I do not own Young Justice or any of the characters.
Information and Training
Cassius batted Deathstroke aside with a backhanded slap of his right goo hand, which he had expanded to the size of Deathstroke's body. He spun, catching Cain's right arm and swung him around, slamming him into Lady Shiva, then ducked as Deathstroke slashed at him again. Then, he bent forward and a third goo arm sprouted from his back, slamming into Deathstroke and hurling him away. He stood up straight again in time to form a sword from his goo, once again going with a double-edged one, and blocked Lady Shiva's blade. She smirked as Cain stepped up behind Cassius, only for a second face to suddenly grow from the back of Cassius's head, made out of goo but with a pair of real eyes and its own set of arms, which it promptly used to snatch away Cain's knife, then hurl him into Deathstroke.
Lady Shiva shoved his sword aside and slashed upward at him, only for him to catch her arm with his free hand and spin, hurling her into the other two as they were standing. Then, he swung his arms across his body, sending a dozen goo spikes stabbing into the ground around the three of them, all three pushing themselves up and nodding approvingly.
"You've improved more than I expected," Cain said as Cassius pulled the goo spikes back to himself, reabsorbing it and the goo he'd formed the second body with.
"I agree," Lady Shiva nodded. "It's rare to find someone who can outfight all three of us at once."
"His potential is frightening," Deathstroke said. "However, this wasn't meant to be a combat test. Your objective was to get past us with stealth, so you still failed."
"Understood," Cassius nodded.
Deathstroke dismissed him, and Cassius walked away, passing through the hallways of their current hideout, a cave in a cliff below a mansion that Deathstroke owned, until he finally reached the exit. A few moments of using his goo to scale the cliff later, and he was walking through the hallways of the mansion. He didn't mind living in the mansion. It was easy to disappear from Deathstroke in between missions and training there. However, it wasn't exactly a pleasant environment. Not that it didn't have its other uses. Namely, he was able to make secure calls and search the dark web without even Deathstroke knowing about it. As he did as soon as he reached his room, having a data-mining program running on his computer to search for any information on the tan-skinned, blond-haired man he had seen once in a family portrait, once in a mirror when he learned he could shapeshift, and dozens of times in his dreams in the months since then. Then, he called one of his contacts.
"Now's not a good time," was the contact's greeting.
"Would you prefer to tell me what you've found face-to-face?" Cassius asked.
"Oh don't give me that!" the contact snapped. "You know I'm the only one who could possibly find out what you want to know."
"Not the only one, no," Cassius said. "Just the most convenient and the only one that I don't have to get hands-on with, unless you would like me to hang up."
The contact sighed. "You're a real charmer, you know that? Alright, look. The picture you sent me...that guy is a missing person report in the police department of the city you listed by name. I don't know how you got that picture, and I don't want to. I don't know who the guy is yet, I don't know who he knew besides his family, who are all dead, and I don't know if he had any connection to any of the uninvolved parties you mentioned. I'm still looking into it."
"Look faster," Cassius said.
"I'm just one guy," the contact said. "I may be me, but I can only do so much. It'll take time, but I will get you your information. Just make sure you keep your end of the deal."
"Of course," Cassius said. "As I said, quid pro quo. You find me the information, and I'll forget what I know about you, your wife, your mistress, and your three adorable little girls. Just make it quick."
"I will," the contact said, then hung up.
Cassius set his phone down and turned back to the computer, watching the data mine find absolutely nothing, as always.
"That's an interesting face to be looking into," Lady Shiva said, suddenly leaning down beside him to inspect the image his program was searching for, hands resting on his shoulders. "Why are you looking for him?"
"Because I have yet to remember who I am, and I keep seeing this face in my dreams," Cassius said, turning his computer chair around. "What do you want?"
"Is there any way I could help?" Lady Shiva asked. "Contacts, stories about old jobs, entertainment while you wait?"
"No thanks," Cassius said, turning back to the computer. "Not interested."
"Oh?" Lady Shiva asked. "Well, that might actually make you the first person I've met to turn me down."
"You'll get over it," Cassius said.
"Any particular reason?" Lady Shiva asked.
"I'm not interested in sleeping with the same person as Cain," Cassius said. "You did have his kid, right?"
Lady Shiva narrowed her eyes slightly. "Not willingly. You sure you're not interested? I don't exactly offer myself to just anyone without it costing them something."
"Don't make it sound like I haven't already been cost something," Cassius said. "Years of agony while you and Cain did your damnedest to kill me, then when I got good enough to keep you from doing it, you gave me to Deathstroke to do the same fucking thing. Then when I grew beyond that, the three of you started doing it together. I've been paying in blood since the day I woke up on that island. And in all these years, you still haven't done a damn thing to help me remember who I am, who that girl was, or how I got on that island."
Lady Shiva was silent for a long while before dropping into his lap. "You're right. We did promise to help you, didn't we? I had nearly forgotten. Alright, I'll make you a deal. Accept my offer, and I'll tell you who that face belongs to. I'll tell you who it was you suffocated with her children, and who the girl that died getting you off the island was."
"Why do you want to fuck me so badly?" Cassius asked.
"Because you are powerful and unique," Lady Shiva said. "Call it curiosity. I want to know if your fighting is your only skill. I may be a Shadow, but I'm still human."
Cassius stared at her for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Fine. But if you don't tell me what I want to know, I'll force it out of you. And Deathstroke has made me very good at applying pain to acquire information."
"Deal," Lady Shiva smiled. "Now, lock the door while I get ready."
She stood and Cassius shot a blast of goo out of his palm, coating the door and sealing it shut. Lady Shiva rolled her eyes before reaching up and opening her dress, letting it fall to the ground. Cassius sighed heavily, resting his cheek on his fist, a bored expression on his face.
"Any day," Cassius said, his clothes transforming into goo and sinking into his body.
Lady Shiva raised an eyebrow before laying on the bed and spreading her legs, beckoning him to her.
Cassius stared at the image. A hero. The man was a hero. A thorn in the League of Shadows' side. He had taken out dozens of their members, raided a half-dozen of their bases. And then, he had been taken out himself. Two Shadows had been sent to deal with him. One by the name of Alpha, and one by the name of Lady Shiva. He had been surprised when she said she was there when they went after him. However, he was only slightly less surprised when she admitted they hadn't killed him. Alpha had thought he was dead, and Lady Shiva reported him as such. But then she had had David Cain help her take him to an unnamed island where they gave him to a scientist who claimed to be able to give humans powers in order to make more effective assassins. They had hired a mercenary named Deadshot to monitor the experiment and make sure that no one left the island with any knowledge of the experiment. Cassius wasn't overly surprised to find out he was the man he was seeing.
The girl he'd saved from being raped as soon as he had woken up had been his sister, apparently, also a hero and one who had somehow tracked him down and snuck onto the island without Deadshot knowing about it to save him, but was captured, though Lady Shiva didn't know how. The family Cassius had killed had, as he had suspected, been his wife and children.
"So, does knowing who you once were, and who you killed, change anything?" Lady Shiva asked as she finished putting her dress back on.
Cassius stared at the picture for another moment before stopping his data mine program and shutting down his computer. "No. Whoever I was before, I'm not him anymore. I haven't been since I lost my memory."
"Good," Lady Shiva nodded. "I'm glad you're able to think about it so reasonably. And I'm glad I called Deadshot off when he reported you were escaping."
"I see," Cassius nodded. "I was wondering why he only ever shot at me once."
Lady Shiva nodded. "I'll leave you to your thoughts."
She left and he sighed, sending a text to his contact that their deal was done, as he'd found the information he needed, promising to keep his end of the deal. Then, he walked over and lay on his bed, the sheets all being balled up on the floor. He raised a hand, forming his goo around it, humming thoughtfully. He couldn't help but wonder if anyone in the Justice League had known him before. Or if he had had any powers before, like his sister's ability to turn objects into bombs.
Someone pounded on the door suddenly. "Mission."
Cassius stood, walking over and opening the door, following Deathstroke away from his room.
He stared at Cain in silence. This wasn't the kind of mission he'd been expecting. Cain wanted him to train Cain and Lady Shiva's daughter, Cassandra. He had worded it as a request, but it obviously wasn't.
"Why do you bother to phrase it like a question?" Cassius finally asked.
"Let me rephrase it, then," Cain said. "You're going to train my daughter. Deathstroke has given his permission, so long as you're allowed to go on missions in between."
"I see," Cassius said. "Fine. Care to introduce me?"
"Sure," Cain nodded. "This way."
He led Cassius through the building to a sparring room where Cassandra, barely six years old, was fighting against a man in a suit, Alpha, as Cain introduced him. Cassandra was doing well, but was only barely able to hold her own against the man. Finally, Cain called him off and Cassius walked forward, taking Alpha's place.
"My name's Cassius," Cassius said. "I'll be training you from now on, whenever I have the time."
Cassandra nodded mutely.
"It's polite to greet people back when they speak to you," Cassius said.
"Cassandra doesn't know how to speak," Cain said. "All she's been taught since she was born was how to fight. And thanks to Lady Shiva being the mother, Cassandra inherited her mother's ability to read body language like a literal language, allowing her to predict others actions before they can strike."
"Useful," Cassius nodded. "Very well."
He stepped forward, throwing a kick at her and she ducked under it before he spun, punching at her. She blocked it, throwing one of her own but he stepped back out of her reach before sweeping her legs out from under her. As she stood, she readied herself to go again, Cassius doing the same.
Cassius spun, hurling Cassandra, who crashed down on her shoulders, rolling onto her feet with ease, and charged again. He smirked. She was improving quickly. He blocked several strikes before throwing one of his own, Cassandra catching it and hurling him. However, he flipped in the air and when she moved in to finish it, he intercepted her and pinned her tot he ground.
He let her up and she nodded as thanks. Then, they headed to the library, Cassius beginning to teach her sign language and how to read and write, specifically because he knew Cain would be pissed at him if he ever found out. Cassandra loved the classes. They were the highlight of her training with him. And she was a quick study with the sign language, for obvious reasons. Finally, after a few hours, he sent her to bed and headed to his own room.
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