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.

Still Softly Searching

Cassandra leaned against the wall of the hotel room, her hands shaking as she ran them through her greasy hair. She had never felt so tired, but despite that she still had work to do. She had been up and moving for more than fifty hours, but crime didn't take vacations. Unfortunately, she also couldn't take a vacation from work.

With only a few weeks under her belt, Cassandra wasn't even allowed to call in sick. Instead, despite a frustrating night spent failing to find clues to the location of Anthony Burgess, she was back at work, changing beds and cleaning bathrooms that always appeared dirty even when her vision wasn't blurred. It all felt so pointless, but without Bruce Wayne's money, she had to work for a living.

Cass recovered as she began to pitch forward, having fallen nearly asleep on her feet. Rubbing her eyes, she winced as she yawned, her bruised jaw protesting the motion. The only things still keeping her awake were willpower and the pain from her recent injuries.

Slowly she began to move again, cleaning the rest of the room before loading up her cart of cleaning supplies. Leaning heavily on it as she moved, Cass slowly pushed the tray across the hall, opening the opposite door and moving inside. Looking around, she groaned. The previous guests had left the room a total mess, which meant that she had a long job ahead of her.

Cassandra slowly worked, her every motion weighed down, until finally she completed another room. She contemplated taking another standing near nap before shrugging off the urge. Slowly she pushed her cart down the hall to the next room. Unlocking the next door, she froze as she heard something.

The strange sound came again from inside the room, one that sent her pulse pounding and cleared away the fog that she had been stumbling through. Unlocking the door quickly, she threw it open, darting inside, ready for anything. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

An older man was chained down to the bed. It took her several seconds to place him before she finally recognized him as a senator that she had seen on the news. As an overweight man in his sixties, seeing him naked was not one of the highlights of Cassandra's day.

Standing over him was a woman that at first glance could have been a super villain. She was in a black leather catsuit, with a stout riding crop in her hand. She was also half the man's age, and stood over him in a menacing fashion.

"Stop!" Cassandra shouted instinctively. The two people in the room froze, although it took her a second to fully process everything she was seeing. She slowly began to turn red as she realized that, despite the strange scenario, both participants were willing.

"Get out!" the senator shouted, his entire body flushing bright red with embarrassment. "Didn't you read the sign? Get out and stay out!"

"Sorry," Cassandra said, stumbling backwards, nearly tripping over her own tired feet as she tried to look anywhere but at the scene in front of her. "Leaving."

"I'll have your job for this!" the senator shouted, his voice angry, although a quick glance as Cass closed the door revealed body language that was mostly humiliated.

Stumbling back against her cart, Cassandra paused to examine the sign hanging from the door. She frowned, reading it carefully, sounding out each letter as she went. "D-do. N-n-no-t. Do not. D-d-." She paused frowning. Even carefully sounding out the third word she didn't know what it meant, although she had a guess.

It was almost an hour later, just as Cassandra was finishing up another room, when she found herself leaning against another wall, barely able to stay standing as she drifted into a slight doze. She nearly jumped out of her skin as the door to the room slammed open to reveal her boss. Even without her body reading abilities she would have been able to tell that he was furious.

"You!" he spat. "Getting a rich guest angry wasn't bad enough? Or coming to work beaten up? Now I find you falling asleep on the job!"

"Sorry!" Cassandra said. "Still working. Done this floor."

"Including Senator Marshall's room!" the man shouted. "He filed a formal complaint! You're gone."

"Please," Cassandra said. "Need job. Won't happen again."

"No," her boss snarled. "If it was any one of the things I'd have overlooked it. But this? No. You're gone. Leave your uniform in the changing room. Just go."

Cassandra opened and closed her mouth a few times, before slumping. The man's body language screamed that his mind was made up, and even if it wasn't, she knew that she wasn't going to be able to convince him with her words to change it. She walked slowly and dejectedly through the hotel, changing quickly before starting the long walk home.

Her steps began to weave on the sidewalk, and when she noticed a small bakery she decided to go inside and sit down for a few minutes. Finding an empty corner booth, she slumped over, her eyes burning. She was so tired... and she had failed. Again.

Finally it was all too much, and her body began to heave with silent sobs. No matter what she did, no matter how much she tried, she always seemed to fail at life. Part of her wanted to go running back to Gotham to beg for forgiveness. The rest of her hated herself for wanting to.

"Are you alright, sugar?" a woman asked.

Cassandra glanced up, and through her tears she could make out a plump older woman wearing an apron with a smudge of flour on her face. The woman had kind eyes, but despite that Cass could feel nothing but shame at her own weakness. If her father had caught her crying he would have shot her, as he had done several times in her youth before she had learned to suppress her tears.

She wiped her face with shaking hands, but was unable to stop herself from crying. She opened her mouth to tell the woman that she was alright, but instead a tiny, choked sob emerged. She clamped her teeth shut and simply began crying harder, although without making a sound.

The woman sat next to Cass, and carefully wrapped a warm arm around her shoulder. She had rarely experienced such close contact, and she found herself leaning into the touch as the tears continued to flow. She felt so weak, but at the same time, it was a relief for just a moment not to be strong.

When she was finally cried out, Cassandra leaned back, her face bright red as she wiped her face. "Sorry," she choked out, her voice hoarse.

"None of that, now, sugar," the woman said gently. "I don't know what's wrong, but I can tell you needed that."

"Shouldn't," Cassandra mumbled.

"Sometimes, it takes more strength to cry than to pretend it's all okay," the woman said wisely.

Cass scrunched her brow in thought for a moment before shrugging. For a person whose role models had been David Cain, then Batman and Oracle, the idea seemed contrary to everything she had been raised to believe in. On the other hand, she felt much better than she had before coming in, except for her embarrassment.

"Now, then," the woman said. "Let me get you somethin' sweet to eat, an' you can tell me what's botherin' you. I insist."

Cassandra was soon given a large slice of apple pie, and under the demanding gaze of the woman she found herself slowly eating it. Her hesitation soon gave way to hunger as she devoured the delicious treat. She had never had apple pie before, but she loved it.

"Now, wanna talk about it?" the woman asked. When she saw Cassandra was still wary, she smiled encouragingly. "My name's Anna. This here's my bakery, an' bein' a slow day an' all, I have plenty of time to lend a sympathetic ear."

Cassandra spoke haltingly at first, but gradually the kind woman was able to pry her work-related problems from her. "Now, fired again. Failed again. Can't keep job, can't... live like person."

"So, you worked at a warehouse, and that went well, until you were laid off with that scandal?" Anna asked.

"Yes," Cass answered glumly. "Did good. Strong. Hard work easy."

"An' now, you got fired from your maid job for walkin' in on a customer's room," Anna said.

"Senator doing strange things," Cass said. "Didn't know what sign mean."

"You know, my parents were both illiterate," the woman said. "It used to be much more common back then, but even now you ain't alone. Still, it's hard gettin' a job, huh?"

Cassandra just nodded as she played with her fork, her slice of pie long gone.

"You did maid work... you ever clean dishes?" Anna asked.

"At home," Cass said. "Stephanie forgets. Usually do all dishes."

"Then how 'bout you come in tomorrow at noon. You can clean the kitchen, an' scrub the dishes, an' do any other odd work besides."

Cass' head snapped up sharply, her eyes wide with hope. "Really?"

"Of course!" Anna said smiling. "I've always had a good eye for character, an' I can tell you'll work hard for me. An' I been needin' a new busboy... busgirl, to keep things runnin'."

Cassandra nodded vigorously. "Work extra hard!"

"See," Anna said. "I know I can count on you. Now you go back home and get some rest – you look a bit worn 'round the edges."

"Thank you, thank you!" Cassandra said as she hopped to her feet, not even feeling her exhaustion in her excitement. The burst of energy didn't last long, however, as she was nearly asleep on her feet by the time she reached her apartment. Unlocking the door, she slipped inside and climbed into bed fully dressed, only pausing long enough to set an alarm before falling asleep the second her head hit the pillow.

A few hours later she sat upright as her alarm began to ring. Looking over at it blearily, she frowned, unable to make out the numbers. Slowly she woke up, her body protesting being pulled from its much needed slumber after so little rest. Eventually, however, she remembered why she had set an alarm.

A little girl's life was on the line, and a few hours' sleep was all that she could afford. Crawling out of bed, she took a cold shower before dressing in workout clothes to slowly work through her morning routine. Once she had finished her daily exercises, she finally felt human enough to track Stephanie down.

After a quick check of her friend's room to make sure that she was gone, Cassandra made her way to the diner where Stephanie worked. It was after the usual dinner rush, and she was able to grab a table without waiting.

A few minutes later Stephanie arrived, carrying a large platter of food for her to eat. Cassandra studied her friend critically for a moment, and was relieved to see that she didn't appear nearly as tired as she had the previous night. Stephanie grinned when she noticed her friend's scrutiny.

"I called in a half day, got four hours uninterrupted," Stephanie said quietly. "You look like you got a little rest yourself."

Cassandra smiled nervously for a second. "Found new job. Like better. Then took nap."

Stephanie raised an eyebrow. "You spent weeks looking for work, and you just find a new job today? How'd you pull that off?"

"Was fired," Cassandra admitted sheepishly. "Then found new job on way home. Good luck."

"I'll say," Stephanie agreed. "I'm off in a few, so eat up."

Cassandra didn't have to be told twice, digging into the hamburger her friend had brought her. She was nearly finished eating when she noticed something. The cook was standing very close to Stephanie and talking to her about something, and she could tell from her friend's body language that she was not happy.

She slowed her chewing as she studied the interaction, then felt herself growing dangerously angry as she finally figured out what she was seeing. The cook was flirting with Stephanie, which was making her very uncomfortable. Even though it would have meant abandoning her food, if Stephanie hadn't left him shortly after Cass figured out what was going on, she would have gone over and made him leave her alone. She tried to suppress her anger, but she obviously hadn't done it fast enough as she caught Stephanie sending her a curious look.

A few minutes later her friend went into the back to change, and Cass quickly finished eating her meal. Standing up, she went to go pay, sending the cook a dangerous look as she did. He tried to act unaffected, but she could see that he was shaken from the intensity of her glare. Before she could decide whether or not she should say something, Stephanie returned.

"What was with the look?" Stephanie asked once they got outside.

"He was... bothering you," Cassandra said.

Stephanie snorted. "Please. He always asks me out. It's annoying, but no biggie. It's the burden of being this hot."

"Could threaten," Cassandra offered.

Stephanie snickered slightly. "That would be funny, but I might lose my job. And he so isn't worth it."

They returned to their apartment and split up to quickly change into costume. A few minutes later they both stood in the main room, checking their utility belts and the fit of their clothing. Cassandra could see that Stephanie wanted to say something, but was hesitant to.

"I had an idea," Stephanie finally offered. "About how to find her."

"Yes?" Cassandra asked, slightly wary.

"Well, we know who we want to find, but with how long it took to find that much, it could be forever before we track down his safe house," Stephanie said. "He might be sloppy, but he's pretty good at not getting anyone to talk. So, I was serving this guy his eggs, and it just came to me. We could go to the source!"

"What... have to do with egg?" Cassandra asked.

"Huh?" Stephanie asked. "Nothing. Look, forget the eggs. We should go to Mandragora's mansion. I'm sure he knows how to find this guy."

"Yes," Cassandra agreed. "He also can call... faster than find. Could kill her."

"Well, then we can't get caught," Stephanie said. "I bet we could find something if we snuck in."

"Maybe," Cass said after some thought. "At least look."

The two vigilantes headed to the edge of the downtown area before hopping on top of a bus heading in the correct direction. It took some time, but eventually they arrived at the edge of the Mandragora compound. They studied it for a few minutes, Cassandra noticing dozens of security systems even with a casual inspection.

"I see some cameras," Stephanie said. "And we know he's got guards."

"Motion detectors. Lasers. Ultrasonics. Dogs. Cameras. Guards. Radar. Maybe more."

"Really?" Stephanie asked as she looked again. "Okay, I see the motion sensors, but how do you know about the dogs?"

"See tracks," Cassandra said. "Also, kennel. There."

"Oh, yeah!" Stephanie said. "So, what's the plan?"

"You stay," Cassandra said. "I sneak. Get info."

"No way!" Stephanie objected. "What if it's written down?"

"Too many alarms," Cassandra said firmly. "Improvise. Can't take you. Get caught."

"I'm getting much better!" Stephanie objected. "Really."

"You are," Cassandra agreed. "Not better enough. Need do alone."

Stephanie huffed. "Fine. Just don't knock me out again."

"Trust," Cassandra said, and she smiled when she saw how happy that basic truth made her friend.

Taking a deep breath, Cassandra pushed everything else away as she studied the grounds one more time before she began her approach. The fence was no obstruction as she easily scurried up it, hopping down silently onto the grass. She then moved swiftly to avoid the slowly panning cameras, her steps light as she weaved around the vibration detectors she saw here and there on the ground.

Once she was halfway to the house things began to get more interesting as the motion detectors came into play. Fortunately, she had already spotted a serious weakness before she had begun her approach. Pulling out her grapple gun, she fired a shot into a large tree in the middle of the lawn, reeling her line in quickly so that she clung safely to the upper branches, taking her out of the arc of the motion sensors and above the other ground-based security.

She held on patiently until the overlapping camera grid offered a brief window of opportunity for her to approach before running lightly down the length of a tree limb and jumping out into space, firing her grapple as she went. This time the line dug into the roof of the building, and she landed without a sound on its tiles. Glancing around quickly, she stayed low to avoid another camera emplacement as she headed towards the other side of the roof.

She soon stopped in front of an old brick chimney. Normally she would have to be crazy to attempt such an approach, but it was an old building with a very large, multi-fireplace chimney. Taking a deep breath of clean air, she carefully climbed inside.

It was a tight fit, but she was able to move quickly, her eyes irritated from the hot smoke of a fire burning on the first floor. She reached an open grate on the top floor before it became too hot, however, slipping inside the empty bedroom and taking in everything quickly. From the lack of decoration, Cassandra guessed that she was in an unused guest room.

She walked very carefully to the attached bathroom before stepping into the shower with a towel and carefully wiping the ash from her clothing. While it wasn't perfect, and she still smelled like smoke, she was no longer apt to leave an ash trail throughout the mansion. Unfortunately, there was nothing else she could do to clean up, so she was forced to rely upon her skill to avoid giving herself away as she began to search the mansion.