I do not own Young Justice or any of the characters.

Forged Identity

The boat drifted on the waves with a gentle bobbing motion, the sounds of the water broken only by the wreching on the boat's occupant. Raw fish was harder to eat than he had thought. But still better them than the girl, probably. Her burial at sea had been...underwhelming. It hadn't stirred up any new memories. It had simply been him dropping a rotting corpse into the water and leaving it for the fish to eat or leave alone.

His stomach rolled and he loosed another torrent of fish chunks and bile into the ocean. He decided he hated the ocean. The motor was out of gas, his goo wasn't responding, and the handful of fish that had accidentally jumped into the boat had made him sick. His life sucked.

He slumped down in the boat, feeling his stomach continue to roll but not as violently. Above him, the clouds drifted slowly. The breeze danced against his skin. If he could just get his powers to work, he could probably make a sail, or a motor, or something. He raised his hand, but nothing happened.

He sighed heavily. If this kept up, if something didn't change, if someone didn't find him, he would die in that boat. As if on cue, a quiet chopping sound reached his ears, growing louder rapidly. Then, a helicopter flew into view, passing over him. However, as it does, a man with his greying hair shaved on the sides and flat on the top leaned out, stared at him a moment, then leaned back in. A moment later, the helicopter swung around and flew back, flying low before hovering above him. A rope ladder dropped out of the side and he grabbed on, climbing up to the helicopter. The man was standing to his left, and to his right was a woman in her early twenties or so, maybe a few years older than him, though he wasn't sure how he knew his own age, since he didn't know anything else about himself. She hard dark brown hair hanging to her shoulders, a dao sword hanging at her hip, and a knife in her right hand, hidden behind her arm. He woundn't have noticed it if he hadn't looked for it specifically, though how he knew to look for it he had no idea.

"Who are you?" the man asked, one hand on one of his two pistols.

"I...don't know," he said. "I can't remember."

"Nothing?" the man asked.

He shook his head.

"What do you remember?" the man asked.

"Pain," he said. "So much pain. And then nothing. I think I might have been dying. And then more pain. Then...I woke up. And there was...some girl being raped."

"Oh?"

"I saved her, but..."

"And where is she now?" the man asked.

"Dead," he said. "Someone shot her."

"Did you get a good look at them?" the man asked.

He opened his mouth to respond but paused, brow furrowing. For some reason, he didn't think he should. He shook his head. "It was too far away."

The man and the girl exchanged a look.

"And he didn't shoot you?" the man asked.

Again he shook his head.

"Interesting," the man said. "How did you save the girl?"

"I have...some kind of power," he said. "There's this...goo. But it's not working right now."

"Give it another try," the man encouraged.

He held his hands out, focusing. Slowly, his skin began to turn black before the goo formed, expanding to cover his arms again. The man reached over with the hand not on his pistol, feeling the substance and humming thoughtfully.

"What does it do?" the man asked.

"Makes me stronger, stretches, blocks bullets, makes objects, like a shield," he listed. "I think it might heal me some too, but I'm not sure."

"Interesting," the man nodded. "Do you have any idea who you are?"

He shook his head. "I don't remember anything."

"I see," the man nodded. "How would you like to come with us? Perhaps we can help you learn to use your power properly, and maybe we'll be able to help you remember."

"I...alright," he nodded.

"First he will need a name," the woman said. "Cassius. Derrived from the greek word cassus, meaning empty."

"I..." he stared at the floor of the helicopter.

It fit. He was empty. He had no past. No identity. Cassius worked. He nodded, pushing himself to his feet. As he did, the man grunted and nodded.

"Cassius will do," the man said. "I'm David Cain. This is my associate Lady Shiva. We work for an organization known as the League of Shadows. You need to know this now, Cassius. If you agree to join us, if you accept this life we offer you, there's no going back. You turn your back on the light, and you will live in the darkness forever."

"I don't know the light," Cassius said. "I can't remember it. All I've known js pain. But in that pain, it was the darkness that brought me peace, and rest from the pain. So I have no problem living in the shadows."

Cain nodded. "Then we'll take you to our superiors, and they can decide whether or not you are worthy of joining."

"So, you can't decide?" Cassius asked.

"For starters, we don't even know if you are worthy," Lady Shiva said. "It remains to be seen. Having a power does not guarantee you entrance into the Shadows. But aside from that, no, we do not lead the Shadows. So you'll have to be tested by our superiors."

Cassius nodded. "Alright. As long as it helps me remember, I'm all for it."

The other two nodded and they all fell silent, waiting for the helicopter to reach its destination.

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