Disclaimer
I don't own anything. DC Comics, and anything that it publishes, is not in anyway owned by me. It is all owned by rich, talented people. I'm a nobody. Please don't sue me.
Those Dim Countries
Cassandra crouched on top of the building, as still as a statue as she glared down at the streets below. She missed the gargoyles that had been common around Gotham. Her new gray cloak would have blended in very well with the sculptures, and they had always added a certain ambiance to stalking along rooftops.
Cassandra heard Stephanie approaching long before she came close. While she had learned quite a bit about stealth under Batman's recent tutelage, she had a long way to go before she would be able to sneak up on Cass. To her credit, she didn't even try.
Crouching beside her friend, Stephanie grinned under her mask as she took in the sight below. "Drug dealers?"
Cassandra nodded.
Stephanie bit her lip thoughtfully. "Shouldn't we be, I dunno, beating them up by now?"
"Soon," Cassandra said quietly. "Waiting... for boss."
"Oh," Stephanie said, plopping down on the ground to settle in. They sat in silence for several minutes before she glanced over at her friend. The gray-cloaked girl hadn't moved an inch since she had arrived, and most likely for quite some time before that. "You like the apartment?"
Cassandra just shrugged. She had never been much for words anyway, and she liked the excuse her costume gave her to not talk.
"Yeah," Stephanie agreed. "'S not bad. I saw a help wanted sign when I was looking around on the way here. A diner looking for waitresses."
Cassandra frowned thoughtfully. "Not need read?"
Stephanie shrugged. "I dunno. You might have to, but we can see. At least I can try and get a job there. And we'll need it soon – living alone is way more expensive than I thought."
Two teenage girls without jobs and with no references had found it difficult to get an apartment that they could live with. They had finally settled for a tiny, unfurnished two-bedroom apartment in the attic of an old building in downtown Hub City. The landlord had demanded three months' rent in advance along with a large security deposit, and they had also had to buy all of the furnishings that they would need to live there. The end result was that they had very little money to pay for food and other necessities, which meant that they would both need to find jobs very soon or end up starving.
Cassandra was relieved when she finally saw the drug dealers perking up down below. Glancing down the street, she saw a large car approaching. She pointed it out to Stephanie who nodded eagerly, pulling out her grapple. Cass pulled hers and a spoilerang as she stood, raising the throwing weapon as she waited for the perfect moment.
Just as the car was beginning to slow down Cassandra threw, sinking the razor-sharp side of the spoilerang into the front tire of the car. The heavy vehicle swung erratically for a moment, bumping into the curb as the driver overcompensated before he brought the vehicle to a screeching halt. While all of the criminals waited, stunned, she swooped down, using her line to slow her fall slightly so that she slammed down with considerable force feet first onto the hood of the car.
Cassandra paused for a moment, letting all of them get a good look at her, before she backflipped through the air, landing on the shoulders of two of the drug dealers who had been standing side by side, driving them into the concrete. She drew another spoilerang as she stood, moving to the right sharply as she swung her cape to the left, the billowing cloth drawing the sudden gunfire from the only criminal to have already pulled his gun. It was knocked out of his hands before he realized that he had hit nothing but cloth by a perfectly thrown spoilerang.
While Cassandra drew the attention of the crowd of armed criminals, Stephanie swung around behind them on her line, ploughing into one of the men standing in the back with both feet, knocking him into the side of a building like an eggplant-colored battering ram. She then swept the feet out from under the closest criminal before kicking him sharply in the temple while he was down. Drawing her own spoilerang, she tossed it so that the blunt side smacked another thug in the forehead, stunning him for long enough for her to close and finish him with a roundhouse punch to his jaw.
Cassandra had continued her rampage, taking on thugs three and four at a time, moving so swiftly that they didn't have a chance to fire at her. She was nearly finished clearing the gathered drug dealers when she saw the car begin to drive away, fleeing the scene despite the flat tire. Glancing around, she saw from the body language of the remaining thugs that they were scared and poorly skilled, and she decided that she could trust Stephanie to take care of them. Without any further hesitation, she drew her grapple gun and fired it, sinking the end into the back of the car.
Cassandra carefully balanced herself on her toes so that she minimized her friction, allowing her to slide behind the car like she was waterskiing. Between the speed of the vehicle, and the rate at which the line retracted, Cass closed quickly with the fleeing car. At the last moment she hopped up, landing on the trunk, digging into the roof just above the rear window with a spoilerang as she did.
The last time that she had tried climbing onto a car in that manner, the criminals inside had begun firing at her, actually hitting her in the chest with a bullet before she could enter the vehicle. Not willing to risk the protective value of the armor that she and Stephanie had made, she decided on a different approach. Pulling a flash bang, she simply kicked out the rear window, tossed the device into the cabin of the car, and jumped off before any of the frightened criminals could try shooting her.
A little more than a second after she let go, a blast of light and sound filled the car, blinding and deafening its occupants as well as blowing out all of the windows. The stunned driver lost control of the vehicle, sending it skidding over the curb and through the front glass of a clothing store. The car finally came to a halt, half buried in clothing racks.
Entering the store, Cassandra could hear the alarms going off as the criminals began to try and climb out of the car. The first to make it out was still blind and half deaf, and she easily put him down, tossing him, unconscious, into a mangled pile of dresses. The next had apparently noticed her actions, simply sticking the barrel of his submachine gun out of his window and opening fire.
Cassandra saw his intentions before he even raised his gun, however, flipping and jumping out of the line of fire. Pulling one of her spoilerangs, she threw it at the only emergency light in the building, rendering the store completely dark except for the partially buried car headlights and the flash of gunfire. Even that went away as the gun clicked empty.
The criminals in the car hesitated, and she could hear them beginning to talk to each other, their voices raised because of the ringing in their ears. "You get it?"
"Had to," another voice said.
As she crept up on them, she heard the man with the submachine gun finish reloading before slowly opening his door. She waited until he had fully stood before rising from where she had been crouching, kicking the door hard. It slammed into him, knocking the gun from his hands and the air from his lungs. Before he could recover she grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him screaming from the car before she knocked him unconscious.
There was only one criminal left, and she could hear him cursing quietly in an endless litany of terror. Finally, after a long moment, he got himself under control as he remembered that he had a gun of his own. Drawing his pistol, he chambered a round before shouting into the dark. "I don't care who you are. You're dead! You hear me? Dead!"
The criminal saw movement outside his window and began firing. When his gun emptied he slowly stood, warily approaching his target. When he got close enough, he saw that it was a store manikin with a gray dress thrown over it. "Oh shi-"
He didn't get a chance to finish his statement, Cassandra having waited for her moment to take him out. She then quickly secured all three thugs before opening up the trunk, revealing the large cache of drugs inside. She could already hear sirens in the distance, drawn by the store alarm and the gunfire, so she slipped outside, heading back towards Stephanie.
She found her friend standing over one of the thugs, her arms crossed dramatically. He was glaring up at her, his fear obvious, but Cassandra could see that he was waiting for something. It didn't take her long to see what.
One of the first people that she had knocked out during the fight had gotten back up, and he had a pistol aimed at Stephanie's back. Cassandra could tell that Stephanie had no idea that she was in danger.
"Next time you try to bring crap like these drugs into our city, you won't get off so lightly!" Stephanie lectured, enjoying her apparent control of the situation.
Cassandra drew and threw a spoilerang in a single fluid motion, the handmade weapon flying true through the air, knocking the gun from the criminal's hand. He yelped in pain, causing Stephanie to turn in surprise. She saw the falling gun just as Cassandra tackled him, knocking him down hard, her fist slamming into his jaw with a loud crunch of bone.
The drug dealer that Stephanie had been lecturing suddenly drew a knife, standing quickly and grabbing her, putting the blade to her neck. "Don't move!" he rasped.
Cassandra slowly stood from where she had knocked out the gunman, letting her gray cloak hang loose around her as she did. She could see the fear in the man's posture, but while she could read that her friend was wary, she could tell that Stephanie had a plan. She subtly shifted her posture, the motion going unnoticed by the criminal but easily conveying to Cassandra that she wanted a distraction.
Cass slowly raised her hands, holding them out above her head in the classic sign of surrender. "That's right!" the dealer said. "Keep those hands up. Or you gonna be gettin' your friend back in pieces."
Cassandra suddenly turned her head, looking off to the side sharply, using every bit of her knowledge of body motions to show apparent surprise. The dealer bought it for just an instant, unconsciously glancing away for less than a second. It was all the distraction that Stephanie needed.
She slammed her head back, breaking the man's nose even as she grabbed and twisted the arm holding the knife. Turning in one smooth motion, she hip threw him to the ground, disarming him as he hit the concrete and knocking him out with a kick to the head.
She looked up at Cassandra sheepishly. "Um, oops?"
Before Cassandra could say anything, the flashing lights of the police cars whose sirens she had heard appeared in the distance, and the two girls fired their grapples, heading to the rooftops. The buildings in the area were too low for them to safely leave the area while the police were present, so they made their way quickly away from the crime scene. They were back at their apartment by the time the police had the criminals in custody.
The two girls slipped through their window, closing it and their purple curtains behind them. The apartment still had little in the way of decoration, but they had purchased a large (if slightly beaten up) couch, a couple of chairs, a table, and a small television on a stand. They each headed to their own tiny bedroom, which only had dressers and beds, before showering and changing into civilian clothing. When Stephanie left her room she found Cass already digging around in the refrigerator for a post-patrol snack.
"Watcha cookin'?" Steph asked.
Cass ignored her pointedly, continuing to dig through their food.
There was a long, awkward silence as Stephanie shuffled her feet slightly. Finally, she sighed. "I'm sorry 'bout before. I should have paid more attention."
Cassandra finally stopped searching, turning to frown at her friend. "Could die."
"I know!" Stephanie said. "I shouldn't have done that, but... I hate drug dealers. And after the way things went down in Gotham, I was angry..."
"Reckless," Cassandra said harshly. "Why... he fired."
Suddenly Stephanie became angry herself. "Look, I already apologized. Just get off my back, okay! Jeez! It's not like I'm the only one Batman fired."
Cassandra stiffened, and Stephanie immediately regretted her outburst. As Cass stormed from the room Stephanie shouted after her, "Sorry! I shouldn't have... great. She's gone. I'm an idiot!"
The next morning Stephanie got up first, pulling out eggs and bacon to make the best breakfast that she could. She wasn't an expert chef, but growing up with a father in and out of prison and a mother who was an addict, she had learned to take care of herself at an early age. By the time the food was ready, the smell had drawn Cassandra out of her own room.
When the two settled down to eat, Stephanie wrestled with what she wanted to say. She was sorry about her last outburst, and she knew that her friend was only angry with her because she was worried. She still wasn't sure how to bring things up.
The problem was taken from her hands when Cassandra quietly spoke. "Sorry too. But only... friend. Not want lose."
Stephanie smiled at her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that stuff. It just reminded me so much of him that I lost my temper."
"Only want safe," Cassandra said. "This not game."
"I know," Stephanie said. "Believe me. I've been in the cave. I've seen the memorial."
Cassandra nodded. "Then practice."
Stephanie's eyes lit up. "You'll teach me? 'Cause last time I was learning some, but I know you didn't really want to show me anything. Are you actually gonna teach me now?"
"Yes," Cassandra said, before smiling evilly. "Will teach... even after don't want to."
Stephanie suddenly gulped in fear as Cassandra moved some chairs to clear a small practice area. "What do we do first?"
"Meditate," Cassandra said, sitting on the floor.
For the next three hours Cassandra ran Stephanie into the ground. Her lessons included everything from better ways to stretch, to careful practicing of proper punches and kicks, to meditation and full contact sparring. Whenever Stephanie's endurance would begin to flag she would shift the activities to something that was tiring in a different way so that she could recover, but which still improved her abilities.
"No more," Stephanie finally panted, collapsing to the ground. "Can't... move..."
Cassandra began to go through her own practice routine, ignoring her friend, who began to watch her as she recovered her breath. Even though for her it was basic, everyday training, the display that she put on was one of the most impressive things Stephanie had ever seen. She lay entranced until her friend finished.
"Wow," Stephanie said. "When can I do that?"
"Five years," Cassandra said flatly. "If work... harder."
"Five... years," Stephanie squeaked.
"Yes," Cassandra said. "Tomorrow make you work... harder."
Stephanie gulped again. She decided that she really didn't like that look in her friend's eye. "You know, if you're gonna run me into the ground, then I should help you with your reading."
Cassandra perked up. "Really?"
What had started in her mind as a way to get some revenge for being overworked transformed into real interest as Stephanie saw how happy her friend was at the suggestion. "Sure! We've got some paper and stuff. Come on, show me what you know."
As it turned out, she knew almost nothing. Cassandra sat with her tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth, her face a mask of concentration, as she attempted to write out the alphabet. She ended up getting four letters, not in order, and they were only barely legible.
Stephanie was shocked, although she smiled encouragingly when she saw how down Cass was. "Try to learn. Not... working."
"Don't worry, Cass!" Stephanie said brightly. "I'm not gonna be fighting like a crazy ninja anytime soon. You won't be reading like a crazy... um... librarian anytime soon. Stuff just takes time."
"Really?"
"Of course!" Stephanie said. "And I'll help. See, we're gonna be a great team!"
"You sure?" Cassandra asked hesitantly. "Not too... stupid?"
Stephanie glared at her angrily, before reaching over and pinching her side. Cassandra let her, blinking in surprise at the minor pain. Being able to be shot without flinching made the pinch not worth mentioning, although it took her by surprise.
"None of that!" Stephanie said firmly. "No one gets to call you stupid, not even you. And if I see Oracle again, she's gonna get the mother of all pinches. If anyone's stupid, she is."
"Oracle smart," Cassandra said, looking away.
"Too smart," Stephanie said. "She thinks everyone else should be able to do stuff easy like she can. Remember when you first tried training me? I barely learned anything at first. Her trying to help you is like that, only she never noticed how much trouble you were really having."
"Should have tried... harder," Cass confessed.
Stephanie just shrugged. "You can't change the past. But this time I'll help you."
"Thanks," Cass said, smiling at her shyly.
Stephanie pulled out a large, blank sheet of paper from the art pad that they had used to design Cass's new uniform and used a marker to carefully write out the entire alphabet. She then tore the page loose and handed it to Cassandra. "Okay," she said. "Let's start with your ABCs."
Despite trying hard, it was slow going, and over an hour passed before Cassandra had made any real headway at writing the letters. She frowned, discouraged at her sloppy attempts, which were barely legible. Cass was normally able to accomplish any physical task with ease, but she was unused to using a pencil for anything but an improvised weapon. As she took a break to massage her cramping hand, she entertained a brief fantasy of using the things her father had taught her to use a pencil for on whoever had invented writing.
Stephanie noticed her distraction, and finally called the work to a stop. "You're doing pretty good," she said encouragingly. "When you get the letters down, we'll need to get some stuff to practice reading with. When we patrol tonight we should try to find a library."
Cassandra was less than fond of that idea, although she didn't object; she was too glad to be finished writing to complain anyway, so she simply nodded while fiddling with her paper.
"Don't worry," Stephanie encouraged. "You'll get it in no time! I mean, if you can't read, then that means I beat you at something, and what kind of world would that be?"
"Crazy world," Cass agreed smiling slightly.
"Right!" Stephanie said with a bright grin. "Now come on, it's time to get us some jobs. That diner should still be hiring."
