The Man With Nine Lives

Note, the parenthesis indicate languages other than Japanese, in this case, English.
Please Read and Review. I'd like to know what I'm doing right (to keep doing it), and what I'm I doing wrong (to correct it).

Somewhere in Tibet
Nanda Parbat
(Outside the Normal Flow of Time)

The Phantom Stranger opened the door of Misato's apartment, and at the other side, Shinji saw a place that looked like the stereotypical open center yard of a temple, surrounded by elaborate columns of stone. A gust of cold air enveloped him, carrying a few snowflakes. The Stranger motioned for him to pass through.

"...um… Stranger..? How long do we have before we go back to Misato's?"

"Don't worry about that. Nanda Parbat is a magical place. Time passes here, yes, but not at the same speed than in the outside. We will return to the apartment in time for you to continue with your work. No one will notice your absence. A whole day will pass here, and only six minutes will have passed on the outer world. I will take you back to Tokyo-3 before anybody notices your absence." he paused while Shinji absorbed the news, once the pilot nodded his comprehension, the Stranger continued, "For now, that's all the time you can stay. There will be longer periods later, depending on how long you can disappear from Tokyo-3. But, for the moment, concentrate on your lessons."

Once at the other side, Shinji recognized immediately the powerfully muscled man sitting on a marble bench, his back resting against a column. He was completely immobile, his thick arms crossed over his barrel chest. The only sign of life was the nervous movement of the toothpick he held in his mouth. Not exactly the image of Wildcat he had in his mind, based on the few scraps of information he had gathered about the Justice Society of America. This man was… rougher.

He wore a one piece suit made of some lustrous black fabric, a cat-like mask covered the upper half of his face, leaving his mouth and chin exposed; he had about three days worth of stubble. His hands were wrapped in white strips of cloth, leaving his fingers free but covering his knuckles. Exactly the way boxers protected their hands under their gloves.

Shinji thought the man was in a very obvious and very terrible mood. His jaw set belligerantly, his hands tense, his eyes almost closed. The young man gulped, and decided to follow Inner Robin's advice. 'Don't interrupt him. Wait until he acknowledges your presence.'

The young pilot choose a point free of snow and knelt in silence, placing his hands on his knees. Next to him, the Phantom Stranger stood immobile and silent. But there was no hint of fear in his stance. It was more... respect for the man's musings. The blue cloak flapped silently in the breeze.

Shinji checked his coat was zipped. He had pulled the hood up as soon as they arrived to wherever they were. He looked around, keeping his head down. It was the first time he had seen snow. The whole place was a shocking contrast to Tokyo-3, with its unending summer; especially as they had come directly from Misato's apartment. There was not even a single cicada making noise. Instead, the soft hiss of the wind and the somewhat dulled crunch of the snow under his shoes had been the only things he had heard so far. He breathed deeply, drinking the serene ambience of the place.

Finally, several minutes later, Wildcat stirred, "(Stranger,)" he said. The man's voice was rough, not like a smoker's, but Shinji couldn't place that particular quality. He also realized that the man was speaking English, but just like he had when the Phantom Stranger took him to watch the Flashes in action, he was able to understand him way beyond his actual knowledge of the language.

"Wildcat." The Stranger answered, tilting his head downwards.

The man turned his head minutely, to look at Shinji, after a second, his eyes returned to the Phantom Stranger. "(You know, every single time I meet you, I get in hot water. I don't like it.)"he grumbled.

He turned to Shinji, looking at him up and down. "(So, this is the poor schmuck who got roped into the job, uh? Don't looks like he amounts to much.)" The toothpick moved to the other side of his mouth.

"His name is Shinji Ikari, Third Child and Unit-01's pilot." The Phantom Stranger's hand rested protectively over Shinji's right shoulder. The pilot bowed his head. Wildcar took the toothpick out of his mouth, and carefully tucked it into the left ear of his cat-mask. Then he swung his legs over to turn on his seat, and his hands rested on the marble slab. "(As I said, the schmuck.)" He stood with the grace of a... of a cat. Each movement of his was like a wave of oil, fluid and heavy. But something told Shinji the man could move like lightning when he wanted to. He certainly had the reputation, but seeing him move was a whole different thing. Shinji kept silence.

"(On your feet, kid, you're making me nervous. I don't put much stock in ceremony, anyway.)" Wildcat motioned him to stand.

Shinji obeyed. He stood up, and slapped his pants a couple of times to shake the dust and snow.

"(Okay, we have lots to do if I wanna get you up to speed. Think fast!)" And he threw a jab at Shinji's face. The boy reacted and dodged; still, Wildcat's fist almost connected. But stopped about a quarter of an inch away from Shinji's nose.

"(Good. Nice reflexes.)" Wildcat nodded once, satisfied with Shinji's fast reaction. He rubbed the knuckles of his right fist against the palm of his left hand. "(Do you box?)"

For the first time since arriving, Shinji spoke, keeping his eyes down respectfully. "(Yes, Wildcat-Sensei. The Second Child has taught me the basics. We spar for two hours, three days per week. One hour with her, the other with the First Child.)"

Reluctantly, Wildcat smiled and nodded with a curious lateral movement. "(Good start, but that won't be enough.)" He pointed at a bunch of protective equipment. "(Put that on, I wanna see what you can do.)"

He himself put on a set of padded gloves.

Later

"(Now try to kick me, kid. Make me rue the day I said mean things about you!)"

Shinji kept his fists up in front of his torso, and kicked towards Wildcat's left tight.

"(Higher, kid! Knock a couple teeth outta Momma Grant's favorite boy's kisser!)"

Shinji panted, and kicked higher. Easily, Wildcat blocked the kick with his forearm. "(That's better! But I am still dancing!)"

The pilot focused his will, and threw a series of punches and kicks at the older man. All were blocked, deflected or turned. Wildcat wasn't even breathing hard.

"(C'mon, kiddie! Hit me!)" Wildcat mocked him. "(Tell you what, if you don't take this seriously, I will hit you back in two minutes.)"

Shinji nodded, looking into his opponent's eyes. "Yes, Wildcat-sensei."

Wildcat jumped from one foot to the other, "(Drop the sensei, kid. It's Mr. Grant.)"

Shinji nodded, keeping his eyes on his new trainer. "Yes, Mr. Grant."

"(On three. One. Two. Three!)"

Shinji attacked in another flurry of fists and feet. Again, Wildcat maneuvered expertly around and between Shinji's attacks. Two minutes later, Shinji hadn't connected a single strike.

Wildcat kept dodging him, until Shinji overextended a punch, and received one on the shoulder, on a point his protective equipment barely covered. It felt like a hammer blow.

He gritted his teeth.

"(Wass'up up, kid? That was a love tap!)" Wildcat smiled mockingly behind his mask.

Shinji kept silent, watching Wildcat from behind his own gloved hands. He threw a couple of feints, just like Asuka had taught him. Wildcat dodged them with ease, and threw a jab. Shinji had expected that, and as he jumped back, he kicked. His left foot connected with Wildcat's right side, just under the ribs. The big man stumbled a step, more due to the surprise than by Shinji's strength; and grinned like a loon. "(That's it! No more kiddie gloves!)"

To Shinji's surprise, the man didn't press the fight, he simply bowed to signal the end of the sparring session, and punched a small gong instead of using the little hammer that rested besides it.

"(Stranger!)"

From the shadows, a couple of white slits opened. The mysterious man coalesced from the darkness.

Wildcat threw a towel at Shinji, who barely caught it, as his fingers were still encased in the padded gloves.

"(The kid has a small chance.)" Wildcat pronounced, taking off his mask; and wiped the sweat off his face. "(He needs to train, but he has the fire in the belly. Give me a couple of years, and he could go toe-to-toe with Robin. You know which one. The one that god-damned woman trained.)"

Shinji raised his eyes. "Robin?"

"(Yeah. Good kid. Good fighter. The bat was a total sour-puss, but he knew how to choose his companions.)" Wildcat slapped a hand on Shinji's back, almost knocking him down.

"Could you tell me about him? I mean, Robin."

"(A fan, uh?)" at Shinji's enthusiastic nodding, Wildcat rubbed his chin, thoughtfully, and said. "(Sure, tell you what, I'll tell you about Robin some other day, you gotta be a better fighter first. Now, go and shower, I'll make something to eat in the meanwhile. By the way, no hot water here unless you get some wood and light a fire. Enjoy your shower!)"

Wildcat slapped Shinji's back once more. "(I left you a pot of ointment at the bathroom, you'll be right as rain tomorrow.)"

"Some kind of mystical recipe?"

"(Nah, simple muscle ointment. You can get it an any American drugstore. I swear by it. The recipe they used back in 1943 was better, but the stains were really hard to get off your clothes. This one doesn't stain.)"

Shinji came out trembling from the bathroom, the wáter was cold! Still, it wouldn´t do to try to avoid the training, he guessed the cold wáter was a part of it. After all, Wildcat had been around during the Great Depression. Hot wáter must have been a big luxury for him.

Shinji waited for him in the now empty refectory, the long tables that long before has served dozens of people, lay mostly abandoned. Finally, Wildcat entered the room, holding a pot in his hands. "(Time to eat, kid. You must be hungry.)" He put the pot on a piece of cloth set over the table. "(and cold, I see. Dig in, it will warm your bones.)"

"Thank you, Mr. Grant." Shinji took the ladle and poured a generous portion on a bowl. He set it in front of Wildcat, who simply pushed it back at him. "(No need, kid. I don't exactly need food anymore.)" he said, with finality.

"But…"

Wildcat put his mask back on. "(I. Don't. Need. It. Go ahead, eat your fill. It's my momma's recipe. Chicken soup, she was famous in all the neighbourhood.)"

Shinji nodded, and began to eat. To his surprise, it was really tasty. "(Mr. Grant, could you teach me to make it?)"

Wildcat looked at him strangely for a moment. "(Uh… sure… Later, kid. Momma Grant's recipes must be taught leisurely. And I have to show you the right way to cut the chicken anyway.)"

Once he had eaten his soup, Shinji pushed the bowl away, and looked seriously at his new mentor. "Mr. Grant? If I may be so indiscrete of asking, could you tell me how did you meet the Stranger?"

Wildcat snorted. "Well... I see no reason not to tell you, he brought you here for a reason, and I guess knowing more will not do you harm. See, it was many years ago... I was getting back into the hero business, after the JSA disbanded back in 1949. Things were finally beginning to get better; so I was all by myself, chasing some rich kid who had stolen some kind of voodoo hocus pocus trinket..."

Gotham City
An Alley Behind a Music Store
Glendale Neighbourhood
Friday, May the 18th, 1956; 11:58, P.M.

"(You better give up, kid. I have you trapped, and the cops are on their way.)"

"(No! You don't know what she'll do to me if I don't get it back!)" The teen wrapped his arms protectively around the statuette.

Wildcat took a step towards the frightened thief. The kid was actually not a bad guy, except for the little detail of having stolen a priceless statuette from his father's collection.

The kid scrabbled against the wall, looking for some way to flee. Suddenly, a shadow engulfed him for a moment. When the light came back, a strange man stood over him. His face was hidden by the shadows his fedora projected. He wore a black trench coat over what looked like an expensive black suit, so dark it seemed to be made from shadows. The man extended his hands conciliatorily, covered by white slik gloves.

"(Wha..?)"

"(Wildcat.)" The man tipped his hat at him. "(There is no need to worry about Steve Cartwright. The evil influence that led him to steal this mystic trinket is gone. He will remember the events as a foolish prank. Meanwhile, we must talk.)" The man picked up the statuette, and examined it for a moment.

"(Who the Hell are you, buddy?)" Wildcat tensed his fists. But had to scramble to catch the statuette.

"(I'm the Phantom Stranger. Follow me, for your help is needed.)"

"(Yeah, sure, I don't think so. You better come with me.)" Wildcat poked at his chest with a thumb.

"(The sorceress who manipulated Cartwright is getting ready to spread a net of decay over Gotham City. And we are needed to stop it.)" The man waved a hand, and the alley disappeared around them.

"(What? Damn! I hate this magic garbage! Doc Fate and Spec were creepy enough, but you are taking this to a whole new floor.)"

They appeared over a roof. The Phantom Stranger signaled Wildcat to peer over the edge. "(There. At the center of the circle. That's Tala, Sorceress of the Night. She and her enslaved minions are preparing to cast the last spell over the city. If they finish it, Gotham City will be dragged into Hell for all eternity.)" Six teenagers, three men and three women worked under the orders of a pale woman, dressed in a black dress. Her long black hair whirled around her with each movement.

Wildcat answered sarcastically. "(Aha, sure. Mystic stuff is not my bag of sand, buddy. The only spelling I've done was a spelling bee back in elementary school;it was a very long time ago and I was really bad at it. I'm not about to magic anything to stop that crazy chick, right?)" Still, he hadn't taken his eyes from the scene. The kids moved in a way he remembered quite clearly. They were being controlled. And he hated that. A wet leopard growl grew in his throat.

The voice of the Stranger brought him out from his memories. ("No. I need you to fight those golems while I stop Tala.)"

"(The ugly statues, right? Don't seem very dangerous just standing there.)"

"(They are there to protect Tala from intruders. They are deadly in close combat.)"

"(Really? Don't look so though to me.)" Wildcat rubbed his knuckles in anticipation. "(Just let me have a go at them.)"

The Phantom Stranger waved a hand, and a set of metallic gauntlets appeared over Wildcat's hands.

"(Now we're cooking!)" He exclaimed.

The Phantom Stranger appeared in front of the altar, amidst a cloud of white smoke. "(Enough! Stop this foolishness at once, Tala!)"

The tall and slender woman, with long black hair and white eyes turned around. "(No, my love! The stars are right tonight, and the time is now! I shall conquer this plane and give it to you as proof of my love!)"

"(Never! Your love is tainted! We are as different as night and day, and the two shall never meet!)"

"(Shall we dance this dance again, my love? Let me show you the depths of my love for you, let me show you what I can give you! Every whim, every wish you have are in my hand to give you!)" Tala's voice was full of desire, of longing.

"(No!)"

A mystic bolt surged from the Strangers hand, but before it touched the beautiful sorceress, it split up into six. The light hit all the minions, and they dropped bonelessly to the ground.

"(Tsk, tsk, my sweet honey.)" Tala whispered. "(I already have all I need from them.)" She snapped her fingers, and the statues began to move.

Before the first animated golem could attack, a black shadow jumped down on the roof, and punched the statue. His muscles, hardened by a thousand fights, managed to crack the face of the statue.

"(So you're a though guy, uh? Let's see how though, willya?)"

Wildcat jumped backwards, and landed like a cat. He turned around, and ran towards another golem. At the last moment, he slid down on the floor, passing under the legs of the creature. Before the monster could turn around, Wildcat jumped to his feet, and pushed the statue. Disbalanced, it fell down on the floor, and broke into small pieces.

"(Hah! I knew it!)"

Tala's attention wavered for a moment. "(No! You don't know what you're doing!)"

"(I'm trashing your ugly wind-up dolls, babe! What else?)"

Tala's distraction was costly, the Phantom Stranger threw a spell at her, banishing the sorceress into an other dimensional plane. Her scream of frustration lingered for several moments, until it disappeared in the wind.

"(Okay, that was fun.)" Wildcat stood up amidst the broken fragments.

"(Wildcat! Behind you!)" The Stranger's urgent shout warned him barely on time. Wildcat jumped, and felt the fist of the golem impact the floor behind, right where he had been a moment before. A net of cracks spread from the point of impact. Had he been there, he would have been crushed into paste.

"(Damn! I got cocky.)" He mumbled through clenched teeth, before kicking the legs of the statue and rolling out of the way. The golem fell down, and broke into pieces.

"(Four to go!)"

The Stranger's hand moved into strange positions, and the rocks were bathed in a pure, white light. "(Keep fighting! Don't let them reassemble!)"

"(What? They rebuild themselves? I hate when they do that!)"

"(I'll stop them, but you must destroy them first!)"

"(Sure, leave me with the hard work!)"

"(After that, it was just a matter of hitting them, turn them into little piles of pebbles, while the Stranger kept them from coming back for a second round.)"

He put a hand againt his chest, "(Still, the last of them managed to kill me. And it stung like the devil. I got a nasty scar out of it.)"

"It killed you?" Shinji's eyes opened in amazement.

"(Long story, kid. One that's better told some other day.)"

"Yes, sir."

"(Now, get ready, your ride home is here. Go get your stuff)" Ted Grant jerked his thumb towards a shadowed arch. The Phantom Stranger appeared there.

"(Yes, Mr. Grant.)"

While Shinji went to the room he had been assigned, Wildcat turned to the Stranger. "(Should'a brought him before.)"

The Stranger looked at him levelly. "(He wasn't ready. It would have done more harm than good.)"

"(What about the girl?)"

"(She still needs more time to heal some of her deepest wounds. Revealing her the same truths I showed Shinji would push her over the edge.)"

"(Hrumph... And what are you doing to prepare her?)"

"(Shinji is guiding her. His soul and hers are entwinned in a deep level.)"

"(Like Carter and Shiera?)"

"(Exactly. Although their previous lives have been less conflicted.)"

"(Damn...)" Wildcat rubbed his face. He was about to say something else, when he heard Shinji's steps. "(Bring him back as soon as you can. I better teach him how to fight dirty.)"

Author Notes

Wildcat is one of the longest running characters in the DCU, he was part of the original JSA, and although he is not one of the most famous heroes, either in or out Universe, he is quite popular. In universe, he is also one of the most respected heroes of the WWII veterans. Also, he is one of the most effective teachers for unarmed combat, having trained several generations of heroes.

During the JSA run in 1999-2006, a new factor was added retroactively, a literal reserve of nine lives. He was cursed to become a werecat, but the curse was changed to give him the nine lives, plus a few extra features of the feline kind. Enhanced senses and agility.

He has recovered from deadly wounds in very short time. Currently, he has nine lives that reset back to nine after a while. But if he is killed nine times in a certain period of time, he will die like anybody else.

So, for this story, he used up those nine lives in too short a while (Second Impact, of course…) Wildcat is dead, and like Deadman, he can only have a physical body in Nanda Parbat, with the difference that if he steps out from its limits, he will go to the next plane. Deadman just goes back to being a ghost.

Wildcat is referring to the third Robin, Tim Drake, who had a series of trainers very different from Bruce Wayne's: The most infamous is, of course, Lady Shiva.

Shiva began as a support character in Richard Dragon, Master of Kung-Fu. Eventually, she struck out on her own, and has been literally looking for good fights. Her final exam usually is "Survive, you pass."

Interestingly, Shiva has surpassed the original protagonist, I mean, when was the last time Richard Dragon had a big role to play in the DCU? It might be due to the fact that Richard Dragon wasn't originally created as a DC character, he was the protagonist of a series of novels, and DC published his comic for a while. At first, he was quite separated from the DCU, but the series was eventually incorporated in the main universe.

Nanda Parbat is DC's Shangri-La, a mystical place only a few chosen people can even find. It is also the place Rama Kushna mantains as her domain. Time runs strangely in Nanda Parbat. Years can pass inside its limits, and only a few days on the outside.

Nanda Parbat has been featured, very differently, in the CW Arrowverse, this version is the base for Ra's Al Ghul's League of Assassins.

Deadman is quite familiar with the DCU Nanda Parbat, as it is the only place on Earth he has a physical body, but it only lasts for as long as he stays in there.

BTW, there is a Secret Origin for Wildcat's toothpick. Check JSA, issue 10, May 2000 for the whole story!

Tala was one of the few recurrent enemies for the Phantom Stranger, she debuted in Phantom Stranger, issue 4, Dec 1969.

I had to adjust her timeline a bit, For this story, her first appearance, and fight against the Phantom Stranger occurred in 1952. At this point in the timeline, they have been clashing intermitently for close to four years.

She has been very underused in DC. Even her few appearances in JLU were kinda underwhelming, as she was, basically, Gorilla Grood's moll, and later Luthor's. She was not exactly a big name in the 'Legion of Doom'.

The flashback adventure here is completely my doing. However, I tried to emulate Bob Haney's style of storytelling. I owe a lot of what I am trying to do here to his run in The Brave and the Bold, and it felt right to do a flashback in his particular style. Simple, direct, and full of action!

During Haney's run in TB&tB, Wildcat was one of the most frequent co-stars. Curiously, his adventures with Batman were out of canon; as back then, DC had an active Multiverse, and Wildcat resided in Earth-2. Even more interestingly, those same adventures could actually work Post-Crisis, as it was said that one of Batman's mentors had been precisely Wildcat!

About the Phantom Stranger, the way I described his appearance in the flashback, corresponds to his original look, with a trench coat instead of his characteristic cloak and medallion. However, in canon, the change of look from the trench coat (and visible eyes, no less!) to cloak and medallion occurred in Phantom Stranger, issue 4, Dec 1969; the same issue Tala made her first appearance in! Another bit of trivia, this issue also marked the first time the Phantom Stranger actually used magic on plain sight, his previous appearances (and disappearances) could be explained with some trickery.

For this fic, the first meeting of the Stranger and Tala happened in 1952, and it only needs some minor adjustments to work. Of course, Dr. Thirteen had quite a long career unmasking frauds and conmen. He wrote his autobiography (the same book Shinji got back in Chapter 2) sometime after retiring from active work, and was succeeded by his son (not canon compliant). Tracy Thirteen, (should she appear in this fic, I still haven't decided), is the granddaughter of the Dr. Thirteen who first met the Phantom Stranger sometime during the 1950's.