I do not own Young Justice or any of the characters.
Rescue and Rematch
The infiltration was almost clean. First they swam through a subterranean cave to enter. During the swim, Onyx scratched her leg on a rock, attracting a massive tiger shark, only for Savage to drive it off with a knife. After skirting through the jungle, they scaled a cliff, and the rocks crumbled under Savage's considerable weight. Having only one arm, she fell, only for Onyx to catch her arm with her whip, pulling her back to the cliff face. They found a group of Shadows and quickly took them down, Cassius and Rose leaving one for Savage and Onyx as a test, the two working together to take them out silently.
"I now you saw that last Shadow," Orphan began.
"You're still testing them?" Artemis asked.
"I'm conserving energy at the same time," Cassius silent-messaged both, then turned to Onyx and Savage. "When these three don't call in, Shiva will know we're here and that we met her deadline. Then, she'll start playing cat-and-mouse with us. That'll buy Orphan time."
Both potential moles nodded. On the flight over, Orphan had warned Cassius, Rose, and Artemis that one of the two had stolen data from Green Arrow's database, and that they were using the trip to Santa Prisca to deliver it. Cassius didn't care who. He didn't care about the data. Only Cassandra. However, when he found out who the mole was, he'd take the data on the way out. And maybe level Santa Prisca.
"Savage, Onyx, take point," Cassius said. "I want you where I can see you. And where I'll get a heads-up about landmines."
Both openly glared at him, then turned, heading for the Shadows' headquarters on the opposite side of the island. When the sun began to rise, they stopped in a cave to hide until the sun set. As they did, however, the dozen Cassius clones he'd left behind along the way continued, reaching the Shadows' headquarters easily and spreading out around it. Just as they got in position, their goo-recreated Darkwear managed to connect to Cassandra's, then relayed the signal to the original Cassius's Darkwear.
"Are you alright?" Cassius silent-messaged Cassandra in their group chat with Rose.
"She hasn't hurt me," Cassandra assured him in kind.
"Thank God!" Rose silent-messaged.
"She's letting you play cat-and-mouse," Cassandra messaged.
"I know," Cassius responded. "I've got twelve clones spread around the Shadows' headquarters, and I've marked your exact location in the building. They can be there in five seconds."
"We're in a cave waiting for nightfall to make the rest of the trip," Rose messaged. "Savage and Onyx are with us."
"Okay," Cassandra messaged. "I'm hungry. Can we have spaghetti when we get back?"
"Alfredo?" Cassius checked.
"Obviously," Rose messaged.
"Of course we can," Cassius agreed. "Just need to get you out of your mom's house, first."
"We should kill her," Cassandra suggested.
"Should," Cassius agreed. "Won't. We're not killers, and I'm not doing that to you."
"Thank you," Cassandra replied.
They're conversation ended, except for Cassandra sending fifteen minute updates to assure them of her safety. Then, finally, it was dark. It took barely more than a few minutes to reach the fortress, and what they found was that it was entirely deserted.
"Just a second," Cassius said as his clones all used their Darkwear to scan for entry points without guards.
Then, finally, he shut down all of the power in the headquarters, by way of a beetle drone. All that was left was the red emergency lighting, and as soon as Oracle confirmed that the power was out, the four of them moved in. Infiltration to the headquarters was much smoother than the swim and the cliff face. As Cassius infiltrated with Rose, Savage, and Onyx, he also pulled in his clones through alternate entries, all of them taking out any and every Shadow they came across without a sound. As they did, Artemis piloted a beetle drone ahead of the original Cassius's group to scout for him, Oracle piloting one behind to watch their back for any Shadows sneaking up on them. However, just as they reached the cell blocks, things went down hill.
"I'd lay bets they're holding her in Cellblock A," Savage whispered. "It's just ahead. Not much farther."
"Then this is as far as you go!" Onyx snarled, holding her sword to Savage's throat. "Cassius, I know you don't believe-"
Cassius flicked a hand, sending a stun disk into Savage's forehead. Onyx leapt backward instantly, just as the stun disk went off, electricity arcing over Savage's body for five seconds before dropping her unconscious body. He extended a goo tendril instantly, reaching out to her neck and ripping a Glamour Charm necklace off of her, the scars on her face vanishing as her arm reappeared.
"I knew it was her already," Cassius said. "After we interrogated her, Orphan had her pegged. You see, your body language matched too perfectly, but you were right. You've been a Shadow for too long, so that's all you know how to be. But Miss Savage slipped up. Right at the end, she got too honest. She explained that she knew it was safest to go to Artemis, because I'd never buy it, and neither would Orphan or Ravager, even if she could find them alone, but also that she'd need my stamp of approval. Knowing the exact requirements to sell yourself as a deserter, and trying to sell those requirements to me, is a red flag. If she really wanted my seal of approval, she'd have come directly to me, and she would never have told me so honestly what her plan was."
"Then, why bring her all the way here?" Onyx asked.
"Because before I could act on knowing she was the mole, we were attacked and Orphan was taken," Cassius said. "So, I had to bring her here to protect Orphan." He quickly scanned Savage, seeing a fog of tiny biomachines inside of her left arm.
"Infiltrators," Cassius growled. "Organic ones. Terrific. This is gonna hurt. Do it."
The Infiltrators burst out of Savage's arm, only for one of the Beetle Drones to fire a single, powerful sonic pulse. Cassius grit his teeth and bit back a shout of pain as the infiltrators fell to the floor, useless. Cassius let out a heavy breath, then stuck three more stun disks to Savage's back just as she began to stir, only for the disks to immediately leave her spasming in silence on the floor. Finally, they deactivated, leaving her unconscious for much longer than before just as a trio of clones reached the hallway. Two of them immediately used their goo to heavily restrain Savage, making it impossible for her to get out, and the third returned to Cassius, instantly healing the damage the sonic pulse had done and getting him functioning properly again.
"Let's go," Cassius said. "Orphan's this way."
Onyx nodded, quickly following Cassius through the fortress. However, just as they were halfway to Cassandra, Cassandra met Cassius with a hug, having been freed by his now-hidden clones.
"Time to leave!" Onyx said quickly.
"Hold that thought," Black Spider spoke up, he, Rictus, Shade, Savage, and Shiva all rising from the shadows. "The boss may have other ideas."
Cassius and the others all backed into a large, open room where his clones were hidden, all drawing their weapons, Cassius forming a pair of wakizashi. "I don't care what she thinks. Shiva can take a-"
"So much trouble for one insignificant child," Nemesis's voice spoke up from opposite Cassius's group from Shiva's group.
Cassius spun to face him instantly, snarling. "Nemesis!"
"Copy Cat," Nemesis smirked. "Long time no see. How've you been?"
"Preparing for you," Cassius growled.
"Have you?" Nemesis smirked. "I'm so happy."
"Surrender or die," Shiva ordered. "You know you can't beat us all, Cassius. You can't even beat just him. If you surrender, I will allow you to leave here unscathed and unharmed, Cassius. Call it a whim from an ex-lover. I will, of course, be keeping my daughter, Deathstroke's daughter, and the apostate Shadow behind you, but you may leave."
"Like Hell I'm letting you anywhere near them!" Cassius snarled. "I'll fight you all if I have to!"
Shiva sighed heavily. "That's what I thought you'd say. Ki-"
One of Cassius's clones smashed the one and only light in the room, and the room was plunged into darkness and chaos instantly. Rose, Cassandra, and Onyx went on the attack instantly, Rose and Onyx heading for Savage, Shade, Black Spider, and Rictus while Cassandra engaged Shiva. As they did, Cassius focused taking a form he hadn't in a very long time. Nemesis's species coupled with the same near-indestructible scales as he'd used when he'd fought Nemesis as Copy Cat. Then, when his fist met Nemesis's, Nemesis exploded backward, cackling as his mangled lower arm regenerated.
"You remember me!" Nemesis cackled maniacally just before exploding through a wall, only to stand. "You actually remember me!"
"More than that," Cassius growled, his body swelling as he gave his new body to the muscle mass of a Czarnian like Lobo but with the muscle density and power of Nemesis's species.
It was an offshoot species from the Dheronian race. However, instead of gaining powers identical to Superman's, this particular race gained the ability to absorb flames and heat, a healing factor to make Lobo cry, and strength and speed to match Superman's. It was a deadly combo, but now, it was also a part of Cassius. As Nemesis exploded forward again, Cassius avoided his punch and slammed a fist into his side, sending exploding through wall after all of the fortress and out the far side. Then, Cassius turned to the rest of the battle as Rictus's fist slammed into his jaw uselessly. He backhanded her, sending her also exploding through the fortress, and Black Spider instantly swore, retreating, Shade and Savage just behind him. Cassius's eyes turned to Shiva and Cassandra, just as Cassandra drove her blade through a body cavity in Shiva's abdomen, ending the fight without killing her. Then, she turned, nodding to Cassius just before Nemesis slammed into him, cackling as he dragged him through the fortress walls then slammed him into a cliff.
"This is so much fun!" Nemesis hissed, drooling in his crazed excitement. "That's not a goo transformation! It's real!"
"Yes," Cassius growled. "My powers were Void's goo because I chose for them to be so. But now, Copy Cat lives again."
His fist exploded into Nemesis's gut before a knee exploded into his helmet, sending him rocketing skyward. Then, as Nemesis fell, Superbike pulled up beside Cassius, all of the others present, including Cassius's clones, who had all merged into one. The clone instantly pulled Cassius into the seat before Cassius's body shifted back to normal, his clone merging with him again less than a second before he slumped to the side, unconscious.
"Cassius!" Rose shrieked.
"His vitals are stable!" Oracle assured them all. "He just burned an insane amount of energy taking that form and forcing himself to fight on level with Nemesis."
"It was only for like three minutes!" Rose shouted.
"Exactly," Oracle said. "It was a bluff. And it worked."
"Barely," Artemis said. "Send Halo to us. Have her Boom Tube him, Orphan, and Ravager home."
"On it," Oracle agreed.
A moment later, Halo arrived, only to take the three of them and depart again, returning for Artemis a few seconds later.
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