed of the throw hurting him a bit.
"Over here, Ugly!" Mammoth growled at this, and charged at Kid Flash, who sped out of the way in time to avoid Mammoth's fist smashing into the ground where he'd been. Aqualad formed a watershield to block bullets from Deadshot, and looked back at Superboy.
"Go!" Superboy nodded, turning to Cassie.
"You know the way to the Museum?"
"Uh, yeah!"
"Then let's go!" He yelled, she flew up, followed by Connor jumping after her. Cheetah narrowed her eyes as she saw the direction they took off in, and prepared to follow them…
Only to narrowly dodge a set of vibranium claws swung at her head. She looked to see White Wolf, the aura of a cheetah surrounding him, rushing her, and she narrowly avoided each of his claw swipes. "Surrender, and save yourself some trouble." He warned, Cheetah just sighed as she caught his wrist.
"I can smell that connection to the Red in your blood. You really think a charlatan like you can take me?"
"I suppose I can only try."
Meanwhile, Superboy was leaping across rooftops, following Wonder Girl as she flew and he leapt. Superboy hated running from a fight, especially leaving his friends behind like that, but Aqualad was right. Wonder Girl was the priority, and if Cheetah captured her, it was all for nothing. He had no idea what the villain wanted with her, but if half of what the G-Gnomes had put in his head in Cadmus had been true, it couldn't be anything good.
Superboy touched down on a rooftop, Wonder Girl hovering above him. "Which way to the Museum?" He asked, and she set down on the roof next to him, leaning over to look at the street signs.
"Uh, let's see. That's the corner of Marston and Byrne right there, so that means…" She muttered to herself, pointing in the west. "That way. About two miles I think."
"Then that's where we need to be." Superboy said, and tapped his communicator. "Superboy to Wonder Woman, come in."
"I copy. Have you found her, Superboy?"
"Yeah, and we're not the only ones. Cheetah's here, and she brought friends."
"Cheetah…?" Superboy could hear what sounded like a woman frantically saying something, but he couldn't make it out, though if he had to guess, he'd say that it was Cassie's mother.
"The others stayed behind to hold them off, but I don't know how long they can hold them off. We're headed to you!"
"Understood. I will be there momentarily." With that, the communicator went off, and Superboy let out a sigh of relief. They just had to get to Diana, and then they would help the others.
"Alright, it doesn't get much easier than this. We just gotta get across town."
"With a psycho furry and her killer friends after me?" Cassie retorted. "If they want me, I say we give them what they want. Go down there, kick their asses, and-"
"And get killed doing it?" He cut off. "You ever actually been in a fight? A real fight, not just shoving muggers and gropers?" He asked, she looked away.
"Well, uh… I took a self defense class a few years ago…"
"Then we stay away from the fight." The young Kryptonian said. "Rushing in half-cocked and angry doesn't help anybody. All you'll do is make things worse. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about." Superboy felt more than a little hypocritical, given his own actions against Amazo only a month ago, but Cassie seemed to accept it.
"You're… right, I guess." She relented, sighing. "Come on, let's get going."
The Team
Cheetah narrowly dodged a swipe from White Wolf before retaliating with one of her own, only for her claws to fail to make a mark in the vibranium armor.
"Not bad kid, but you're still outmatched." Cheetah pointed out as she avoided another attack from White Wolf's claws.
"Really? Because unless I am mistaken, we seem to be at a stalemate."
"You think so? Rookie mistake." She sighed with a small smile as, without any kind of warning, a dumpster slammed into White Wolf knocking him to the side and into a wall.
"Sorry, dude I didn't mean to make him throw it there!" Kid Flash apologized, looking worried before narrowly dodging Mammoth.
Seeing her opening, Cheetah got onto all fours and sprinted down the street in the same direction that Wonder Girl and Superboy had gone, following their scent as White Wolf tried to shake himself into a standing position.
"She's getting away!" Aqualad called out barely blocking a few of Deadshot's bullets.
"I will handle her!" White Wolf said the outline of a Cheetah appearing around him as he darted off after the villainess' retreating back.
The top speed of the cheetah is around 65-75 miles per hour. White Wolf couldn't remember the exact circumstances as to Cheetah's origin, but whatever set of circumstances lead to her animalistic appearance were, it was clear that the changes were not just cosmetic. Cheetah was in a full sprint, probably running on all fours around 40 miles per hour or so, to the point where she was able to leap clear over oncoming cars with no problem.
White Wolf quickly approached top speed, though without the physiological changes that Cheetah had, T'zari had to find different ways to surmount the obstacles, dodging to the sides of the cars and run over the roofs of any cars that got in his way. Cheetah looked behind her to see White Wolf gaining on her, slowly but surely, and cursed to herself. Whoever this diet Black Panther chasing her was, he was persistent, but Cheetah's grudge wasn't with him.
An opportunity soon presented itself at a rapidly approaching intersection. As she ran past a car as the light turned green, she used her claw to slash the tires on one car in one direction, and then slashed one heading in the opposite direction, causing them to veer out of control and collide with other cars.
Just as she had anticipated, White Wolf broke off his pursuit, switching his attention to the civilians in trouble. Ah, heroes they were so… predictable. Still, she smirked as she ran, sighting the girl along with the miniature superman on a rooftop.
"Excellent." She muttered, leaping onto a window sill and then up to the fire escape and making her way up.
Just as Superboy was getting ready to make another leap, Cheetah leapt up onto the roof and slashed downwards with her claws, creating a wide gash along his back, and causing him to cry out in pain as she jumped off.
"Aw, did I hurt the Boy of Steel? Good to know you inherited daddy's weakness to magic." She mocked, examining her claws lazily as she flicked his blood off.
'Weak to magic, good to know.' Superboy thought through gritted teeth.
"Superboy! Hold on, I'm coming!" Wonder Girl called out, turning to come to his aid.
"No! Get to Wonder Woman, I can deal with her." Superboy orders, popping his neck and bracing himself for a fight. Wonder Girl frowned, flying off. Cheetah licked her lips, sizing him up like a cat would a mouse.
"Yes, run, little girl while I tear your little boy toy apart piece by piece." She taunted, Superboy just sneered.
"Bring it, you overgrown rug." As Cheetah rushed him, Superboy remembered his training with Black Canary. Sure, the G-Gnomes had downloaded all sorts of information about Superman's fights into him, but they didn't have the nuance of his actual fighting style, not to mention that he lacked half of the Big Blue Boy Scout's powers. In the month since the fight with the Amazo, Black Canary and Hawkeye had been working with him to teach him actual fighting styles, and one that Superboy gravitated towards was boxing.
As Cheetah swiped at him, Superboy sidestepped, moving his feet in time to keep just out of Cheetah's range. She swiped at his head, only for him to duck and deliver a right cross to her face. She staggered, and spat out a bit of blood.
"Huh. Not bad. Certainly lacking Superman's full power, but that definitely would've hurt a normal person." Cheetah remarked. "Just means I don't need to toy with you any more." Before Supeboy could respond, Cheetah rushed him again, swiping even faster and more ferociously than before. Superboy remembered his footwork as best he could, but Cheetah was just too fast, and he winced as her claws nicked his cheek, drawing blood. Seeing this, the animalistic villain pressed the advantage, causing Superboy to growl. He was running out of options, and fast…
Meanwhile, Cassie was flying away as best she could. However, she only got a block away or so before she stopped in midair. She couldn't stop thinking about the Team, specifically Superboy. She didn't know how much she bought their reason for being here-she's the daughter of Zeus? Gonna have to process that later…-but there was one thing that the rookie hero did know: they were there for her. Wonder Woman, her entire reason for doing this, was here for her. And those villains… they were here for her as well.
Cassie didn't understand any of this. She was just a nobody from Gateway City. Hell, until a week ago, the only thing noteworthy about her was just how unnoteworthy she was. And now not only were people looking for her, they were fighting over her. Risking their lives for a high school junior who thought she could be a hero.
Superboy… he was clearly outmatched against Cheetah. Staying behind just so she can get to safety… so she could just run away and hide, letting other people take care of her problems for her…
That's what a hero would do. That's what she would do, and just as she had a week ago, Cassie Sandsmark knew what she would have to do.
Superboy was in a bad spot. His shirt had been shredded to tatters, and claw marks littered his body. They weren't too deep, but they added up, and judging from how he felt slightly dizzy, he'd lost a bit of blood. He staggered to his knees, and Cheetah smirked taking a few steps forward and gripping him beneath the chin.
"Not bad boy, but you weren't ready. Still, thanks for the entertainment." She complimented, aiming to scratch the boy's eyes out.
A mass slammed into her chest, sending Cheetah tumbling backward. Snarling, she looked up and admittedly was surprised to see Wonder Girl standing before her fists raised.
"Well, the little girl grew a backbone." She taunted, a wide malicious smile making its way to her face. "That brave face only goes so far, sweetheart. The stench of fear is wafting off you in droves." Wonder Girl didn't let that phase her, maintaining her stance, but on the inside, Cassie was screaming. After all, Cheetah had fought everyone from Wonder Woman to Iron Man, and Cassie's combat history consisted of shoving muggers with her super strength.
Still, Superboy needed help, and she was the only one around to give it to him. Wonder Girl made the first move, rushing forward and attempting to deliver a right hook to Cheetah, only to hit nothing but air. She winced as Cheetah raked her claws across her side, spinning around to backhand Cheetah only to once again meet empty air. Cassie cast a glance to her side, expecting to see blood gushing out, but instead saw only thin lines.
'Ok, so I've got tough skin. Good to know.' Cheetah was clearly shocked by this as well, allowing Cassie to finally land a punch to her face. She collapsed onto her hands and knees, before spitting out blood and a tooth. Cheetah growled, spinning around to glare at Wonder Girl.
"Enjoy that. That's the only one you'll get."
"We'll see about that." A familiar voice said behind her, and Cheetah's eyes widened as Cassie felt a chill go down her spine. She spun around, seeing none other than Wonder Woman landing on the rooftop.
"You…" Cheetah growled out, as Cassie's jaw dropped.
"Diana…" She gasped out, Diana smiled at her.
"It's been quite a while, hasn't it? You've certainly become quite an interesting young woman." She greeted before looking at Superboy. "Superboy, can you stand?"
"I… I'm good. Just give me a minute…" He panted out, the Amazon sighed.
"He certainly has his stubbornness…" She remarked. "Stay down, Superboy. I shall handle Cheetah." And with that, the Spirit of Truth turned to her nemesis, who's back hair was clearly bristling. "I have no wish to harm you, Barbara, but I will if I have to. Surrender, and I promise not to make things any worse for you."
"Oh spare me the high and mighty act, Princess. The time for pleasantries was long ago." The cat-like villain spat out, and Diana sighed, before dropping to her combat stance.
"As you wish." She stated, casting a glance at Cassie. "Take Superboy and go. I can handle her."
"Not a chance. If she wants me, she can have me." Wonder Girl responded, causing Wonder Woman to sigh.
"Very well, then. Follow my lead." And with that, Cheetah rushed the two Wonders, claws bared and slashing wildly. She went for Cassie at first, but Diana moved in front of her, sparks flying as the claws met her bracelet. Cheetah slashed at Wonder Woman, each swipe being parried with a block from the bracelets. Wonder Girl moved around and threw a jab at Cheetah's head, only for her to dodge. This distracted her long enough for Wonder Woman's foot to meet her stomach and knock her back, allowing her to free her lasso from her hip.
The Wonders exchanged a nod, before Cassie rushed Cheetah. She delivered a series of jabs that Cheetah would block and parry, but eventually she got lucky, delivering a blow to Cheetah's chest that knocked her back. Cheetah attempted to recover with a handspring, but as soon as she was in the air, Wonder Woman's lasso wrapped around her chest, and she jerked her arm back, pulling Cheetah towards them. Cassie stuck her arm out, clotheslining Cheetah and knocking her to the roof.
"Dammit…" She growled out, attempting to rise off the ground. Bad enough she was going to be beaten by Diana, once again, but she'd gotten beaten by some raw, untrained little girl no one had ever heard of before. Barbara Minerva wouldn't let this be the end, wouldn't let Diana beat her yet again…
"Stand down, Cheetah." That voice… that voice was the entire reason she was here. In the years since her transformation into the Cheetah, she'd encountered no shortage of devils and monsters, and none were quite as cold as the voice in her head.
"No. I can take her…"
"Wonder Woman's involvement was a factor I wasn't planning on. If this goes on any further, we risk drawing undue attention." Cheetah snarled, and prepared to get up and attack Diana again…
Only for her whole body to tense up, as electricity coursed through her insides, before she collapsed. To Diana, Cassie, and Connor, however, it looked like she had simply collapsed from exhaustion. And as Cheetah collapsed, and the reality of what just happened set in, Cassie Sandsmark had what felt like a perfectly reasonable reaction.
"Holy shit." Her eyes widened as she realized what she just said, clamping her hand down over her mouth as the new hero turned red. "I-I'm sorry, Diana! I just… I'm experiencing a LOT of emotions right now, and I'm still trying to process it all and-"
"And it is perfectly reasonable." Diana cut off, as she knelt down to tie up Cheetah with her lasso. "From what I can gather, it's been quite an eventful week for you. Your mother's worried sick for you." She stated, Cassie frowned.
"I am so not looking forward to explaining this all to her…" She groaned out, then turning to Superboy. "Are… you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm… I'm fine." He grunted out, gingerly touching his wounds. "Never bled before. Not sure I like it." This caused Diana to lightly chuckle.
"None of those wounds look too serious. Stay in the sun's rays, and you should heal up in no time." She instructed, and tapped her communicator. "Wonder Woman to Aqualad. Status update?"
"We are wrapping things up now."
The Team
Mammoth roared as he swung his fist down at Kid Flash, who dodged. He prepared to swing again, only for a shuriken to hit his face and explode. The Hydra-Venom enhanced man roared in anger, before a repulsor blast threw off his balance. This allowed X-23 to run up and slash his leg, dropping him to one knee as Aqualad brought both water bearers to form a massive hammer and swing it at Mammoth's head, knocking him out. He panted as he sheathed his waterbearers, looking around at the rest of the knocked out villains. "All enemies are knocked out. We will be contacting the authorities immediately."
"Acknowledged. Meet us at the Museum when you're done."
"Copy that." And with that, he ended the communication, watching as the others began tying up the villains. Individually, they had struggled against the villains, only being able to best them by coming together. They moved as one, working together and coordinating attacks in order to take them out one by one. And yet Sportsmaster's voice remained in the Atlantean's head, mocking him, taunting him.
He had to get to the bottom of this, and soon. Before he lost his mind.
Gateway Museum of Natural History, 17:57 PST
"Cassie!" Helena's voice rang out as soon as Cassie entered her office, the teenage girl had the wind knocked out of her as her mother tackled her into a hug.
"Oooof!" She grunted out, as Helena held her close.
"You had me so worried! First Diana shows up, then she tells me that people are after you, and then she said something about the Cheetah? I'm just… so happy you're ok." The archeologist squealed out, Diana couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"Trust me, Helena, I know how you feel. Though, why don't you let Cassie have some air?" She suggested, Helena finally relented, freeing Cassie.
"I'm fine, mom. I really am." Cassie reassured, squeezing her mother's arm. "Diana's friends helped me." She said, gesturing to Superboy behind her, who honestly looked more than a little awkward.
"U…hi." He waved,Helena let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm so glad you're safe." She sighed out, before she frowned. "And you're going to stay that way, because you're grounded." Helena warned, causing Cassie's eyes to widen.
"Wait, what?"
"You heard me. Diana told me all about your little cosplay routine." She scolded. "What were you thinking, going out there like that?! You could have been killed, or kidnapped, or… or abducted into some sort of death cult or sacrificed to Cthulhu…"
"Helena, you're rambling." Diana spoke up, snapping her friend back to reality. "I understand that you must be upset, but why don't we give Cassie a chance to explain herself?" She suggested, and the single mother just sighed as she looked at Cassie expectantly. She squirmed under the look Helena was giving her, before the blonde found the courage she'd found to face Cheetah.
"I just… I've always looked up to Diana. When I was little, she told me that it was the duty of the strong to stand up and protect those who can't take care of themselves, no matter what. So last week, when I found out that I could do all this… I dunno. I felt like I had some kind of… great responsibility to use these powers to do what she did." The blonde explained, Helena just sighed.
"I… can't get too mad that your first thought was to help people. But doing it like you did, without any kind of… I dunno, training or research… this isn't a Squadron Supreme movie. You could have been seriously hurt."
"But I wasn't! I kicked Cheetah's ass!"
"You got lucky! I met Cheetah enough times to know that, if Diana hadn't shown up when she did, you would be dead." Helena scolded.
"But she isn't." Superboy spoke up, startling Helena. "Look, I may be overstepping a little here, but Cassie didn't ask for any of this. She didn't ask for Zeus or whoever to be her dad, and she didn't ask for that walking rug to come after her. She coulda tucked her head into the sand, but she took her powers and used it to actually do some good. It's the same choice I had, and if you ask me, that's worthy of a little respect." He explained, Diana raised an eyebrow.
"That's… an interesting point of view, Superboy. However, you can't know what-"
"No, he's… he's right." Helena sighed out, causing everyone's eyes to widen.
"He is?"
"I am?"
"He is. Cassie, you found out you had amazing, incredible powers, and you could have done anything with them. You could have done nothing, or used them to make money, but instead, you immediately used them to help people. You were crazy, reckless, kind, selfless… I think, more than anything else, I'm… proud." Helena confessed, and Cassie smiled as her mother squeezed her shoulder.
"I just… I wanted to do something you could be proud of."
"I am, kiddo. More than you could possibly now." And with that, Helena pulled her daughter in for a hug, causing Connor and Diana to smile softly.
"Uh… is this a bad time?" A familiar voice said, and the others turned to see Robin standing in the doorway, flanked by the other members of the Team. Diana's brow furrowed, as she looked between the Team, then to Cassie.
"Hm…." She hummed out, as the gears in her mind began to turn as Cassie turned to the team.
"Thank you guys so much for helping me. With the fire, and then with those villains… whatever happened to them, anyway?" She asked.
"Tied 'em up, left them for the cops with a nice note." Kid Flash explained.
"Best we can figure, Cheetah thought you were Wonder Woman, and hired some muscle to help her out." Iron Knight stated.
"Guess Cheetah's revenge was important enough for Hercules to come get us himself." Robin commented.
"That would explain why Mammoth was there. I guess he and Shimmer decided to become mercenaries after Santa Prisca." X-23 commented, White Wolf folded his arms.
"It appears so. Though I thought that Vulture was apprehended after our encounter with him and the Sinister Six in August…"
"He probably got off on some kind of technicality. You find the right lawyer, and they can talk their way out of any situation." The Teen Wonder explained, Kaldur folded his arms in thought. It was an odd assortment of villains, that was for sure. Were they simply the hired help, or was there something larger at play? And if so, was this at all connected to what Sportsmaster had said in Taipei? He would have to talk to Captain America and Batman about this…
"So, Supey, how'd the newbie do?" Kid Flash asked, the Kryptonian cast a glance at her.
"You know what? Not half bad." He stated, earning the flash of a smirk from Cassie, one he returned. Jason and Nolan noticed the looks they were giving each other, and exchanged a glance.
"So, Cassie…" Helena spoke up, drawing her attention. "Is this… over?" She asked, Cassie frowned.
"I… dunno. I mean, you were kinda right. I could've gotten killed, or worse. But at the same time, I… want to help people. I don't care about Zeus or Olympians or… any of that insanity. I just wanna do good." She explained.
"I… may have a solution for that." Diana spoke up, approaching Cassie. "Cassandra, I have known my fair share of heroes, and I can say with little doubt in my mind that you have the makings of a true hero." Cassie smiled at this, her heart becoming all warm and fluttery… "But you are raw, untrained. Potential can only carry you so far, and sooner or later, you will encounter an enemy you cannot defeat with a plucky attitude." As Diana spoke, Cassie's smile fell into a frown, and she let out a dejected sigh… "But that is also true of all of them." WW gestured to the Team, with Robin giving a little wave. "I would never dissuade you off of the path of a hero, and so I offer you the same choice that their mentors gave them. To train under me, to learn my ways and use them to protect the innocent."
"Are… you serious?" Cassie asked, eyes wide and heart hammering in her chest. "Are you… asking me to be your sidekick?"
"I've always preferred the term protege." Diana stated, Cassie turned back to Helena.
"C-can I?" She asked, and Helena looked at her longtime friend.
"Will you keep her safe?"
"I will not lie to you, Helena. I cannot make that promise. All I can promise you is that I shall treat her as if she were my own." Diana reassured, and Helena took a deep breath.
"I'm not going to tell her that she can't help people. If you're the one looking after her, then I'll allow it." She state, Cassie looking to Wonder Woman with a wide grin. "I-I promise I won't let you down!" She promised, causing Diana to smile.
"I know you won't." She said, and turned to Kaldur. "I don't mean to impose, but-"
"Say no more. We would be honored to have Wonder Girl join us." He offered, causing Diana to raise an eyebrow.
"Where did you get that name?"
"When the villains attacked, it was the only name I could think of to address Cassie by without giving away her real name." He explained, Diana chuckled.
"That's… fitting. That name originally belonged to someone very important to me, and I would be honored to have you use it, Cassie."
"I kinda like it." Cassie said, and put her hands on her hips. "Look out world, here comes-"
"Wonder Girl. Not what I would have picked, but I suppose it works for you." A new voice spoke this, startling all of them. It belonged to a man, one that Cassie could've sworn sounded more than a little familiar. She instantly moved in front of Helena, ready to protect her mother.
"Who's there?!" Kaldur said, reaching for his water bearers, only for the voice to chuckle.
"No need for that, Kaldur'ahm. I promise you, I'm not here for a fight." The voice said, and Wonder Woman's eyes narrowed.
"I know that voice…"
"I would imagine so. After all, we were both there at the beginning." Diana's eyes scanned the room, before she settled on a particular corner.
"Reveal yourself. Now." She ordered, and the voice chuckled.
"I always admired your straightforwardness. Very well, have it your way." The voice answered, and the shadows seemed to melt away as a man stepped out of them. The newly minted Wonder Girl's eyes widened as she recognized the six foot tall man with the slicked back dirty blonde hair, khaki slacks, and that god awful salmon pink polo shirt.
"Mr. Koil?!" She gasped out, Helena's brow furrowed.
"The… guidance counselor? What… how long have you been there?"
"Oh, not long. I was busy making sure everything went smoothly for young Cassandra and her new friends." Koil stated, Diana's frown only deepened.
"Drop that disguise, and tell us why you're here." She ordered, but Mr. Koil just smirked.
"I don't know, I've grown quite fond of it over the past few weeks. Is the shirt too much, or-"
"Now. Or I call your brother." Diana threatened, and Koil just clicked his tongue.
"Now now, no need to involve that boor. If you insist…" The Team watched as Koil seemed to… melt away to reveal a man wearing a green and black tunic under a green coat with golden accents, his dirty blonde hair growing dark as his face changed to become more and more hawkish, as a helmet with large, golden antlers formed on his head. The Team's eyes widened as they recognized a man they had only heard stories of, and Diana's face twisted into a scowl as her suspicions were confirmed. "Now, is that better?" Loki, the Asgardian God of Mischief, asked the assorted heroes, and was given an answer when Diana rushed forward and grabbed Loki by the throat, pinning him to the wall. "It's… good to see you too, Diana." He grunted out, and Wonder Woman's face was unchanged from her scowl.
"What are you doing here?! I watched Odin himself imprison you in the World Tree."
"And it did take me quite a while to figure out a way out of that little predicament. Fortunately, I've quite a few centuries of experience escaping from my father's punishments." Loki explained, and Cassie stepped forward.
"You… you've been at my school since the school year started. Why?" The new heroine asked, and Loki just smirked, an act that caused Cassie's soul to wither up.
"For you, Cassandra. After all, it's been quite a few centuries since a child of Zeus walked among the mortals, let alone one with a destiny quite as… spectacular as yours."
"What are you talking about?" Diana asked. She loosened her grip, allowing Loki to collapse to the floor and gasp for air. Before he could recover, she took the Lasso of Truth from her hip, tying it around his wrists. The golden rope began to glow, and Loki winced. "Speak. The Lasso compels even a snake as foul as you." She growled, and Loki couldn't help but laugh.
"You wish for the truth? Very well then." The Trickster taunted. "After I escaped from my imprisonment in Yggdrasil, I spent time travelling the realms, seeking a way to best my clod of a brother. The burning forges of Nidavellir, the sprawling forests of Vanaheim, the war torn wastelands of Svartlheim… Sometimes using the Bifrost, other times using paths and routes kept hidden from even Heimdall, The All Seeing. Eventually, a year or two ago-time loses its meaning when your immortal-my journey brought me to Nornheim, home of the Norns."
"Uh, pretend some of us aren't that well versed on our ancient Norse gods." Wally spoke up. While he did believe that the Asgardians were merely advanced aliens, the legends of the ancient Norse were based off of the vikings' observations of these aliens. "What are the Norns?"
"They are the three sisters of fate, the triumvirate who weaves the destiny of all the Realms that lie on the branches of the World Tree. Which includes Midgard." Loki explained. "While I was there, they gave me a prophecy. One that chilled me to my very core, and determined my path going forward."
"What is this prophecy?" Diana demanded, and Loki's face scrunched up as the Lasso glowed brightly, steam rising from where it bound his wrists..
"Is… he ok?" White Wolf asked.
"The Lasso compels whoever touches it to tell the truth, something that disagrees with the nature of a lying snake like the God of Mischief." Wonder Woman explained, Loki just clicked his tongue.
"I don't know what hurts worse: your words, or this Odin-damned Lasso." The Asgardian mocked, before his smile fell. "A great darkness has set its sights on Midgard, Diana. Something darker and more evil than anything you or I have ever encountered. Something so sinister that even Odin himself dare not utter his name, so foul that not even this accursed lasso of yours can make me say it aloud."
"We are no strangers to gods and monsters who think the universe is theirs to do with as they see fit." Wonder Woman asserted, but Loki simply shook his head.
"Not like this, you aren't. The time of the Old Gods is nearing its end, Diana. From the Asgardians, to the Olympians, to the Sun God Rao, to Shaara and Kythri to the Shi'ar, to even the various pantheons of the Skrulls. Like a great fire that cleanses away a forest grown out of control, we're about to be cleared off for something new, something that's been biding its time since humanity huddled around fires. New Gods are coming, and if we want to survive it, we'll need a champion." He explained, and Cassie's eyes widened as he looked directly at her.
"Wait, you did all this… for me?"
"Obviously. Did you think it a coincidence that that truck driver fell asleep as you were walking home? That the Olympians knew not of your presence until today? That, out of all days, Hercules chose the one day that Wonder Woman filled in as the Team's instructor?" Loki questioned, turning to Aqualad. "When next you see her, apologize to Black Canary for me. I've heard food poisoning can be rather unpleasant for mortals to deal with."
"Okay, now you're just messing with us." Robin commented. "So because you got a prophecy from some witches about some big evil, one that you refuse to name, you used that as an excuse to come down here and be an asshole?"
"Mmm, not how I would have put it." Loki commented.
"So clarify it for us." The team's resident mutant brawler spoke up.
"I came here because Cassandra has a destiny, one far greater than becoming some office drone. The youngest child of Zeus shall become the last hope of the Old Gods. I simply took it upon myself to speed things up a little. If we have any hope of surviving what's coming, we will need her at her best."
"So you're a good guy now?" Robin asked, earning a scoff from the bound trickster.
"When you've seen the things that I have, childish notions such as 'good' and 'evil' lose their meaning. Something that you will know all too well, little bird." Loki taunted. "Believe it or not, over the years, I've come to grow fond of this little ball of dirt. The Asgardians, the Elves, the Dwarves… they have all remained the same for millenia. Static, unmoving, unchanging. But humans… humans have changed so much in even just a hundred years. In some ways for the better, some for the worse, but never for the boring. I wonder what, given time, humanity will become? Even the Norns do not know for certain." He monologued.
"This darkness that is coming… when it arrives, it will not stop until it breaks you over it's knee, and makes slaves of you all. I won't be so bold as to say that Cassandra is humankind's last hope, but all I know is that, if she becomes the Champion of the Old Gods… well, it certainly won't hurt. And the fate of all living things, of even the universe itself, hinges on humanity," Loki finished, Cassie sighed.
"God, this is not how I saw my day going…" Cassie groaned out, crossing her arms. "I don't care anything about any prophecies, or witches, or 'great darknesses' or whatever the hell you're talking about. I'm doing this because I want to help people, not to feed your ego or make you feel better about yourself." The newest Team member retorted, earning a chortle from Loki.
"We'll see. I look forward to seeing what you become, Child of Zeus." Loki said, before turning to Kaldur and the Team. "I wish you all the best of luck. You'll need it." He cryptically warned, as green smoke began to envelop him. He held up his hands, showing that he had already freed himself from the lasso. Diana's eyes widened, but before she could react, the God of Mischief looked directly at Kaldur, as if he was looking into the Atlantean's soul.
"Beware the Light." And with that, Loki was gone, enveloped by the green smoke. The Team was left with their newest member, her mother, her mentor… and a burning set of questions that all of them knew weren't going to be answered anytime soon.
Mount Justice, September 16, 18:45 EST
"Okay, so Loki was the mastermind behind the truck, Canary getting food poisoning, and then… you said her name was Cassie?"
"That's right."
"Ok, so he gets Cassie in front of a camera, and then that puts her in front of Stark's algorithm. I got that part. And then he did all this so that he could… create a new superhero?"
"See, that's where I got lost, too. I kinda zoned out when he started talking about prophecies."
"Sheesh, I choose not to come in one day…" Carter sighed. He was in the briefing area with Francis, M'gann, and Artemis, who were currently being regaled with the story of the Team's adventure in Gateway by Wally and T'zari.
"Ok, so what was the deal with the villains? Did Loki hire them or…?" Artemis asked, causing T'zari to shrug.
"None of them are talking, but as best we can figure, they were hired by Cheetah to serve as her muscle."
"See, I'm still hung up on the Loki bit. First he warns us about some great darkness, and then he warns us about light? Am I the only one confused right now?" Francis asked.
"Maybe it's supposed to be ironic? Like, contrasting light and dark?" M'gann suggested.
"You guys talking about the Riddler or Loki?" Jason asked as the others entered the room.
"Well, both are cryptic, green assholes who like to give people migraines, so take your pick." Carter responded. "So, is she gonna be here soon, or what? I'm really looking forward to what all the fuss was about."
"She should be on her way any time now. Wonder Woman probably has to update the Zeta Tube registry." Nolan commented, and no sooner than he said that, the Zeta Tube powered up.
"Recognize: Wonder Girl, B-14." The tube announced, and the Team watched as Cassie emerged from the golden light, dressed in her street clothes.
"Hey! Sorry, sorry, I had to figure out how to get the Zeta thing to work." She greeted, and Kaldur stepped forward.
"Allow us to properly introduce ourselves. My name is Kaldur'ahm, but my friends can call me Kaldur. Behind me are Francis, M'gann, Laura, Wally, Carter, T'zari, Jason, Nolan, Connor, and Artemis." The Team leader introduced, gesturing to each one of them as he spoke their names. Cassie smiled, and waved at them all.
"Hi, guys! I'm Cassie but you probably already knew that." She greeted, looking around the Cave. "Whoa, this is some clubhouse…"
"Eh, we like to think of it as less of a clubhouse and more of a secret base." Wally corrected.
"Well, technically not totally secret. Just something no one knows we use." Nolan added, and Cassie noticed Connor skulking around in the corner.
"So your name is… Connor, right?" She asked, and the silent Kryptonian nodded.
"Yeah, that's me."
"I just… wanted to thank you for the other day." Cassie said, scratching the back of her head as she saw the bandages on his arm. "How are your injuries?"
"Oh, they're nothing. Wonder Woman was right. The longer I stay in the sun, the faster they heal. Must be some Kryptonian speed healing or something." He answered.
"Well, I'll, uh, make it up to you sometime, I guess." Cassie sheepishly stated, causing Francis and Carter to raise an eyebrow. They turned to Nolan, who made a throat slashing motion.
"So, I'll kick off the tour!" M'gann volunteered, and as they commenced the tour, Kaldur watched them.
This was all connected. It had to be. Just a week after Sportsmaster taunted him with knowledge of a traitor, the literal God of Mischief arranges events to get a new Wonder Girl on the Team. For now, Cassie was free of suspicion, but Kaldur couldn't help but remember Loki's final words that seemed addressed to him specifically.
"Beware the Light."
Kaldur had no earthly idea what that meant. But if there was indeed some sinister force behind Sportsmaster, Bialya, Hydra-Venom, and everything they'd faced… Kaldur had to get to the bottom of this, and fast.
Epilogue: Suicide Watch
Belle Reve Parish, September 16, 13:16 CDT
Guards at Belle Reve Penitentiary stood on either side of the prison transport as the SHIELD jet landed in the intake center, watching as the door opened. SHIELD guards flanked both sides as they marched out Deadshot, Crossfire, Vulture, Screaming Mimi, and Mammoth. Cheetah was still unconscious, and she was escorted out upright in a journey in a straightjacket, a muzzle around her just in case. "Well well, look what the cat dragged in." Wilcox, a large brick wall of a man, mocked, causing Deadshot to glare at him as guards applied inhibitor collars to each villain. "Welcome home, Floyd."
"Bite me, Wilcox."
"I'll pass. You're in for a world of hurt as is." Wilcox smirked, as a man stepped forward. He was Caucasian and in his mid-30's, with short cropped dark hair and a jaw as strong as marble. Lawton typically described him as if a GI Joe action figure had come to life, with a personality to match.
"Lawton."
"Walker." Deadshot growled out, staring Agent John Walker dead in the eye. "Come down here to chew me out personally?"
"No, just to escort you. The boss wants a word with you about what went down in Gateway." John stated, and Deadshot growled.
"She's seen the mission report."
"She wants to hear it from you personally. Oh, and you don't have a choice in the matter, in case you were wondering." Walker stated, causing the sharpshooter to sigh.
"Fine, let's just get it over with." And with that, Walker lead Deadshot through the prison, to a specific part of the administrative wing. The part of the wing they had entered existed on no blueprints, appeared on no plans, and according to all the paperwork regarding Belle Reve, didn't exist at all. As such, it had no official name, but over the years, Floyd had nicknamed it the Suicide Ward.
Walker lead Deadshot to an office, stepping aside. Deadshot sent a glare at him, before he entered the office. He had been in this room more times than anyone, but it still caused a not to form in his stomach. As a high profile mercenary, Deadshot had done business with many of the worst people alive. Ra's al Ghul, Doctor Doom, the Kingpin, the Penguin, the Joker, Count Nefaria, even the Red Skull, an honest to God Nazi straight from World War II. But none of them intimidated Floyd like the occupant of this room did. After all, none of them were the Devil herself.
"Lawton."
"Waller." He stated, the African American woman turned around to glare at him.
"That was a shitshow back there, Lawton. Cheetah's little vendetta almost endangered our whole operation." Amanda Waller lectured, folding her arms behind her back.
"Hey, you're the one who wanted that Wonder Woman wannabe." Lawton responded.
"I wanted an asset, Lawton, not a damn chase through the middle of the streets. Not to mention the damn office building you burned down." The Wall scolded.
"You knew what you were signing up for when you put Cheetah on the squad." The sniper retorted.
"Cheetah knew the territory, knew who your target was emulating. The six of you-"
"The six of us got blindsided by the Justice League daycare. So cut us a little slack, will you?" Lawton cut off. "Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and Iron Knight in Gateway? Not to mention the three new capes with them. You dropped the ball on intel, Waller, and bad. So don't try to pin this on us. Not to mention that Cheetah was out for blood the second she saw that Wonder Woman knock off." He lectured, Waller narrowed her eyes.
"Did they say anything? Anything at all that indicated what they were doing there?" She asked, aDeadshot folded his arms. As best as he could with the handcuffs on, anyway.
"No. They were coordinated, though. Fighting less like a random meetup and more like a squad. LIke a team. And, as far as I can figure, Wonder Woman wasn't the one coordinating them." He explained, Waller's lips creased into a frown.
"Interesting…"
"Anything else, or can I go back to my cell?"
"You're dismissed, Lawton." She ordered. He gave a grunt, before exiting the office. As soon as the door shut, Waller sat down at her desk, opening the desktop and initiating a call.
"Yes?"
"This is Waller. I've come across some interesting information." Waller stated, pulling up pictures on her desktop. Before her appeared pictures of the Team fighting Mister Twister in Happy Harbor, blurry satellite footage of the Hydra-Venom factory on Santa Prisca burning, fighting off Ivo's MONQI's attacking the STAR Labs transports, the Fog attacking the Stark Dataspire, Scarlet Spider and White Wolf chasing Klaue, and then footage from Deadshot's lens of the Team in Gateway. "I think there's some truth to that theory of yours. It appears that the Justice League's beginning to take some initiative."
"Hm…" The voice on the other end hummed out, as he examined the files Waller sent him.
"Say the word, and I'll have the Squad investigate."
"No need. I'll handle this myself." The voice of Waller's employer said. "The Squad is an asset we don't need the League knowing about just yet. And this is a situation that needs to be handled...delicately."
"Which is something the Squad isn't exactly capable of."
"That's an understatement. I'll investigate, let you know in a few days. Fury out."
A/N: I'd say we had a few bombshells here that were worth the wait. We warned y'all that we'd be doing a few things differently, didn't we? Tune in next time as we begin an exciting story arc!
