A/N: Welcome back, everyone! We're back with a brand new chapter, and we hope you'll enjoy! Now, before we get into it, I do want to address a common complaint that we're including too many characters. The reason it may feel that way is because we have...a lot planned. This isn't simply a story, it's a whole universe. We didn't spend the majority of 2020 and 2021 doing nothing. We talked, and we planned. We have storylines planned out that you'll see unfold over long periods of time. And to give those storylines the justice they deserve, we're doing a good bit of set up as well.
Now, to sort of counterbalance this, we have begun creating one shots we call Legacy Spotlights. Fully in canon, in universe one shots dedicated to showing more parts of our ever expanding universe that we couldn't show in the main storyline. The first such story is already on my page, and we're currently working on more as we speak. We thank you all for your patience.
All OC's created by us. Cowriting done by Batmarcus, Editing and proofreading done by Lord Zeppelin. Carter Alenko/Scarlet Spider created by Ghost Fire 6.
Chapter 23: Tall Task
November 3, Gotham City, 14:54 EST
Bruce Wayne had to stifle a yawn, clearing his throat into his hand as he sat in the waiting area of Gotham Academy. Which, considering he had only woken up twenty minutes ago, was a miracle unto itself. Fortunately, he had a decade or so of experience in looking like he didn't spend all night dressing up like a bat and fighting criminals, so to anyone passing by, Bruce Wayne looked like the standard billionaire playboy one would expect, not someone who had just wrestled Killer Croc into a police van just twelve hours prior. And certainly not someone here for a parent-teacher conference.
"Mr. Wayne?" A voice stated, and Bruce looked up to see a young woman with short red hair. "Hi, I'm Carrie Kelly. I'm the ESOL teacher here at Gotham Academy."
"It's a pleasure, Miss Kelly." Bruce greeted, shaking her head as he followed her into her office. "I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this arranged. It's been quite a busy year for us at Wayne Enterprises." And at the Justice League.
"It's quite alright. It actually worked out for the best." Carrie stated as they sat across from each other. "Now, has Mr. Pennyworth filled you in on what's going on?" She asked, and Bruce frowned.
"He said that you wanted to talk about Cassandra. He didn't offer any more details though."
"Well, frankly, if we'd been having this conversation two months ago when I originally reached out, we'd be having a much different conversation." She stated, opening a file with Cass's name on it. "Now, as I'm sure you're aware, when you originally enrolled her here a year and a half ago, Cassandra's language skills were… well, to put simply, nowhere close to what a girl her age should have been. It was like she didn't understand what we said, but how we said it. I noticed quickly that she barely responded to what I was saying, but could intuit the meaning from how I said it, observing my body language."
"Well, yes. I'm afraid her childhood before I met her was… far from ideal." At least, that was Bruce's assumption. Even after all their time together, Cassandra was hardly forthcoming about her life before the two had met. It was clearly a sore subject for her, and Bruce had no interest in pushing her before she was ready.
"I can only imagine. Some of the scars I've seen on her, the way she flinches from time to time… there's no telling how she was treated." Ms. Kelly surmised, pulling out Cass's test scores. "But that didn't mean she wasn't a quick learner. Here's her work when she first came here-" She placed a paper full of barely legible squiggles in front of Bruce. "-and here's her work two months later." The squiggles on the next paper were still hard to read, but Bruce could make out a few rudimentary sentences and phrases. "Frankly, I was blown away. I've never seen anyone make so much progress so fast."
"Well, Alfred- Mister Pennyworth- has worked with her since practically the day she arrived. Trust me when I say he's the best influence she could ask for."
"I have no doubt about that, but I think you're also selling yourself short, Mister Wayne." Ms. Kelly said, pulling out more papers. "You, Mister Pennyworth, and Jason Todd are frequent subjects of her assignments. How you work with her, helping make sure she doesn't get overwhelmed, showing her how to actually live. She clearly thinks the world of all of you." Bruce looked over the papers, seeing a steady improvement, until he got to a grade from two weeks ago.
"She had an oral presentation? She didn't mention anything about that to me…"
"That's actually why I started to push harder for this meeting. She's made steady progress, but around the end of September, her progress skyrocketed." Carrie explained. "She's been pushing herself harder and harder. Going for more complex sentences and multi-syllable words. She's even started adding proper articles to her sentences." Bruce's brow furrowed, going over recent events in his head. September? What had happened in-
And that's when it clicked into place for him. That's when Cass had joined the Team, spending more time at the Cave, hanging around people like Scarlet Spider, Kid Flash, Miss Martian; people who were more hyperverbal than Bruce himself tended to be. Bruce had been unsure that letting Cass join the Team so early would affect her development, but by all accounts, he'd been wrong.
"This is incredible…"
"I agree. I just… I'm worried she feels like she's not good enough." Carrie stated, earning a furrowed brow from Bruce.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, judging from her reactions, it's safe to say she was raised in an environment that didn't leave a lot of room for failure. Anything less than perfection means failure. And I don't think she realizes that that's not how she has to live." Carrie explained, and Bruce frowned. "I'd just… tell her that she's good enough. That you're proud of her."
"She knows I'm proud of her."
"Does she? Have you told her that yourself? Has she heard words of validation directly from you, or passed on from Mr. Pennyworth?" The teacher asked. "I know that sounds like I'm accusing you of something, but I promise I'm not. Cassandra's knowledge of social cues is still lacking, and so she might not pick up on subtle signs like anyone else might. She clearly thinks of you as her father, Mister Wayne. Just hearing those words come out of your mouth could mean a world of difference."
The Cauldron, Gotham City
"Hyah!" Cass exclaimed, charging forward with a swing of her escrima stick. It collided with the stick of her opponent, each of her strikes getting parried with skill. Cass grunted with each strike, sweat beading on her forehead. Soon, her opponent hooked their stick around her leg, causing her to lose her footing, falling on her back. She panted on the ground, as the figure approached her.
"You were holding back, weren't you?" The voice asked, and Cass looked at the woman over her. She was a woman in her mid-twenties, red hair tied into a ponytail. Green eyes with a shrewd intelligence behind them peered behind a pair of glasses. She set the escrima stick in the holder of her wheelchair, before extending a hand towards Cass. "I would never be able to get you on your ass like that if you weren't." Barbara Gordon, the first Batgirl, stated, and Cass smirked as she took Barbara's hand.
"Held back less that time. You are getting better." Cass pointed out, as Barbara helped her to her feet.
"Well, I guess I'll take the win where I can get it." Barbara remarked, rolling over to towels nearby. She tossed one to Cassandra, allowing her to wipe the sweat off. "Well, since you let me win, it's only fair I let you pick your prize." Cass grinned at this, heading over to the stack of books at the far side of Barbara's Clocktower apartment.
The young Bat perused the selection, a wide range of genres spanning from historical non-fiction to fantasy. Cass supposed that was the perks of being a former librarian. This was how their deal had always worked: Cassandra would come over and help her predecessor spar, helping the former hero maintain her physical prowess, and the former librarian would allow her successor to choose a book from her personal collection.
Cass's lips pursed as she browsed the collection, before taking a book from the shelf, looking at the cover. Barbara rolled up next to her, reading the title.
"Oooh, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. That was one of my favorites when I was a kid."
"Do you mind?" Cass asked, and Barbara smiled.
"Not at all. Keep it as long as you like. I think I have the other books somewhere around here too…" She muttered, and Cass was about to ask another question…
When the sound of a muffled explosion became audible, even high up in the Clocktower. The two Batgirls looked at each other, frowns appearing on both of their faces.
"Trouble?"
"Since when is it anything else around here?" Barbara sighed, rolling to a bust of Shakespeare that was eye level with her and opening the head, revealing a scanner that scanned her eye.
"Identity confirmed." The digitized voice announced, as gears around the clock tower began to whir. Shutters shut around the window, as the bookshelves retreated into the ground. A computer wall emerged from the floor at the center, a green mask appearing on screen. "Oracle network: Online."
"Let's see what new brand of craziness is happening today…" Oracle muttered, the screens whirring to life in front of her as the two approached them. Cass watched in slight awe as Oracle's fingers moved across the keys, almost like watching an expert play the piano. Social media feeds, police bands, news feeds, and CCTV feeds appeared before her, filtering out one by one as Barbara worked her magic. It was barely a minute later before she found what she was looking for.
"There was an explosion in Chinatown. No word on what caused it yet."
"Accident?"
"That's my first instinct too, but something's not sitting right…" Oracle stated, starting a scan. "Scanning local first responder bands…"
"This is Detective Vasquez, calling for backup! We have a Code 084 at the Weeping Whisper motel! Repeat, 084 at the-hrk!" The police band went silent shortly, and Cass's eyes narrowed.
"084?"
"It's a police code." Barbara grimly stated, looking at Cass. "It means costumed offender, possible meta powers." A grim expression appeared on Cass's face, and she marched over to the bag in the corner. She unzipped it, tossing the books and binders… and pulling out her Batgirl costume.
Chinatown, 15:14 EST
Batgirl landed on the roof in Chinatown, directly across from a seedy motel with a flickering neon sign outside that read Weeping Whisper, overturned cars and burning doors littering the ground outside. "What's the situation?" Oracle's voice chirped in her ear, as Batgirl dropped down to the ground.
"No civilians. Flipped cars." Batgirl explained, taking note of the lack of details on any of the cars. "Not police cars. Only unmarked cars."
"Unmarked cars? That means it's an undercover operation, but there's nothing going on in Chinatown that would necessitate something like that…" Oracle muttered. "Be careful, Batgirl. Something's not sitting right here." Batgirl walked towards the motel, and as she passed one of the cars…
"Ughh…." The man groaned, and Batgirl looked to her right to see a woman slumped against one of the cars. She recognized her: Montoya, a lieutenant in the GCPD. Batgirl knelt beside her, taking note of the large bruise on her head.
"Lieutenant Montoya has been injured. Wound is not fatal."
"Montoya? But she'd only be here if…"
"Ughh…" Montoya groaned, her eyes fluttering open to see Batgirl's expressionless, stitched together mask in her face. "Oh jesus!"
"Calm." Batgirl beckoned, as Montoya got her bearings.
"You…you're Batgirl." She groggily stated.
"What happened?"
"It happened in an instant. One moment, I'm coming back from getting coffee. The next…" Renee groaned. "Some… some freak with… with a shield and… and a skull mask?" She remembered, her eyes widening, before grabbing Batgirl's shoulder. "You've gotta hurry! He's gonna kill her!"
"Who?"
"No time to explain! Room 4A!" Batgirl didn't waste any time, running into the motel. Running past the pitiful excuse for a lobby, Batgirl took note of several unconscious police officers. All of them still breathing, all of them beaten to a pulp. She reached the staircase, firing her grapple gun and beginning to ascend, hopping off at the fourth floor. The sounds of fighting were immediate, and Batgirl crashed through the door. She saw two cops, fighting a third man with a shield.
And Batgirl was transfixed. Watching him fight was like watching a gazelle in motion, a creature of pure poise and grace. She watched as he spun in midair, landing on the ground and holding up his shield to block as the first cop emptied his clip into the shield, before effortlessly spinning to hit the second cop in the face. The man's spin continued, delivering a punch squarely to the head of the man that knocked him out, landing in a kneeling position facing away from Batgirl. The man slowly rose to his feet, turning to face Batgirl.
He was a tall, broad-shouldered man, clear even under his armor. The armor was a dark blue chest piece with orange piping along the side, clearly optimized to allow the wearer movement. With armor on his shoulders, orange sleeves, and white gauntlets that went with the white pack on his back. It was evident he was prepared for a fight. But what stuck Batgirl the most was the white hood raised around the white, skull-like helmet he wore.
"Well, isn't this a surprise? Wasn't expecting to see the Bat or one of his brats so soon." The man remarked, a voice that was quite gruff even without the filter from the mask. "Don't think we've met before, though. I was expecting one of those annoying birds, not… whatever you are."
Batgirl was silent, something that earned a chuckle from the man.
"Not very chatty, are you? Here, why don't I start off the introductions, since you clearly don't know who you're dealing with. The name's Taskmaster, and kid, I'd really recommend not getting in my way."
"I'm sorry, did he say 'Taskmaster'?!" Oracle's voice all but shrieked in her ear, causing Cass to wince under her mask. "Batgirl, get out of there now! You're nowhere near ready to take him on!"
"I can handle it." Batgirl stated, earning a sigh from Taskmaster.
"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you." Without another word, with a grace Cass had only seen once before, Taskmaster leapt up into the air, spinning around and tossing his shield at Batgirl. She narrowly dropped down, staying down as the shield ricocheted around the hallway, before burying itself in the wall behind her.
Once it was buried, Batgirl hopped up and rushed Taskmaster. Getting a running start, she leapt off the wall and delivered a downward strike, something Taskmaster quickly dodged. She delivered a punch that was swiftly caught, only for the young hero to quickly parry the counter strike that would have connected with her jaw. She followed it up with a series of swift strikes, each one quickly blocked, and the final one countered with a strike to the bat on her chest. Batgirl twisted out of the way to avoid it, unleashing a sweeping kick that was caught by the larger man. She continued to twist her body, delivering a kick with her other leg that knocked the mercenary back.
"That move…" He muttered out, giving a light chuckle. "That was a nice move. Mind if I borrow it?" Before Batgirl could reply, Taskmaster delivered a sweeping kick that was caught, only for Batgirl to swiftly be rewarded with a kick to the face that knocked her onto the ground.
Both fighters fell to the ground, and Batgirl quickly recovered. The two sprang to their feet in an almost identical manner with both of them facing one another, skull-like face to stitched together mask. The two stared at each other, and Batgirl felt like he was… examining her.
"Who are you? You don't move like the Bat. Don't even move like the birds. No, you're different." Taskmaster grumbled, the two rising to their feet and beginning to circle each other. The two rushed each other, exchanging a series of punches and kicks that were each dodged or blocked by the other, culminating in a stalemate as their forearms pushed on one another. "They fight with skill, but it's a practiced skill. Honed and refined through years of practice. But you… with you, you do it like a normal person walks. It's like it's as natural as breathing. And your moves…" They broke their stalemate, both of them spinning around and attempting an axe kick. Their legs clashed, and the two leapt back. "I knew it. You move like her. Fight like her. You fight like Shiva."
The reaction was instant. Batgirl was a blur of black, a five-finger strike aimed directly at Taskmaster's heart. He barely blocked it, being pushed back against the wall. And, much to Batgirl's surprise, he began to laugh.
"That coulda killed me…" He laughed. "I can't believe it. She actually pulled it off…" He muttered, straightening up against the door.
"Look at you. You're perfect. Absolutely perfect. And here was me thinking her whole idea was insane, impossible even, but here you are. I envy the achievement." Taskmaster remarked. "The One Who Is All, in the flesh."
Batgirl did a sharp inhale, taking out her grappling gun and firing it at the wall. The grapple gun retracted, and she zipped forward, planting both feet in Taskmaster's chest, the door splintering. The two fell into the motel room, and Batgirl spotted the room number on the door.
4A.
Her eyes widened as Taskmaster chuckled, grabbing her wrist and flinging her off him as he sprang to his feet. She landed on her feet, taking notice of the scared woman hiding in the corner. Taskmaster pulled out what looked like a billy club from his back, testing the weight in his hand. Taskmaster looked at the woman, then looked at Batgirl, who realized what he was about to do. She leapt in front of her, a dark chuckle leaving his mouth.
"Nice try, kid. Better luck next time." He reared his hand back, and Batgirl braced himself…only for Taskmaster to chuck it at the wall opposite him, the club bouncing off the wall and landing behind Batgirl with a shlk that made her blood run cold. Batgirl spun around, turning to see the billy club buried in her chest, blood seeping out as she slumped against the wall. Batgirl rushed over to catch her before she hit the ground, catching her and setting her down gently. She wrapped her hand around the wound, trying to apply pressure and keep the woman from bleeding out.
"See ya around, kid." Taskmaster stated, as he walked out of the apartment. As he did so, he tapped the side of his helmet, dialing the number.
"You better be callin' with an update."
"One down. Two to go."
15:52 EST, Chinatown
Commissioner Jim Gordon stared at the blood stained billy club on the ground, letting out a sigh as the flash of crime scene cameras took their pictures. It was times like these that he really regretted giving up smoking…
"Hey, you can't go in there!" He heard one of the uniforms outside say, and Gordon let out a sigh.
"Let him through, Castle."
"But… Commissioner…"
"Just let him through." Jim ordered, and the uniform stepped aside as Gotham's Caped Crusader entered the room. The crime scene techs stopped in what could have been mistaken as fear, awe, reverence, but Gordon had none of those. "Give us the room. Now." None disagreed with the Commissioner, leaving the two longtime allies alone. At least, nearly. "Sorry about Castle. He's new, just back from overseas." Gordon explained, before letting out a sigh. "What a freakin' mess…"
"Who was she?"
"Tracey Buxton. She was an accountant, cooking the books at the Iceberg Lounge. About three months ago, some of my boys picked her up on a DUI. I leaned on her, convinced her to turn on her boss in exchange for a clean slate. It took a lot of work to put together."
"That's a lot of work for a simple DUI. And it doesn't explain why you put her up in this roach motel, or why one of your best people was watching her."
"Because the DA's getting ready to move on Penguin." Gordon stated, and Batman's eyes narrowed.
"We've gone through this before. Cobblepot's made himself untouchable, unable to be brought down."
"This time's different. The new guy's got Federal connections, and they've got the bird on racketeering, gun running, extortion, dead to rights on all of them." Gordon explained.
"Cobblepot's paid off judges and juries before."
"That's why they're not trying him in Gotham. They're trying him in Kane County, outside of the little nest he's made for himself." Gordon explained, and though Batman's expression was unchanged, Gordon knew what his ally was thinking. "I know what you're thinking, and trust me, I think it too. I told them from the start that Penguin's too smart, too ruthless, to let some legal loophole take him down, but the new DA's out to make a name for himself, make nice with the Feds. They wouldn't listen to me. I thought if I worked with them, I could at least make sure it was done right."
"And let me guess. One of the stipulations was that you couldn't contact me about it?"
"Trust me, it wasn't my choice. But it was the price of doing business, and I had to swallow it."
"I trust your judgment, Jim. If you think that was the way to go, then it was the right call." The Dark Knight stated, and Gordon looked at the bloody club on the ground.
"Not so sure about that. Should've known Cobblepot wouldn't go down quietly. Never thought he'd go to the trouble of hiring someone like Masters, though…" He sighed before looking over to the body still slumped against the wall, "She hasn't moved since we arrived, hasn't said a word either." Added looking to Batgirl still kneeling and staring at the body.
"When the first responders pulled up, they… they found her still doing CPR. Practically had to pry her off. Broke Merkel's wrist before they managed to get her to stop." Gordon lamented.
Batman nodded, looking over to her now. He didn't show it, but Gordon knew the look. He'd worn it enough times worrying about Barbara.
"I'll, uh… I'll give you two a moment." He said, leaving the two alone.
Batman was concerned, to say the least. Witnessing death in general was difficult, as was failing to save someone. However, he knew it was worse for her, with the way Batgirl could read and understand body language, witnessing death for her was much more intimate and terrifying. Failing to save someone from it, with how hard Cassandra pushed herself, he couldn't imagine what she was going through.
He stepped over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Batgirl tensed up, before relaxing slightly. "Failed. Dead because of me."
"Not because of you. You did everything you could."
"Wasn't good enough."
"Taskmaster is one of the deadliest, most versatile fighters on the planet. He always has a trick up his sleeve, and he always fights dirty."
"But I'm supposed to be better!" Batgirl stated, standing up. "I am not supposed to fail. I am not supposed to lose. I am supposed to be better! Supposed to be the greatest!" Batman could hear tears creeping into her voice. "Held back…I held back too much. I… I hesitated at the killing blow. If… if I hadn't hesitated-"
"Then you wouldn't have been any better than him." Batman cut off, placing hands on both of Batgirl's shoulders. "People like him, they think our restraint holds us back. That it weakens us. But we have the strength not to cross that line, not to take the easy way out." Bruce squeezed her shoulders, looking Cass in the eyes he knew were behind her mask. "You're not like him. You're not like Shiva."
"Maybe I should be!" Batgirl shoved past Batman, storming out into the hall and leaping out the window, firing a grappling hook as she swung away. Batman ran to the window, watching her retreat, hearing Gordon sigh behind him.
"Welcome to the teenage years, old friend."
On top of the building, waiting for Batman and watching Batgirl swing away, Robin stood, having heard the whole thing. He let out a breath, concerned. He wanted to try and talk to her, but he hadn't always been able to get through to her. However, he knew someone who could. He tapped his comm switching over to a phone and dialed a number;
"Hey man. I need you to come to Gotham please. Cass needs some help."
Batgirl didn't stop running for another several blocks, not stopping until she reached a rooftop near the Clocktower. She slumped against the HVAC on the roof, removing her mask. The autumn winds stung the tears that had been down her cheeks, her head banging against the metal.
"I wasn't good enough… I'm never good enough…" She sobbed out, thinking back to days past…
The blood from her split lip filled her mouth as she hit the ground, the wind knocked out of her. "Get up." The voice stated, and she looked behind her at the man over her. He was an older man, with white hair and a cruel glint in his eyes. "Your form was pitiful. Get up, and try again." Cassandra flinched as she saw his body language, sensing the intent behind it. She knew that if she didn't try again, he'd hurt her again and again until she couldn't move. The last time she had disappointed David, he'd broken her arm, forcing her to train with it for a day before it had a proper cast…
Swallowing the pain, she rose to her feet, wiping the blood from her lip. The six year old steeled herself, before running at David Cain, delivering a flying sidekick. He caught it, but Cassandra twisted around, hitting him in the jaw with her other foot. The man staggered, before he grinned.
"Good. Again." And so she repeated the technique, again and again, all while being watched by the Chinese woman in the corner, a small grin on her lips.
And that was her life. For years and years, a never ending whirlwind of training and combat and punishments. She knew three things: her name was Cassandra, for that was the only thing her trainers bothered to address her as.
The man's name was David Cain. He didn't treat her with any kindness. Any warmth. The only words she understood were the orders he gave, the threats he barked, the curses he rained down upon her if she failed to meet expectations. She did not know if he was her father, only that he was the only person who bothered to even acknowledge her existence. Perhaps that's why she would take his last name when she needed one. It was the only one she knew.
And the third was that the woman was always there, watching. She would disappear for periods of time, but she would always return. She did not address Cassandra directly, save for a few scant acknowledgements or criticisms. Cassandra did not know where the woman came from, only that David would address her as "Lady Shiva."
Years went by, and when Cassandra was 14, she stood before Shiva. She wore the garb of what she would later learn was the League of Shadows, her head completely concealed under the black uniform.
"You are the One Who Is All. You are the perfect warrior, trained from birth to serve as the Blade of the Great One. It is your duty to purge this world of all who stand in the way of the rightful course, so that we may guide the world to true greatness." Lady Shiva explained, placing a picture of Jim Gordon in front of her. "This is your final test. Slay this man, and take your rightful place as our master's Blade." She ordered, and all Cassandra could do was nod.
And then she was standing on a rooftop, overlooking Jim Gordon's apartment. He was conversing with a woman in a wheelchair, one who bore a noticeable resemblance to him. The same resemblance that Cassandra herself shared with Shiva. Cassandra couldn't hear what she was saying, but they seemed… happy. The man loved her, truly loved her, and was proud of her. Why wasn't Shiva like that with her? Had she not passed every test? Succeeded every milestone? Did she not deserve to be looked at like that?
She slammed through the window, landing in the apartment in a haze of shattered glass. "Holy… Barbara, get back!" Gordon yelled, pulling his sidearm out of his holster. However, before he could fire, Cassandra swiftly disarmed him, the pistol clattering to the ground, before approaching him. Gordon backed against the wall, looking over at Barbara in the corner as Cassandra reared her hand back. "Please… just… just don't hurt my daughter…"
And that's when Barbara saw it. A tremor in the hand, barely noticeable. Barbara's brow furrowed as she saw the shake, swiftly drawing a conclusion. "You don't have to do this!" She yelled, and Cassandra turned to look at her. "I've seen Shadows before. They're all trained killers, natural psychopaths. You're not like them, are you?" She asked.
"Barbara, stop talking!" Jim pleaded, but Barbara rolled in front of her.
"You're not a weapon, designed to be pointed by whoever. You're a person, capable of making your own thoughts and decisions. And right now, you have a choice to make. You can either be what the Shadows want you to be… or you can be your own person." Barbara pleaded, extending her hand. "I… I can help you. We can help you." Cassandra stared at the hand reached out to her…
Before a shadow appeared behind her, a dark figure appearing in the window. Turning to look at him, she was face to face with the gray bat symbol on the shadows, recognizing it from David's lessons. The shadow looked at Barbara, who gave a nod, before looking at her.
"It's never too late. We always have a choice." Batman stated, and for the first time in her life, Cassandra was treated as a person.
"Hey." A voice stated, and Cass looked up to see Scarlet Spider perched on a smokestack. "Heard you've been having a rough night."
"What are you doing here?"
"I heard about what happened with Taskmaster. You know you did all you could, right?"
"You sound like Bruce. Wasn't good enough. Could have done more. Should have done more."
"You did everything you could do short of killing him, Cass, and we both know you're a good person, not a killer," he said, jumping down so he could stand beside her on the rooftop.
"I was trained to be. I should have done it. I had the chance. If I had just… she'd still be alive." Cassandra stammered trying and failing to keep the tears from her eyes.
"Maybe, but you would never have been able to live with yourself for taking a life, not even his. You did what you could, it's okay to fail. We all have from time to time. Just take some time and let it out." Scarlet Spider said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She stood there, thinking of the fight and all she could have done. The feeling of dread as she had watched the light leave the woman's eyes despite her best efforts. The sense that she had failed, not only herself, but her friends, Barbara, Bruce. She leapt to her feet and, to Scarlet Spider's surprise, pulled him into a tight hug, and began to cry into his chest. Unsure of what else to do, Scarlet Spider just wrapped his hands around her, holding her close.
"Eh hem." A throat cleared behind them, and Scarlet Spider practically jumped back to see Batman glowering at him.
"Batman! Hey, boss. How, uh… how ya doin'?" The arachnid awkwardly greeted, Batman's expressionless white eyes staring right at him. "We were just, uh… We were just having a little talk. All there was to it. I swear."
"Hrrnnnn…" Batman grumbled, but before this could go any further, their comm. links all crackled in their ear.
"This is Oracle. I managed to crack the federal database, found their Penguin file. It's… extensive. If this makes it to trial, this could bring down Cobblepot for good." Oracle's voice chirped in their ears.
"We've gone through this before, Oracle. What makes this different?"
"Because of who they have testifying. Tracey Buxton was one of three key witnesses, set to testify when they brought in Cobblepot next week. Tracey was his accountant, so she knew where he hid his money. One of the other listed witnesses is Ricky "Loose Lips" Leblanc, one of Cobblepot's weapons sellers."
"I'm familiar. I dropped him into a Christmas tree a few years ago."
"Well, whatever lesson you were trying to impart seems to have worked. He's been in protective custody for two years now. He knows who Penguin buys and sells from, with evidence to back it up. And last but certainly not least, we have Butch Gilzean, who's been with Cobblepot since he carried Carmine Falcone's umbrella."
"Meaning he knows all of Cobblepot's dirty little secrets."
"Explains why Penguin's shilling out for Skeletor. He must not wanna leave anything up to chance."
"My thoughts exactly. With those three dead, the case completely crumbles, and Cobblepot goes free."
"It won't come to that, Oracle."
"Had a feeling you'd say something like that." Oracle smugly remarked.
"Where is he?" Batgirl spoke up, and the line was silent for a moment.
"I have him going towards Kingston, where Leblanc is holed up. Robin and Nightwing are already enroute to intercept."
"Uh… are they going to be enough to stop him?" Scarlet Spider asked, and Batman narrowed his eyes.
"We need to get to where Gilzean is, now. Oracle?"
"I had his address sent to your gauntlet the moment you picked up."
"Good. Me and Scarlet Spider are en route."
"I'm going too." Cass spoke up, and Bruce narrowed his eyes as he thought.
Cass was emotional, that much was obvious. More emotional than he had ever seen her. She was doubting herself, now more than ever. And Taskmaster now had her scent. If they fought, and she faltered for a second, the mercenary wouldn't hesitate to end her.
But if Bruce told her no, it would shatter her. He thought back to his meeting with her teacher earlier today, about how she strived for perfection. How she pushed herself to succeed, to go above and beyond what was expected of her. A result of her childhood under Lady Shiva, programming so deeply entwined that nothing could shake it.
Logically, Bruce knew that he should send Cass out of danger's way, and deal with the fallout later. But the parent in him, the part that wanted them to strive to be the greatest version of themselves, knew what the proper course of action was.
"Can you handle him?" Batman asked, and Batgirl nodded with determination.
"Yes."
"That's all I need to hear."
"Bru-Batman, are you sure?"
"It's her decision, Oracle. Her choice."
"It's ok, Barbara." Batgirl reassured, and back in the Clocktower, Oracle sighed.
"So this is how dad felt…"
Kingston, Gotham City
Taskmaster kicked in the door to the apartment, bursting in. He scanned the room, only to see no sign of an occupant. The food on the table was half eaten, still warm. Leblanc had been here, and been here recently. He couldn't have left too long ago, which meant…
Taskmaster jerked his head to the side just in time to dodge an escrima stick courtesy of Nightwing, before bringing hands up in time to block a strike from a bo staff courtesy of Robin, rolling out of the way to get him space from the Boy Wonders standing across from him. "Fancy meeting you here, Tasky. If we'd known you were coming, we would have prepared a welcome party." Nightwing taunted, as Taskmaster rose from his kneeling position.
"See, this is what I hate about Gotham. Lately, it seems you can't walk anywhere without stepping in bird shit."
"See, now that's just rude. We didn't even go for the obvious Halloween line. Which, by the way, was three days ago."
"Think he gives out the full size candy bars?"
"Nah, he strikes me as the kind of guy who passes out apples stuffed with razor blades."
"Cute routine. When can I buy tickets for the show?" Taskmaster responded, sizing up the two.
He made up his mind, grabbing a chair and throwing it at Robin, who batted it away. Nightwing ran forward, swinging his escrima sticks. Taskmaster brought up his gauntlets in time to block each strike, being pushed towards a sofa. He flipped over the sofa, kicking it forward to buy him a little extra space. This allowed him to press a button on his gauntlet, his pack whirring as a hilt emerged. He grabbed it, the sword snapping into place and blazing with red energy. Nightwing's eyes narrowed as he recognized the stance Taskmaster dropped into, Robin bracing himself behind him.
"This is going to suck, isn't it?"
"You have no idea, Boy Wonder." With that, Taskmaster rushed forward, jabbing the blade forward. The Robins parted to avoid it, before he swung it in a wide arc, the tips of Nightwing's hair being singed off by the energized blade as it swung around to collide with Robin's staff, slicing the staff clean in two.
"Holy…"
"Eyes up!" Taskmaster focused his attention on Nightwing, twirling and spinning the sword to push the first Boy Wonder back against the wall. Taskmaster stabbed forward, Nightwing barely managing to roll to the side as the blade impaled the wall. Nightwing took advantage to deliver a strike to the helmeted head, forcing Taskmaster to abandon his sword as he rolled to avoid a shuriken from Robin, who leapt forward with his broken staff, wielding the two halves as batons. As he had done with Nightwing, Taskmaster blocked with his gauntlets, before managing to sweep Robin's feet from under him, grabbing his neck and slamming him down, delivering a quick strike to knock him out.
Taskmaster narrowly avoided a kick from Nightwing, rolling away from Robin to get some space. He picked up the broken pieces of the staff as he did so, rolling into a stance identical to Nightwing's.
"Really? That's what you're going with?"
"You should be flattered. Not everyone gets this treatment up close and personal." The two rushed each other. With every blow and strike Nightwing made, Taskmaster perfectly imitated it. The two were perfect copies of each other, until eventually, Nightwing miscalculated, allowing Taskmaster to nail him in the head. He struck him twice more, before finishing him off with a punch.
Having wasted enough time on the Boy Wonders, Taskmaster ran to the fire escape. The two could have only gotten there before him by a few minutes, which means Leblanc also escaped in that timeframe. Meaning he was most likely nearby…
And that's when he saw the black SUV start its engines, with the blacked out windows and generic plates. Couldn't have been more obvious if they tried.
Pressing a button on his gauntlet, his pack whirred on his back, reaching back to grab the compound bow stored there, and unfolding it. Drawing an explosive arrow head, he whipped the arrow around him and nocked it, letting it fly. It impacted the hood, exploding and flipping the car. Taskmaster leapt down, approaching the burning wreckage. He looked in the backseat, seeing a bruised, bloodied Leblanc. He was still breathing, but from the labored breathing, he'd be in the ICU for quite a while.
"It's me. Two down, one to go." He stated, walking away to his parked bike nearby.
"Who's left?"
"Buxton's dead, and Leblanc's not going to be testifying anytime soon."
"I paid you to kill all three."
"I can finish off Leblanc now, but by the time I do that, Gilzean gets away. Don't worry. You know I never leave a job half done." Taskmaster stated, revving his motorcycle. "Besides… I've got some unfinished business I need to settle."
Otisburg, Gotham
The engine of the motorcycle roared as Taskmaster pulled up to the apartment complex, parking and dismounting his bike. He stared at the apartment complex, knowing his target was inside, but in all honesty, he didn't care about that right now.
"You might as well come out now. I know you're here." Sure enough, the shadows seemed to move as Batgirl stepped out of the darkness. "I knew you'd be here. A fight like this? The rematch of a lifetime? You could never pass up a chance like that." Batgirl was silent, staring at him with her expressionless mask.
"I don't know how the Bat got you, but you're wasting your potential here. Do you even know what you are? Do you even know why you exist?"
"You're the One Who Is All. The ultimate fighter, an unmatched force of nature that rips apart all you set your sights on. In the entire history of the League of Shadows, there have only been two worthy of that title. The so-called 'Great One' himself, Ra's Al Ghul; and Sandro Woo-san, who you know as Lady Shiva. And here you are, trained from birth to claim that title, dressing up like some sort of Bat-themed gimp. That's a waste if I've ever seen one. Almost makes me regret giving Shiva my 'material.'" The sky rumbled overhead at Taskmaster's statement, Batgirl clenching her fist. "I see that look. I'm not trying to go all Darth Vader on you, just stating the facts. Shiva asked me to give her a hand, and I did. I don't even know if she used mine. For all I know, she went with that David creep who was always following her around, or maybe even Slade, he was also on the table, and he does seem her type." Batgirl remained silent, cracking her neck earning a sigh from Taskmaster.
"Not a big talker, huh. I get that. Getting a little tired of monologuing myself." The mercenary remarked, rolling his neck. "Whaddya say we get down to business?"
"Let's."
Lightning crackled overhead, the two fighters dropping into their stances as they sized each other up. They moved at the same time, running towards each other, Taskmaster taking a running jump with a downward punch. Batgirl blocked it, retaliating with a palm strike to his chest that impacted against his armor. She expected this, however, and so she was able to block the throat chop designed to be his counterattack. Each strike the other made was missed or blocked, and to the untrained eye, it almost appeared like it was dancing.
A dance that was ended by Batgirl landing a double palm strike to his chest, pushing him back. He balled his fists before unfurling them, revealing metal tipped claws on his gloves. He swiped at her, razor sharp talons prepared to shred her to ribbons. She managed to block and avoid most, but one strike managed to graze, tearing her costume and drawing blood.
"First blood's mine." Taskmaster's taunt wasn't dignified with a response, as Batgirl was forced against a car. He brought both hands down, only for Batgirl to dodge out of the way as his claws dug into the door. She delivered a punch to his face, metal screeching as they moved along the car, Taskmaster rolling to his feet. He looked down at his claws, seeing several of them were dulled or chipped. "Hrrrn… shoulda sprung for the vibranium…" The claws were sheathed, as Taskmaster pressed a button on his gauntlet. His bow emerged from his pack, and he drew and nocked three arrows, Batgirl noticing how he whipped the arrows around him. Where had she seen that before…?
They flew towards Batgirl, who leapt into the air and twisted to avoid them hitting her, running at him. She threw punches, chops, and kicks at him, each one parried by the bow. He pirouetted and attempted to hit her in the face with the bow, but she caught it, planting a kick to his chest and yanking it out of his hand, breaking it in two over her knee.
"That was expensive."
"Didn't get money's worth."
"Oh, she's got jokes now…" Taskmaster muttered, rolling his shoulders. He pressed a button on his gauntlet, and to Batgirl's surprise, a white cape unfurled from his pack, billowing behind him. He charged her, spinning and blinding her with his cape, delivering a strike to her chest that knocked her back. He assaulted her with a series of punches and kicks, some that she dodged, others that were obfuscated with the cape. And it was only when the cape blinded her, followed by a kick to the back of her leg, and slamming her into the ground, that it all clicked into place for her.
When he used the shield, he moved like Captain America. The billy club, a tactic used by Daredevil. The flourish with the bow and arrow, Hawkeye. The claws, Black Panther. The sword, Deathstroke. And the cape… The cape was all Batman. And the kick earlier was a flawless duplicate of the same move she had landed on him.
That was his gimmick. That was how he worked. He could duplicate anything he saw, and while impressive she realized the critical flaw: none of it was his. It was all a copy, an imitation, a cheap knockoff. He could duplicate the muscle movement, apply the same force and pressure, but that was all it was: a duplicate. Taskmaster was a perfect copycat, but that was also his downfall.
"Grahhh…" She grunted out, rising to her feet. "Fake man."
"What?"
"That's all you are. You're a fake man, all you can do is copy." She spat, wobbling slightly. "You copy everything you see, go through the motions of other people's moves."
"Heh, got it in one. It's called a photo-reflexive memory. Thanks to a little genetic quirk, all I gotta do is see something once, and I can do it myself."
"No. You don't do it yourself. You copy the muscles, copy the motions, but it's empty. Hollow. A poor copy of someone else's work." Batgirl spat, raising her hands as she began to think.
"I'm not like you. I don't just copy movement. I speak it. And when I look at you… all I see is empty words. No meaning, just fake." And for the first time, Cass saw genuine body language from Taskmaster, seeing the anger and rage rippling across him.
"Kid… you got no idea what you're talking about."
"Wrong. I'm the only one who knows. The only one who sees who you really are. A fake, no good, knock off." Taskmaster ran towards her, cape billowing behind him as he unleashed a flying sidekick at her. The same flying sidekick Nightwing had shown her once, that she effortlessly dodged. He spun his cape, attempting to blind her, but she caught it, spinning Taskmaster around and sending him into the sliced up car. A button press jettisoned the cape, and Taskmaster cocked his fists like shotguns, rushing at her. He swung his fists like hammers, designed to demolish her, but he was angry now, sloppy. His perfect recall faltered, and she caught his fist, catching his wrist and tossing him over her shoulder. He sprang back up, spinning to face her only to practically see the smirk on her face.
"Nightwing, Batman, Black Panther. Seen them all before. Not as good, nothing original. No effort, no mastery." She taunted, and he rushed her again. This time, it was her time to blind him with her cape, as he plowed face first into the car. His mask cracked, his right eye flickering, he heard a footstep, and all he could do was watch as she leapt off the car, towering above him as her cape unfurled like a bat, as she delivered a final punch right to the crack that shattered his helmet, knocking him to the ground.
Taskmaster spat out blood, attempting to crawl away, before rolling onto his back. The mercenary saw her standing above him, the outline of her cowl all he could see under the lamppost as the rain began to fall.
"You're… you're the real deal… the One Who Is All…" He groaned out, and she grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close so that he was face to face with her mask.
"No. I'm Batgirl." And with that, she headbutted him, knocking him out, and dropping the unconscious body to the ground, panting as she felt the first few drops of rain fall on her.
From their perch on a nearby rooftop, where they had observed everything, Scarlet Spider let out a sigh of relief. "Talk about a close one…" He muttered, Batman as expressionless as ever. However, if one paid close attention, one could see his lips twitch upwards the tiniest, almost miniscule amount.
Clocktower, 22:15 EST
"...bring you live to the Iceberg Lounge, where the FBI and the GCPD have just executed a massive operation that resulted in the arrest of Oswald Cobbplepot, AKA The Penguin. A longtime name in Gotham City, Cobblepot has long been the subject of multiple allegations of being a major figure in organized crime in Gotham." Vicki Vale announced on the broadcast, being watched by Bruce, Barbara, and Cass, as the footage showed Gordon dragging Cobblepot out of his club. "This comes following the arrest earlier tonight of Anthony Masters, the costumed mercenary known as Taskmaster. The former SHIELD agent, who has had highly publicized battles with the Justice League in the past, was arrested by the costumed vigilante known only as Batgirl in the midst of an attempt to assassinate several key witnesses against Cobblepot. Masters' arrest and subsequent confession provided the culmination of the two year long federal investigation. In a statement released following the arrest, Commissioner Gordon thanked the federal agents for their brave work, while also taking time to thank Batgirl for her help in bringing Masters to justice."
"Well Cass, you've officially made your first headline." Barbara proudly declared.
"Taskmaster's gone toe-to-toe with some of the greatest fighters in the world, one of whom is standing in this room. Not only surviving, but actually taking him down, is a big deal."
"So he's going away? Won't hurt anyone again?" She asked, and Bruce and Barbara exchanged a glance.
"I can't promise that. Masters has evaded long term consequences before, and I can't promise that this won't be different. But you beat him like none of us ever have before." Bruce explained. "You didn't just defeat him: you humiliated him. You read him like a book, and you pointed out all his insecurities. You've given him a black eye, one he won't soon forget or recover from." He stated, turning to face Cassandra directly.
"You avenged Tracey Buxton. Her killer, and the man who hired her, are going to be behind bars because of you." He reassured, and Cass sighed.
"I… I still think I should have done more. Should have saved her. Wasn't good…"
"No. You are good enough. You're not the One Who Is All. You're not the perfect fighter. You're your own person, and that's all I'll ever need you to be. I am proud of you, of the person and the woman you're becoming."
Cass did a sharp inhale, a smile gracing her face as Bruce's words sank in. She wasn't being met with harsh criticism, she wasn't being punished for her shortcomings. She was being praised for her successes, being met with pride for her accomplishments.
Bruce's eyes widened as Cass pulled him into a hug, and for the first time since Barbara had met him, looked like a deer in the headlights, hands just staying there. He looked at Barbara, who just nodded, and he wrapped his arms around her.
Barbara's console beeped, and she glanced at it.
TEST COMPLETE. CLICK FOR RESULTS.
What Taskmaster had said before their showdown stuck out to Barbara, about how Lady Shiva had approached him and several others about donating 'material' to help Shiva in her quest to create the One Who Is All. It had always been clear that Shiva was Cass's biological mother, but the identity of Cass's biological father was not as clear, as many of the likely suspects did not have DNA samples on file. Out of curiosity, she had taken the DNA evidence that had been collected upon Masters' arrest, deciding to run it against their sample of Cass.
Barbara looked at the embrace before her, before turning to her computer. She opened the file, not even looking at the results as she navigated to the trash can icon in the corner.
DELETE WITHOUT SAVING?
Barbara clicked 'yes' without hesitation, deleting the results. The DNA results were irrelevant. They knew who Cass's family was.
Blackgate Penitentiary, November 4th, 16:13 EST
Tony Masters grunted as his wrapped fists collided with the brick of his cell, following it up with more strikes and a kick. The entire time, he imagined the expressionless black mask of Batgirl, pummeled to a bloody pulp.
Who the hell did that girl think she was? Masters had fought the greatest fighters in the world–Batman, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Deathstroke, Lady Shiva, Captain America, even Ra's Al Ghul himself once in an ill advised bid to take over the League of Shadows–and had come out victorious more than a few times. And yet that… that child had the audacity to look at him and call him fake. Just a cheap copy.
He didn't care who she was. Didn't care who made her or where she came from. Shiva be damned, he'd make that little brat pay. As soon as he got out of here, he'd mount that stupid mask on his wall, right next to Shiva and the Bat's…
"Tony Masters?" A female voice spoke up, and Masters didn't even turn his head as he continued his exercises.
"You my lawyer?"
"No."
"Then piss off."
"Then I take it you're not interested in getting out of here?" She asked, and Masters stopped his movements. He looked back behind him, seeing a blonde woman in a dark blue pantsuit.
"You SHIELD?"
"Not exactly. My name is Karla Sofen, I'm the new warden at Belle Reve." Sofen stated, and Masters scowled.
"Huh, so that's what this is. My answer's the same as it was whenever Waller would ask: not interested in doing the government's dirty work. Not without a paycheck that's bigger than they're willing to pay, anyway."
"That's not exactly what this is." Sofen stated, approaching the bars. "I'm not here to ask you to risk your neck for the government. Rather, I'm here on the behalf of some… mutual friends."
"Got a lot of friends, and a lotta enemies. You're gonna have to be a bit more specific."
"They prefer to stay anonymous. But you've done some work for them before. It was a rather Light assignment, from what I was told." At Sofen's emphasis, Master's brow furrowed, before he clicked his tongue.
"Ah, so that's what this is. What do they want?"
"They simply want the ability to call on your services. In exchange for that, we're prepared to arrange your transfer to Belle Reve, where you would take advantage of Belle Reve's… generous work release program. As well as a rather generous sum awaiting you upon your release." Sofen explained, smirking as she saw Masters mull it over. "Do we have a deal?"
"Yeah. Tell our 'friends'... I'm in."
Valley of Mercy and Wrath, Japan 11:50 GMT+9
A ninja in dark red garb approached a throne, kneeling before the person atop it. "My Lady, we have obtained the information you desire." He stated, using the tablet he was holding to send the footage to his leader. The screen in front of her powered on to life, showing CCTV footage of Batgirl's defeat of Taskmaster. The figure on the throne watched as Batgirl humiliated Taskmaster, watching as she destroyed his helmet, knocking him out with a headbutt. She mulled over the footage… before Lady Shiva smiled to herself.
"Not bad, Cassandra. Not bad at all…"
A/N: We hope you all enjoyed this! It ended up being a lot of fun to write. Tune in next time, as we head to the Big Apple for the secret origin of the Scarlet Spider!
