Jss2141: Yep
Zanotronxl: She did.
chadcalebt: *points at any comic Shiva has been in* That's what she does.
61394: Exactly. Shiva is dangerous.
Skull Flame: Exactly.
Shooting Star Dragon 3000: Yeah, battle of the mothers.
Here are a few reviews answered by Ghost:
B.E.A.T.N: It's not going to be pretty.
Shooting Star Dragon 3000: These chapters were very sad for me and Grey. So...It's gonna hurt.
Skull Flame: Yeah, he did.
61394: Yeah, Jason messed up. And for future reviews, when listing off people can you add commas to separate them? It just looks like a single person with so many powers.
Zanotronxl: It's possible Bio-mum would want to rejoin with her daughter. Well: beyond Herculean strength and durability, alien bio-metal skin, beyond Herculean stamina and endurance, sonic claps, Herculean-level leaping; just as a start.
Jss2141: That may be true, but isn't that the same for any teenager trying to prove themselves of something? Plus, when you compare yourself to others who do stuff better than you, you feel worse and try to compensate.
Co-Writter: GhostKaiser23
Artist: GhostKaiser23, he goes by Hangman12 on Deviantart. Either look him up, or go to my profile to see links to all of his official work for this story
Disclaimer: Cartoon Network owns Ben 10 or Teen Titans
AUTHORS NOTE
Yo everyone, here is the newest chapter
I hope you all enjoy as Cassandra has to deal with some personal identity issues
James' Harem 2
Chapter 25: Legend of Shiva Part 2 Rise of Ms Cain?!
"She. She took, Cass." Argent panted, being put into the hospital. "Shiva took her. I'm sorry."
"Okay, I might be the LEAST intelligent guy here, but even I know not to mess with someone called 'Lady Shiva'." Garfield added.
"And THE deadliest woman and assassin on the planet." Dick answered
Duela grabbed Argent by the dressing gown and pulled her close. "WHERE IS SHE?"
"I don't know! I had to save the others!" Argent yelled and cried, shame filling her "Batman ordered us to take her down!"
...
"HE SAID WHAT?!" Dick roared, punching a wall
"Sir, please. Patients are-" The nurse tried to calm him down...but he just saw how pissed Dick was and backed off.
"I'm gonna kill him! I'm gonna fucking KILL him!" Dick pushed through
"Nightwing!" James snapped, grabbing his friend "Listen! Why would Batman do that when he could have called US or just called both teams! This doesn't make sense!"
"Tori. Who told you about Batman's 'orders'?" Rachel asked
"Robin." she admitted, the group looking sadly at the operating room doors where the four injured members of the team where being treated
"Ro-? Robin did?" Dick asked
"...No. No way." Kom shook her head.
"He's not THAT dumb." Jinx agreed. "Why would he?"
"I don't know. But we're getting Cass back." Dick answered, wrenching himself out of James' grasp
*elsewhere*
Cassandra mumbled weakly as she awoke, seeing the room being dark and empty. She tried to look for anything as a marking point for a map. But no, nothing. No windows. No lights. Nothing. She was just alone in the dark. She wore her suit minus her mask, cape, belt, gloves and boots
Suddenly a door opened, Shiva walked in with her arms behind her back
The light blinded Cassandra slightly, having been used to the dark, she would be seeing spots for a while until her eyes adjusted again.
Shiva walked towards her, looking intensely at the young bat "The daughter of Davis Cain." she commented casually "I didn't think I'd see you working alongside heroes."
Cassandra flinched as she heard her ex-father's name. She wasn't a 'Cain' anymore; she was a 'Grayson' and a 'Gordon'.
"I know you won't remember me. You have not seen me since the day you were born. However I am happy your father trained you properly. He had been able to teach you how to read the body as I do."
Cassandra was confused; what was this woman saying? Who WAS she to her? How did she know her ex-father and herself?
Shiva continued to look down at Cassandra and smiled a bit, her black painted lips twisting into a smile you could barely notice, and commented "Your mother is proud."
Cass' eyes shrunk back into her head...it. It ALL came together. The reason Shiva could read her movements. The reason she took such an interest with her...WHY she was ALIVE. "M-Mother?"
"I slept with David Cain because he was one of the deadliest men alive. I wished to have the most powerful child to pass on my own power to." Shiva explained to the near 15 year old without answering the actual question. No real emotional attachment to the words said
Cass looked at Shiva, seeing the icy cold stare in her eyes. She was a killer, through and through. But there was some emotion there
"Tell me. Why didn't you strike any killing blows? Or even attempt them?" Shiva asked
"C-can't." Cass whispered.
"'Can't'? What do you MEAN you 'can't'?" Shiva glared
"Can't." Cass repeated.
"...Can't? Or 'WON'T'?"
"Scary."
Shiva sighed as she realised it "So you only learnt speech recently. When did you first kill?"
"Seven." She answered, though timidly, trying not to give much away
"And you saw death through his eyes. Like you where the one dying." Shiva hummed "The horror, unimaginable horror, the pain... And then nothing. By your hand. When did these Bats take you in?"
"12. 13."
"Ah...I see." She nodded as she stood up and walked away.
"Where?" Cass asked as she finally stood up, asking where she was going
Shiva didn't answer, she walked out and shut the door behind her, leaving Cass in darkness.
Cassandra fell to her knees, she didn't know what to think. So... so many thoughts where rushing through her head, more than she knew what to deal with.
That monster she was horrified by the sound of. The fighter she KNEW she would lose to.
They were her mother.
Her mother who took her, who wanted her to know the truth. Who, from her body language, ... loved her?!
But if she loved her... why did she leave?
Why was she a monster?
... when was her real Birthday? She didn't know
... who was she?
Was her life all a lie?
*With the Titans*
Duela and Dick were still panicking, still sitting with the New Titans. The four where our of the operating room now, resting and Bart was the first to wake up
"H-Hnn..." He groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, though his throat felt liek it went through a blender. Luckily speedster healing factor was already dealing with it. He looked around, seeing Jason and Rose and Garth in similar states to himself only unconscious
"Kid Flash!" He heard someone yell, looking up he saw Argent who hugged him "You're okay!"
"ARGH! A-Argent." He yelled in pain, still sore from the operation.
"Y-You're alive." Argent cried as the adult Titans entered
"Kid." Nightwing said, holding himself back
...
...
"Where's Batgirl?" Bart asked as his heart dropped in worry
"Shiva...she took her." Argent answered sadly. "We fucked up."... And Bart began to panic. His heart monitor was going so fast it alerted the nurses in case he was going into cardiac arrest.
"Sir, Sir. Calm down." The nurse spoke but he was pulling his stuff off his body
"LET ME GO! LET ME GO! I NEED TO FIND HER! WE NEED TO SAVE HER! SHIVA MIGHT KILL ME! LET GO OF ME!" he yelled in panic
"Bart, Bart, STOP!" Argent tried to hold him down, only for Raven to calm him down using her powers.
"Shiva took her... Because we failed." he shuddered as he was forced to calm down, crying
"She what?" Jason muttered, his eyes opening
Zoom!
"What did you do?!" Bart hissed as he slammed Jason against the wall "You've been acting weird since you gave us Batman's order! What did you do?!"
"I... I didn't mean to..." Jason cried
*with Cass*
Cassandra sat on a wooden floor, hugging her legs. She was alone, shivering in worry. What was this murderer going to do? ... What was her MOTHER going to do?
'Need to. Get out.' She thought to herself, trying to muster the words.
Suddenly the door opened, Shiva walking in and dropping a plastic bowel filled with some form of food in front of her. Cass flinched as she saw it. What was she doing with it? Was it poisoned?
"Eat, daughter." Shiva ordered "You are hungry. Eat. This food is perfect for a warrior's body."
Cass' hand shook and her throat became dry. But she snatched the plastic bowl and ripped it open. She ate almost like an animal, a way she ate when she lived with Cain and during her first few months after being adopted
Shiva didn't respond with words, she just looked on at her, seeing her eat.
Cassandra soon finished and burped lightly, rubbing her lips against the back of her wrist
"Better?" Shiva asked as she saw her child finish.
Cass nodded, her head low
"Good. Follow me." Shiva ordered, her arms behind her back
Cass nervously stood up...and began to follow. If she didn't, she would probably get hit. She felt fear and followed Shiva, her head low and her feet padding across the wooden floor of... Wherever they were. She wanted to talk, as much as she could, to ask 'where are we going?'
They soon came to a stop... In front of a wall... With baby pictures of Cass stuck to them, the pictures going from when she was new-born to age 7 "Wh-what?" Cass looked on at this all. A memorial of her life.
"Davis sent me pictures of your progress every month and I kept them." She explained "You are my daughter, my heir, after all. Until age seven, at least. Your performance began to decline, according to him, so I considered his experiment a failure. Instead I kept only the important ones. At least until you turned 13 and shortly after David was imprisoned." Shiva pulled one picture from her pocket, a picture of a 13 year old Cass. Taken a week before the mission to Gotham where she escaped, her first 'mission'
"Failure?" She whispered in worry, seeing the picture.
"Yes. Davis wished to create a second me, a successor to me, an heir. Someone with my abilities, as dangerous as myself. An immortal legacy. Lady Shiva throughout history." She said, putting the picture of the 13 year old Cass on the wall. Small, almost looking like a preteen. Dirty, scared and angry "I'm afraid the late growth spurt you suffered was from my genes. David believed that since your training had gone 'downhill' as he said after a test he believed he failed and we should try again. I turned the disgusting man down and kept in contact for news on you. And then, of course, you disappeared after he was imprisoned."
"W-Why?" Cass asked sadly, wanting to run.
"Why what?" Shiva asked, reaching up and placing her hand on a Cassandra's shoulder. An iron grip that was also reassuring, controlling but guiding
"Why...Track me?" She asked, trying to mean 'Why did you continue to keep track of me?'
"Simple. You are my daughter. Even if David gave up on you, I had faith in your development." Shiva explained, using her hand to gently turn them around towards a mirror
And Cass saw her reflection, standing side by side with her biological mother. Almost...identical. And she had grown a lot from when the BatFamily had first found her
She was now taller, her head coming to Shiva's chin. Her body muscular and toned but still having feminine curves with c-cup breasts instead of being flat. Her short black hair in a short messy bob, partially from her mask.
And her face, it was identical to Shiva's
"Do you see, Cassandra? We are the same." She whispered. She reached up towards Cassandra's chest and tugged, ripping the bat symbol from her chest and leaving a gap showing off her bare cleavage as she had just thrown her suit on over her naked body this morning "You aren't like them. Like mother, like daughter. I never doubted your potential my dear."
"M-Mother?" Cass whispered as she heard that...that word. It resonated with her. She reached up at the ripped bat on her chest which mirrored the boob window on Shiva's own leotard
"Yes, 'mother'. Come, Cassandra. I've MUCH to teach you." Shiva answered as she held Cassandra's chin and lead her backwards
Cassandra gulped at what her mother meant...and by her mannerisms; Cassandra was going to learn 'MUCH'.
Suddenly Lady Shiva pulled out a syringe filled with an orange liquid
Cassandra looked at it and then at Shiva, almost like she somewhat KNEW what she was going to say.
"Are you ready, daughter?" Shiva asked "Because if you don't co-operate..." she shook the needle lightly, clearly giving Cassandra the choice. Openly stating if Cassandra refused the needle had a drug in it to mind control her
Cassandra gulped as she looked at her mother. At this close range. At this point. If she refused, she WOULD be controlled...but her friends, her team, her new family...she would have to leave them behind. "T-Titans. Safe?" She asked
"If you behave." Shiva nodded, running her fingers over Cassandra's cheek "You have my word, and Lady Shiva always keeps her word. Now, daughter, shall you be a good girl and come with mother?"
With a solemn nod. Cassandra gave her answer. "Yes, Mother." She answered
*at the hospital*
"You did WHAT?!" Dick snapped as he slammed Jason against the wall
"I. Thought. I thought we could-" Jason choked, riddled with pain as he was slammed into the wall.
"You WHAT, Jason? Thought you could take on THE deadliest assassin in the WORLD?!" Dick yelled "When Bru-Batman TOLD you to STAY AWAY?! SERIOUSLY!? Are you REALLY that STUPID?!"
Jason could only say one thing. "Yes." This was HIS fault. HIS choice. All this was on him. "Cass... I thought there was no way we could loose with her on our team."
"Why did Shiva even want to kidnap Ca-Batgirl?" Bart asked bitterly
"...Cause she's Shiva's daughter." Jason confessed.
...
"What? Did. You. Say?" Dick asked, tightening his grip on Jason.
"Batgirl...She's Shiva's daughter." Jason responded.
Dick couldn't believe it. Jason had THIS to tell them? He loosened his grip on Jason...only to him to be lifted up and grabbed by Bart, whose fist was vibrating so fast he could punch through Robin and grab his heart.
"YOU STUPID FUCK!" Bart yelled at him as he held raised his hand, holding himself back. He WANTED to do this, he wanted to shred Jason's heart for what he'd done, but he held himself back. He dropped Jason to the floor, his hand slowing down to its normal state. "I. HATE. You." Was all he could say before he stepped away from 'his friend'.
"We can get her back." Duela urged softly
"Dee." Dick frowned as he heard that.
"We CAN. Get her back." Duela answered, now ignoring Jason as she saw how much Bart cared for her daughter
"But what can we do? She kicked OUR asses." Argent frowned, giving her comment.
"You weren't prepared. WE will be." James answered "All of us together."
Argent looked down and walked away
Jason hugged himself, staying quiet...he deserved to be alone now.
The Titans, however, were formulating a plan. How to get Cassandra back and to stop Lady Shiva.
James followed Argent, trusting the others
*Time skip*
The Titans had been released, leaving quietly and luckily, the nurses and doctors agreed that they were 'never there'. Victor was trying to track Shiva while Gar and Rachel had taken to the sky to do so their own way.
"Anything, Cyberian?" Raven asked as she scanned the city with her magic.
"Not yet." He answered in annoyance
James frowned, seeing Argent by herself. He sighed and walked over to her "How're you feeling, Argent?" James asked tenderly, trying to be comforting to her.
"Terrible. I suck... I failed as a hero. As a leader." she mumbled
James sighed gently, rubbing her shoulder. "Look, you may've failed, but you didn't have all the information. Don't blame yourself for that."
"I FROZE!" she snapped "I NEARLY LET MY TEAM DIE BECAUSE I FROZE IN FEAR! I AM THE STRONGEST MEMBER OF MY TEAM AND FOUR MEMBERS OF MY TEAM NEARLY DIED AND ONE WAS KIDNAPPED!"
James held her and stopped her from yelling even louder "Ssssh. Ssssh. Tori, Tori. It's not your fault." he mumbled
"But...But it is." She whispered, wanting to cry in James' arms.
"If I had known who I was fighting when we first faced Deathstroke? I would have froze as well." James urged softly "You freezing? It was natural. What happened... it was terrible. It was horrible. But you are strong. Let's save Batgirl. We can do it, together. I know we can."
Argent sniffed and nodded. "Thank you." she whispered. James smiled and gently held her chin, kissing her black lips softly. Argent kissed back happily, though she DID feel a little bruised. She did feel her heart jump at that
*elsewhere, time skip*
Cassandra followed Shiva dutifully "Now, Cassandra. I will be helping continue your training." Shiva spoke "This man will be your first step. Understood?"
"Yes mother." she nodded, looking at herself as she passed a mirror. She was wearing a red and black leotard costume, almost identical to her mothers, her hair allowed to flow freely and she had her face exposed. She was unused to this, having her identity known. Her family had beat into her the importance of a secret identity. However right now she looked... identical to her mother, only younger.
"Are you ready?" Shiva asked as she walked to a door.
"Yes... mother." Cassandra nodded with a bowed head, feeling disgusted about what would happen... and who knows what
Shiva then opened the door and Cassandra walked inside, going to fight this 'man' she would have to face.
To kill this man her mother had been hired to kill
The man was wearing a torn and tattered suit and shoes, scared out of his mind...and stinking of piss from fear. "Y-You. You're going to kill me? Please. Please." He begged. "Make it stop."
"Here you are." Shiva commented "You took an annoying amount of time tracking you down. However this city did give me ONE good thing. It gave me the chance to find my daughter once more." she reached up and ran a finger along Cassandra's neck almost sensually "So I believe that I owe you a thank you."
"I-I'm sorry! Please! Let me go! Make it stop!" The man begged, crying for release, begging at Cass' feet "I'll give you whatever you want! Please!"
Cassandra took a step back and gulped, feeling disgusted and torn
"What if I told you to kill a baby? Would you do that to be allowed to live?" Shiva asked
"K-Kill a baby?" The man asked, seeing a way out
"That's right." Shiva answered.
"Yeah! I-I'd kill a hundred! Just let me live!" The man begged
Shiva was silent and turned to Cassandra, judging and inviting her
Cass' eyes widened lightly. This man wasn't lying, she knew.
She felt disgust, anger fill her body and horror
"Here." Shiva commented, giving the man a knife "There are a few sleeping in the next room, go ahead. And you can go free once you have done the deed."
The man grabbed the knife and nodded desperately, kissing Shiva's feet several times in a desperate attempt to get in her good graces, before he ran towards the back room
"What are you going to do?" Shiva asked her daughter, crossing her arms "Either kill him or let him kill babies, your choice."
Cassandra shook on the spot for a few seconds...but she couldn't let BABIES be killed! And knowing her mother...SHE wasn't lying. She ran, rushing at the man and tackling him into a wall
"HNN!" The man grunted. "L-Let me go! I want to live!" He lashed at Cassandra wildly, the knife in his hand almost slipping out of his hands.
"N-No! No kill!" Cassandra cried as she instinctively struck his chest... and suddenly he stopped moving. His eyes glassed over, his breathing ceased and he fell limp, his hand dropping the knife and slumped onto Cassandra. Cassandra quickly pushed him away on instinct.. and then froze. She looked down at her hands in horror, her body shacking. Her blood ran cold, heart stopping.
She... she... she killed him!
Cass shook and cried, rocking lightly as she felt like her world was crashing down around her
"Well done daughter." Shiva praised as she pulled Cassandra to her feet... And was pushed away
"No! Get away! Killed! Killer!" Cass yelled
"Calm down my dear. It's fine. Yes you killed. But you're like me. It's who you are." Shiva praised as she cupped Cassandra's chin "Mother is proud of you. The guilt will go away soon. Mother promises. Everything will be fine."
"Fine?" Cassandra whimpered. Her mind a mess. Her body weak, her soul dirtied, her mind a swirl. She went limp and let Shiva pull her close, hugging her
"Yes. Soon your fame will grow, as will your skill. Once you let yourself take life, your weaknesses will fade. In a few years you will be as good as I am, maybe greater." Shiva praised "Your power will be immense. And in this world power is all that we truly have. You will become like me. People will worship you. For power is all people care about."
"People... Worship you?"
"Yes my dear. Mother has religions based around her. Thousands of people worship her as a goddess of death, openly sacrificing themselves for me."
"Cult."
"I guess you could call it that, yes." Shiva smirked softly "After this we are going out. We have many birthdays to catch up on, and we need to bond."
"Bond?" Cassandra asked, crying. Her birth mother wanted to know her?! "When... Is my birthday?" she asked, he'd adopted family having used the day she met Barbara and the group as her birthday
"January 26th." Shiva smiled, the nail dropping for Cassandra. Her birthday, which was just over a week away, wasn't her birthday "I left the next day, but I made sure to have a special mediation session every year for you."
Cass couldn't help but cry. This woman... Her birth mother... She cared, unlike David Cain. In her own way.
Her life... it seemed like a lie... while this woman was real
"See? That pesky guilt is gone now." Shiva said as she pulled back "Now. How do you feel?"
Cassandra grew deathly silent, thinking about it. Casting a glance at the body, at the man SHE killed "I-"
CRASH!
The Titans and New Teen Titans crashed through the roof, light filling the dark building
"GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!" Duela roared as she brought down her hammer