Previous Chapter
Cass was perched on the edge of a roof, surveying the people below for just a brief moment. No one had any ill intentions, or at least, none that needed her intervention. She leapt across rooftops, a small smile on her lips behind her mask.

In Gotham, stopping crime had seemed impossible. She had saved lives, but the next day, there was just as much crime as the day before. Drake said the population of Gotham was "four million, eight hundred thousand," which was a lot. The population of Orario was "five hundred thousand," which was less a lot. If Gotham was all the fingers and thumbs on both her hands, then Orario was one finger on her hand. And then, if Orario was all the fingers (but not thumbs) on both her hands, Daedalus Street was one finger. "About one percent" meant that much.

With her speed allowing her to flit from rooftop to rooftop, she could see the crimes being planned down below, and stop them before they happened. When she did that, the really bad people tended to go to prison, at least for a while, while the kinda bad people decided to do less crimes so they wouldn't get caught. Drake called it a "virtuous cycle," and what that meant was, because there was less crime, it was easier for her to catch the remaining criminals, which made there be less crime.

She had made Daedalus Street better. She could see it. People moved around at night without fear. They were happier. Their lives were easier. It was nice to see. It made her happy... and she didn't have to feel bad about being happy, either, because she was happy for other people.

She leapt to a new perch, and she spotted a figure in the streets she hadn't seen before.

She looked... Far Eastern? Far Eastern people sometimes looked Indian or Japanese, but she looked Chinese. She was pretty, with long, dark hair, and red-and-black clothes with intricate designs that looked Chinese... she moved through the streets casually, with a katana on her waist. People gave her a little space, but they didn't realize just how dangerous she was.

Since she'd come to Orario, Cass had learned to identify an adventurer's Level with a glance. This woman was Level Five or Level Six, and she wasn't a nice Level Five or Six like Riveria or Finn or Tiona or Ais. She moved smoothly through the crowd of people, and Cass followed after her, careful to stay out of sight, quietly flicking her fingers about so she could notice the moment that Chi-ro-per- Chirock- the moment that her Skill cut out because the woman had seen her.

She made it several blocks before the woman turned her attention from simply wandering to a particular individual: a fat man, laughing, accompanied by some girl who had done up her hair. The man didn't live in Daedalus Street, but the girl did. She was here to work for him. It was... pros... pross... it was sex work. She blushed a bit as her gaze went back to the woman, whose attention laid on the pair, her hand on the hilt of her sword, ready to draw. She planned to attack them. To kill the man.

Cass didn't know why, but she did know she couldn't let that happen. She slid across rooftops towards the trio at lightning speed, landing in between the woman and the pair. The woman herself smiled, an expression of serene pleasantness on her lips. Any intentions she had towards the pair vanished in a heartbeat. "The Bat of Daedalus, I presume?" Cass didn't respond. She just stared quietly at the woman. "The quiet type, then." Cass heard the pair hurriedly leave, the girl dragging the fat man away, recognizing what was about to happen. "I do have one question, child. Is your father's name David?"

Cass's eyes widened at that. "How do you... know that?" She asked.

The woman simply shrugged. "A lucky guess. Shall we dance?" She snapped forward at that point, her katana coming out of its hilt at lightning-bolt speeds. She was Level Six, for sure. Cass narrowly dodged back, as the blade cut through the air. She brought up both gauntlets, catching the blade to try to stop it, the loud screech of metal against metal filling the air. "Nice gauntlets," the woman said, almost playful, planting her feet in an irregular manner before attempting to leverage Cass's grip to simply lift her up off the ground.

Cass let go at that point, the blade soaring into the air before whipping back down, Cass herself stepping backwards to narrowly avoid the strike. Something about the woman's movements was familiar. And she was also trying to... read Cass? Or... something. "Who... are you?" She asked.

The woman just smiled at that. "You haven't heard of me?" She stabbed forward again, forcing Cass to leap to one side, feet impacting the side of a building as she leapt again, hopping up to the roof, her speed momentarily increasing as she slid across the rooftop. The woman followed her up a few seconds later, landing across from her on the roof. "Children nowadays." There was that same easy, almost contemptuous smile, as she rolled her blade around in her hand, yet never created an opening Cass felt confident about taking advantage of. "My alias is Lady Shiva. Perhaps you've heard of that?"

Cass had.

Not in this world. Or, in this world, but not from anybody here.

Drake had told her about Lady Shiva. Sandra Wu-San. One of the greatest martial artists of her Earth. A pitiless assassin, a member of the League of Shadows, and at one point, its leader.

Her mother.

"Mom?" The word escaped her lips involuntarily, a soft warble, and it seemed to actually anger Lady Shiva, who snapped forward suddenly, katana whipping out towards Cass's head. She made an intentional fall backwards, her thighs hitting the edge of the roof before she rolled the rest of the way off, the blade just barely missing her as it swept down.

Lady Shiva landed after her a moment later. "David had promised to keep that from you," she said, her voice icy cold. "I suppose perhaps he forgot." She snapped forward, Cass once more catching the blade in her gauntlets; this time, when Lady Shiva tried to twist her into the air, Cass followed the line of movement, landing on a wall and then leaping off it, scurrying onto a rooftop a moment later.

"No," Cass said, as Lady Shiva landed across from her. Her mother paused at the edge, quirking one eyebrow, wanting to know. "Not David. My... husband, told me."

"Hn. I had heard you were married," Lady Shiva said. "Is he a good man?"

Cass nodded at that.

"He has other wives."

"They're... nice..." Cass replied.

A thin smile formed on Lady Shiva's lips at that. "I see. Your cavalry has arrived, so I think we shall have to cut this dance short," she declared, leaping off the rooftop just as a pair of figures arrived - Finn and Gareth. Finn wielding his spear, Gareth his axe, both of them watching Shiva disappear.

"You alright, kid?" Gareth asked, a friendly, paternal note to his voice. Cass nodded.

"The Sekhmet familia," Finn was all that said, watching the retreating form of Lady Shiva. He turned his gaze towards Cass. "Do you think she worked for Freya, or for Enyo?"

Cass hesitated at that question. After considering, she just shook her head. "I don't... know." Lady Shiva certainly hadn't tried her hardest to kill her, but that may just have been because she was her daughter, rather than because she had been paid to fight her by Freya.

"Guess Loki'll haveta figure that one out," Gareth said.

Finn quietly stared at the woman in question, his thoughts indecipherable to Cass, but clearly quite deep. After a few seconds, he turned his attention back to the pair of them. "Yes. This represents a serious danger," Finn said. "If the Sekhmet familia has become involved in the matter of Knossos, it will be highly problematic." He pressed his thumb against his lip. "Curious that they chose you as their target. Any ideas on that front?" Cass just shook her head - she honestly had none. "It could simply be that you are, on paper, our best Record Breaker... but I have my doubts." His gaze lingered on where Lady Shiva had run off to. "Let's return to the Manor."

"No," Cass said, making him twitch at her abruptness, raising one eyebrow.

"Cassandra, you have been targeted by a woman who is probably the greatest assassin in the world. She will kill you given the chance."

"Okay," Cass responded. Gareth let out a laugh at that, then frowned as he realized she was serious; Finn simply rubbed his brow. For a moment, he glanced her way, contemplating simply knocking her out - then Drake arrived, landing on the rooftop with Rei on his shoulders, though he was wearing one of those fake faces so he looked like a member of the Ishtar familia, and Rei was looking like a bird instead of a person.

"Dark Knight? Are you alright?" Drake asked her. Cass nodded. Rei hopped off his shoulders, plopping down and reverting to her true form as a human. "Let's get you back home," he said.

"No," Cass replied.

"That... is Drake, correct?" Finn asked, squinting at him - Drake then dropped the illusion, making Finn simply shake his head. "Quite the ability. She's refusing to return home."

"Cass. Lady Shiva will just try to start a fight with you again." Cass nodded. She knew that. "She probably only attacked that man because you were there." Cass bit her lip behind the mask. "To force you to fight her. If you stay, she's likely to do it again." He reached out for her, taking hold of her wrist, twisting her hand up to lace his fingers together with hers. "Julia, Rei and I will watch over Daedalus for the night, okay? Go home and rest. It'll survive one night without you."

Cass hesitated. If she just left... but people would be in danger if she stayed... what would Batman do? He would do whatever it took to make people safe. She nodded. "Okay." She took off her mask, holding it in her hands. Drake leaned into her, softly kissing her on the lips. It wasn't impassioned, just sweet and affectionate, and she let out a soft breath into his mouth.

"I love you," he told her, giving her hand a squeeze. "You're doing the right thing."

Cass nodded. If Drake thought that... then maybe it was true.

"Thank you, Drake," Finn said. "Come on, Cassandra, let's get home."

* * *

Sandra idly rolled the sword in her hand, contemplating her recent duel with Cassandra. David had raised her daughter quite well, it seemed. She was a strong fighter. Despite her advantage in terms of Level, Sandra could see that her daughter was a close match for her. Certainly, she was her superior in raw technique. She deciphered and read everything Sandra did in a heartbeat.

Her hand went to her stomach. Her thoughts went to her pregnancy. She had made a deal with David. That the child would be his. That she would have nothing to do with it. Apparently the gods had decided otherwise, putting her here, a mission to kill her own daughter placed before her. Would her loyalty to Sekhmet override the natural loyalty a mother felt for her daughter?

Such questions were for another time. She left the building, wearing a heavy, hooded robe, wandering through Daedalus Street once more, holding a small mirror in her hand to check the rooftops. Was Cassandra here, still? Had she been replaced?

It didn't take her long to spot him on the rooftop. Drake Holt. Her daughter's husband.

She drank in a long breath through her nose, pausing her movements altogether, folding the mirror up and placing it into the robe. He was weaker than her daughter. A truly promiscuous man, though also, supposedly, a great rescuer of slaves. He had gone up against the now-defunct Ishtar familia to save one of their whores, too. It seemed her daughter liked the sort of man who did great deeds, enough to overlook his infidelity.

"They're... nice..."

Or perhaps she even liked them enough that the infidelity didn't bother her? She could imagine such a situation with a single dear friend, but with as many women as Drake had...

She hopped onto a wall, kicking off it, landing across from Drake a moment later. She didn't spare words, lashing out with quickness, aiming her sword directly at his stomach. He dodged impossibly fast, letting out a gasp. It was as her intelligence had told her. She struck twice more before he got off a single attack, five knives lashing out towards her. They nipped at her flesh, spilling blood, but the difference of Levels was too great, and all he had was the trick to dodge, not able to manage nearly the same on the offense.

As he saw as much, he dashed forward, but she knew the sort of strike he was aiming. She had done her research before taking on this job. She dodged to one side, his knife hand strike missing, and she would have decapitated him, if his Skill hadn't protected him, her blade cutting through his neck like water. A moment later, she brought it back down, his body glowing a brilliant sapphire hue as he slowly came to realize that he could absolutely not beat her.

The Rei girl appeared in the form of a Goliath, but she brought up her leg in a kick, and he actually took the blow, letting her send him sailing towards the monster, putting both of them on a momentary back foot. She rushed forward for Rei, blade aimed for her head, and she transformed into a bird, flying up and off. She didn't care, bringing her sword down at her son-in-law's stomach, forcing him to roll impossibly quick to one side, the glow growing ever brighter.

"That light is waste energy, isn't it?" She asked him, a smile on her lips as she brought forth another strike. This one would have cost him his hand, if it had been allowed to intersect - she didn't know when he would stop being able to continue those impossible dodges, and she didn't want to kill him. "The heat of a furnace," she explained, a moment later, "burning brighter and brighter. But how bright can it burn, before it breaks down?" He didn't speak, but she could see as his movements grew sluggish as he tried to preserve his strength, knowing her intent. Her blade kept going. Slice, snap, and - there. He was brilliant blue, and her blade rotated one hundred and eighty degrees, snapping into the back of his neck with the blunt end and sending him crumpling down.

She hefted him over her shoulder, and fled, before his damned familia could give chase. The light did make it a problem to lose them, but - she was the greatest assassin in the world. She could find her way.

* * *

"The body is conscious again," I told Finn, who nodded in response, his expression grim. "It's got a blindfold on, though."

"What can you hear?" Finn asked.

"Not much." I paused, straining my ears to listen. "Nothing except Lady Shiva's breathing." Even that was quiet and still, so low I probably couldn't have picked it out unless it had been the only thing audible.

"You're awake," Lady Shiva said, at that body's position. "Good." She stepped over towards me, and I could feel that my hands were bound. I could probably get free, but if she wanted me dead, I would already be. "I have to admit, I'm curious about you." There was the cool metal touch of a blade against my neck. She idly shifted it, making it draw a tiny bit of blood. "Hm." There was a long pause. "Do you love Cassandra Cain?"

"Yes," I responded. There wasn't much point in lying about it. I kept telling Finn everything that was happening, the Loki familia - and Loki herself - working to try to figure out where she could have gone with me.

"Hm." Was there a god present? I couldn't hear anyone else. "What would you do to keep her safe?"

"Die."

Lady Shiva chuckled at that. "I could make that actually happen, you know," she said, teasing the tip of her blade at my gullet. "No hesitation. Good. Of course, I know that it's a bit of bravado." She squatted down in front of me, planting the blade against the - stone? - floor. "Would you do the same thing if you only had the one body, I wonder?"

"I hope I would." Her questions seemed more curious than actually practical, and she was my mother-in-law. On the other hand, she might have been trying to make me get used to talking, so she could then transition into more serious questions, something Finn pointed out - and suggested I use against her. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere quiet, somewhere safe, somewhere you won't find." She paused. "You are handsome. A bit old, though. Isn't she just eighteen?"

"Nineteen," I corrected. "I'd have thought you, of all people, would remember."

She chuckled at that. "How did you find that out, by the way? I haven't seen her since her birth. David promised not to tell her, or anyone, who her mother was. He and I should be the only ones to know. Did you drag it out of him, I wonder?"

"I've never met him. If I did-" I cut myself off. I honestly didn't know what I'd do. I loved Cass. Her father was an abusive prick. But she also loved him, because he wasn't just an abusive prick. As a man who loved a woman, I wanted to get a few licks in on the man who had hurt my wife, but as a man who was Cass's husband, I didn't want to hurt someone for no real reason other than stupid, fruitless, sadistic revenge. "Well, I doubt I'd like him," I settled on.

Lady Shiva chuckled at that. "He doesn't do much to make himself likable, I can say that. But if it wasn't him, then who?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Try me, son-in-law. You'll find I'm credible."

I contemplated how to put it best. "Divination. I know your name is Sandra Wu-san, also known as Lady Shiva. I know you're a master martial artist, and a top assassin. I know you're Cass's mother. That's all I know, though."

"Don't sell yourself short, Drake. If you're a diviner, surely you've used this skill of yours elsewhere?"

"It only applies to my wives and their immediate families." More or less.

"I see. There did seem to be this common theme of love to some of the abilities you've shown, so I suppose that makes some sense. What about David?"

"David Cain. Mark of Cain, looks like... a wolf in a circle? Assassin. Murderer. Child abuser. But I don't need divination for that - Cass knows it plenty well."

"Hm. Where is my daughter right now?"

"Safe."

"Tell her... she loves this little patch of dirt, doesn't she? Daedalus Street," she said, and my blood ran cold. "How many innocent people do you think I could kill? She's worked so hard to make it safe. It'd be a pity." I didn't repeat her words back in the conference. "I think I could probably kill everyone who lives here. The difference between a Level Six and a mortal is the difference between a man and an ant hive."

"It's hard to kill all the ants in the hive."

"True, though I imagine it will be little consolation to Cassandra."

"She prefers Cass. If you're her mother, you could at least call her that."

"Fair enough. You can tell Cass, that if she doesn't arrive at the... oh, let's call it that cute little t-shaped building, with the three staircases... before dawn, then I will start killing as many people in Daedalus Street as I can." I stared at her quietly. "No? You said you were willing to die for her. Are you willing to kill that many people for her?"

"You would be the one killing them, not me."

"Do you think that Cass would see it that way?" She now seemed to be leaning on her katana, hands laced together over it. "I don't think she would, from what I've heard. She seems sweet. Saccharine. I don't know where she gets that."

"Herself. Children aren't just their parents stuck together."

"True. But would she see it that way, Drake? Would your wife think, all those innocent people - it wasn't your fault. It wasn't her fault. It was all, one hundred percent, my fault?" I grit my teeth. "Tell her, Drake. She can make the decision on her own. She's an adult. She's a higher Level than you. She doesn't need you to protect her."

"You'll kill her."

"Will I? I'll definitely kill all those people in Daedalus Street."

"You're not denying it, that means you're going to kill her."

Lady Shiva chuckled. "I'm curious to see what sort of man you are, Drake. Here. At the bitterest point. I won't kill you. But if she doesn't show up, then after I've drenched Daedalus Street in blood, I'll let you be joined by the corpses of a few dozen dead innocents. People you could have saved, but didn't. You'll lie here, in the blood and bile and don't forget the shit and piss, until your familia finally finds you." There was a pause. "It's up to you. What will you choose, I wonder? Well, Drake? What are you thinking?"

"At this point, I'm surprised that people really do this kind of psychotic supervillain talk."

She laughed at that, something actually mirthful. "I am, I suppose. I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to, you know. I'm not going to kill them if you cooperate. I don't love blind violence." The blade stuck at my neck again. "Drake. You haven't answered."

I grit my teeth, and in another body, I let Cass make a choice I knew she would make, and that I knew would lead to her death. "I told her," I said, the words escaping my lips like a hiss.

"Hm." She tousled my hair. "Good boy? What do you say when your son-in-law betrays your daughter to you, so you can kill her?" I tried kicking her at that point, legs slashing out as hard as I could, but she danced away before they could impact. "Nice try." She thumped my head with the flat of her blade, and that body knew no more.

* * *

Sandra wasn't playing, this time. She sat in a meditative pose, ears carefully listening for anything, even the sounds of a bird on the wind. There were common street people wandering around. Her daughter apparently cared about them a great deal, given how certain Drake had been that she would come. Strange to think about. They were just numbers, as far as she was concerned.

She idly produced one of Drake's knives from her jacket, flicking it up into the air at high velocity, aiming directly at the Rei girl in bird form without bothering to look. The girl screeched and desperately dodged to one side, flying away hurriedly.

This wasn't for her. This was for Cass, who appeared on the edge of the rooftop, her feet hitting the deck, already moving towards her with desperate momentum, trying to save herself and all those people at once. Sandra drew her katana, rising to her feet in a heartbeat, aiming it at her daughter's stomach as she met lunge with lunge. The girl dodged to one side - but in the process, Sandra's left hand fell out of her field of view for just a moment. Before she could react properly, Sandra twisted it into a knife hand, which promptly slammed straight through the girl's armor, plunging towards her chest.

She had only a moment of awareness, her eyes widening - then nothing, her body crumpling on her hand.

Sandra did smile, at least a little.

Even if she didn't understand it, her daughter had been willing to die nobly for these people.

She would respect that sacrifice.

She left before the rest of the Loki familia could arrive.

* * *

Lord Enyo was giddy with delight as he heard about what Lady Shiva had done to kill Cassandra Cain. Oh, Drake would be utterly, psychologically, broken by this. He had been the one to make the choice! To feed his own beloved into the maw of Lady Shiva, he couldn't help but cackle with delight at the thought. With Drake broken, Loki herself would be weakened - yes, everything was now coming up in his favor.

"Lord Enyo," Ein said, bowing before him. "She also requests to meet you in person, for the remainder of her payment."

Lord Enyo cackled at that. "She's killed her own daughter on my behalf. You understand that? Can you imagine what she must be feeling?"

"No, Lord Enyo."

"I want to see it. I want to see the quiet, self-loathing despair of a mother who killed her own daughter for a job." He laughed again, just exulting in the moment.

"I do not think it advisable, Lord Enyo." He threw a rock at Ein, making her twitch as it clattered fruitlessly against her face. "She may be planning something, for precisely the reason you mentioned."

"Ah, the only thing a woman like her will be planning is her own suicide! Bring her! Bring her!"

"May I at least ask that she leaves behind her weapons?" Ein's voice, even warbled behind her mask, was clearly disdainful, but Lord Enyo could be a generous god.

"Very well." Ein nodded and retreated from his presence before he could add anything else.

* * *

Sandra could only inwardly laugh at the idea that she was any less lethal without her weapons. It had been her hand, not her blade, that had taken down Cassandra Cain. She stared up at Enyo, the being behind the mask peering down at her imperiously. "You have slain the Dark Knight. For this, I praise you."

"I would like to be praised with my money," Sandra said, her voice ice cold.

"Of course. Of course." He turned his attention to Ein. "Ein? Go fetch our guest her money."

"Lord Enyo, she may-"

"Ein! Do as I command!"

"Yes, Lord Enyo." The figure retreated a step, then turned to depart. Sandra didn't even watch them leave, feigning boredom, her only focus on her own hands, fidgeting in feigned boredom as she dug out crud from under her nails.

"Would you be willing to kill more? Not nearly so hard a target as the Dark Knight, of course, bu-hk!" Enyo was cut off, his eyes widening in shock and horror as Sandra's arm plunged straight through his chest without her expression changing the tiniest bit. Her fingers were clutched around his heart, which she simply crushed, then placed one foot against his chest, kicking him hard, sending him careening backwards into the wall of Knossos. "You- bitch-" he got out, before he had to draw on divine power to keep himself alive - which promptly caused a massive cave in from the roof, directly targeted at him, as the gods in heaven took care of his attempt to break the rules of the game.

Sandra was already departing. The god was dead. What a pathetic little thing.

"Lord Enyo!" It was Ein's voice. "You- you bitch," they declared, their gaze turning to Sandra.

"What a coincidence. He said the same thing," Sandra said with a grin.

Then Ein lunged for her, their speed far, far too much for a being whose god had just died. Sandra's eyes widened, and she just narrowly dodged a strike aimed at her throat. Ein wasn't part of the Enyo familia, apparently. She had no weapons. She snapped out her hand for Ein's mask, trying to peel it off, but Ein simply twisted in place, one leg coming up in a kick, impacting Sandra from the side, sending her slamming into the far wall. Her ribs felt cracked and broken as she laid there, struggling to breathe.

She had no chance. Ein was Level Seven, and a capable combatant. She let her breathing still, stopped her heart, and stared blankly forward, feigning death.

Ein's body language shifted for a moment - pausing in confusion, then stepping forward curiously. Their hand grabbed her around the neck, hefting her up, staring at her quietly from behind the mask. Sandra's own eyes stared dully forward, not blinking, not twitching at all. With their free hand, Ein reached up for Sandra's eye, and simply clawed it out. She didn't respond to the agonizing pain, didn't show any reflexive jerk or twitch as the finger came in. With a contemptuous movement, Ein crushed her eye in their hand, and then they simply let her collapse down to the ground.

"Lord Enyo... Lord Enyo..." Ein whined, looking back to the hole that had been left in the ceiling. "What am I to do without you?"

There was a quiet sobbing noise that escaped behind the warping sounds of the mask.

Sandra didn't feel sorry for them at all.

Next Chapter