^^ Cassandra Cain ^^
— Erin —
I opened my eyes slowly, and frowned irritably. "What... the... FUCK?!?" I snapped out loud.
Sofia and Vera sat on either side of me quickly, and sat me up, as my muscles were limp and weakened, probably from whatever energy expenditure that had transpired. "You're alright, love, it was just exhaustion that knocked you out." Sofia said soothingly, rubbing my back.
"Da, you have given us many fears, Erin, but none that have stayed. You are healthy." Vera nodded wisely, and kissed my cheek. "And you must stay this way, I demand it." She frowned theatrically, then ruined the seriousness when she chuckled, petting my hair gently.
"Hey, ladies, sorry about the worry... how long was I asleep?" I asked, worried to hear the answer.
"Only three or four days, though it did take 24 hours for me to find you... Helix was less than useful in that regard." Sofia glared at the young man, who was leaning against the wall, and in a physical body, it seemed.
He shrugged. "Her vitals were normal, I saw no reason to alarm anyone. Regardless, I have work to do." He nodded to me, and then left quickly.
'What happened?' I demanded mentally.
'You used too much of the wrong kind of energy, whilst your body was still adjusting, and your body shut down to recover and finish altering itself. Your abilities settled in, maturing from their Infantile and changeable status, and you're perfectly healthy.'
I sighed and stood up slowly, stretching thoroughly and allowing each muscle to wake up on its own. I noticed I was even smaller than before, almost half of my normal bulk, and hummed, poking my biceps. "That's new..."
Vera nodded. "Da, it is very sad that you slept off your muscles, dear one, they must have taken much work to keep for so long; you can get them back in the Gym with me, if you like?" She offered genuinely.
I smiled. "Maybe, but I think I didn't lose them, so much as condense them. I don't feel any weaker at all... in fact, I feel amazing!" I chuckled as I flexed, my powers entirely unlocked, but I was no longer a bag full of puffy marble pillows. Still way bigger than most athletic men, and even twice the bulk of Diana, but at 6'4", honestly, that wasn't much of a surprise.
'Your muscles were getting a bit ridiculous, especially after the latest power-up, yes. They condensed and then reformed with much higher tensile strength, easily 10x what they were before, while retaining their flexibility and elasticity. I did manage to put my own two cents in, and make sure that your strength and speed, when not managed with the Cerebral-Inhibitor I used to replace the AntiMatter Dampener, can't be taken away with a MetaHuman power-dampening collar.'
'Playing with Brain Waves isn't always the best option... and having technology next to my brain stem-'
'The Inhibitor is entirely biological, so no one with any control over technology could muck about with it... When it's on, your powers are locked down, tightly, making you physically equal to a human of your size. Nothing changed, essentially, beyond the change of the type of limiter, and the fact that all of these changes were made Genetically, and therefore you can pass most of them on... oh, and I fixed your hip, I know it was bothering you.'
'Someone deserves a cookie... thank you, Helix.'
'My pleasure, Boss Lady!' He laughed, and the connection ended.
"So! Any changes, while I was out? Any big battles I missed?" I asked, looking at Sofia.
She shook her head. "No, not really. A few Moray have arrived, and moved into the few buildings that are built already, out on the edge of the city limits. The fish populations are growing strong, and soon we'll be easily capable of sustaining a population of 10,000 Moray... but what will we do with them until then?"
"Let some of the the non-irradiated ones out, and let them seed the surrounding waters. The ones that are native to this part of the ocean, of course. Maybe half of others can be released into their natural habitats, whilst the other half stay here to continue breeding without interruption. Remember that these fish will be our main food source, but they're also critically endangered, and we're trying to repair their numbers in the wild, not keep them as pets; in much the same way as the Moray, now that I think about it." I explained.
She nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. Helix will manage it. As for me, I am currently expanding the library into every single language imaginable, and every culture's history; it's proving a difficult and thought provoking task! I love it!!!" She grinned, proud of herself.
"Is that so? I wish you luck then, my dear! And you, Vera? Didn't your shoot in Casablanca continue for a few more days? You didn't leave for me, did you?" I frowned.
She shook her head. "No, the shoot ended because Jenny caught a cold, and the director demanded she take a sick day. We got all the photos, though, and soon it'll be winter, meaning I'll be off to Australia and Chile for their summer photo shoots!" She rubbed her hands together happily.
"Really? Why both summers, instead of a winter season shoot?" I hummed, sitting down on the couch.
"Two reasons... First: I hate the winter. I am born in Kiev and am living in Chechnya for many years, and I do not like the coldness. Second: my body lets me to take pictures and people to like them... but if I cover the body, they do not like my body. I do not care if they do, but from the marketing points of standings, it is important that people buy the photos, you see?" She shrugged.
"Ah, Yes... I suppose. Well, I hope you'll stay a bit, before you leave? I'd like you to meet Sofia and Terran... though I suppose you've already met, Hmm?" I sighed.
"Indeed! Terran is a very cute man, and he turns all Red when I hug and kiss him!" She giggled happily, and hugged the man in question as he entered the room.
I smiled and enjoyed the show as she picked him up and sat next to me with Sofia, and they both began teasing him. My stomach grumbled, and I realized it'd been a while since I ate at Kyra's shop. "Hmm... girls, Terran, would you happen to be hungry? I'd like to eat at Kyra's cafe, I have not been there in a few days... well, a few more than a few, now." I chuckled.
They nodded, and I dressed in the black leather clothes I remembered making before I passed out. 'Let's make sure I don't do that again? Wherever it pulled Energy from, clearly it wasn't enough... but I know where you can use the last 3% of the Tenth Metal, now. Put it in the Synthesizers, and attach them more directly to the power source of the island. Make more generators, if you have to. That should speed up the timeline for the city's construction considerably, no?'
He was silent for a moment, then he laughed aloud, outside. 'Yes, that is a good idea! I will do so immediately!!! Also, well... doing Nuclear-Level Fission and Cold-Fusion with only your mind was just a bad idea, regardless of other variables. Nothing I could do about that. To prevent a repeat incident, I'll have a Synthesizer included into your armor, so that you can simply direct it to make things, instead of trying to do them yourself.'
'Like a portable creation box?' I frowned.
'Think of it more like Hammerspace.'
'... Level 9001 Nerd Reference; I respect that.' I nodded appreciatively, and then opened a portal to Happy Harbor.
I blinked slowly when the portal opened, but instead of being a pair of openings, it opened just the one, the two sides literally fused together. I couldn't detect the smallest bit of Dark Matter coming off of it, meaning it wasn't Radioactive, like my usual Portals. (A negligible amount, of course.) "Well... that's... new?" I hummed, examining it closely.
"Huh. You seem to have stumbled upon the ability to create true portals, instead of your usual Etheric-travel. Very cool." Sofia patted my hair, and then pulled Terran through into the cafe, where Kyra was staring at the portal with wide eyes.
Vera leaned close, murmuring a question. "So... they are a couple, yes? And we are the... extra?" She asked curiously.
I smiled. "Something like that, yes. Are you coming?" I led her through, careful not to let her touch the sides of the portal, and then went to close it behind us, but Helix hopped through swiftly, to my surprise.
He grinned. "Hey, I've never had human food! I'd like to try it, is all!" 'Don't worry, my computing brain is still the tree. This body is just a branch of it, so to speak.'
I nodded and closed the portal. "Alright, then... Kyra, Sorry for being gone for a while, I got too busy. I promised myself I wouldn't do that, here, but old habits, you know?" I grinned, taking my usual seat at the bar.
She chuckled, shaking her head and setting down a cup of coffee. "Oh I don't doubt it's an interesting story..."
"Yep! See, it started a few days before a few days ago,-"
—
"- And now I'm wondering if there's someone who has similar abilities, so that we can compare notes!" I nodded, mopping up the last of the juices from my seventh steak with a biscuit, chewing and swallowing that as well while she stared at me, digesting the information while I digested ten peoples' worth of food.
After a moment, she chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sure you could ask several people, but within the Justice League, you won't find many whose powers come from a Dark Source..." she hummed softly.
"Raven's abilities are quite similar to your own." Sofia supplied, sipping her green tea calmly.
I hummed. "Alright... then I'll ask her for some pointers, and I'll see you gals tonight." I kissed Vera, Sofia, and Terran, amusing myself with their various reactions, then opened a portal for them that would went back to the Island. "And that's your ride home, ladies."
Them handled, I walked outside after they'd said their goodbyes, summoning my bike. Instead of what I'd expected, with the metal simply unfolding from my belt buckle, a puddle of liquid smoke seeped up out of the ground, slowly forming into the bike, piece by piece, and then the ignition turned on its own, purring gently.
"Whoa..." I hummed.
'The belt buckle is only a Talisman; it serves as focus for your abilities, like a magnifying glass, and also a holster for the Schematics of the items you program into it. Currently: your armor, your bike, a Synthesizer for any miscellaneous items you might need, your pistol, and your knife. As for the new Theatrics... I don't know. I haven't found or made any relevant theories yet.' Helix sighed.
"Alrighty then... wonder how fast she goes?" I smiled, mounting the white bike, which was intentionally built to mimic the Pale Horse. She purred again, under my hands, and then cracked through the sound barrier in less than a second, as soon as I twisted the throttle.
I circled Happy Harbor a few times, then simply cruised over the ocean, contacting the Watchtower. "Heeeeel-lo? Anyone home?" I asked, tapping the little mike in my ear. "This is Nomad, I'd like to speak to Batman? Or maybe Nightwing, or Robin, any of them will do."
"This is Captain Atom. Please verify yourself?"
"Uhm... I'm not yet a member of the league, so I don't have a snazzy number, I think... wait, no, I was puking Dark Matter the only time I heard it. Anyway, just let me talk to Batman, yeah? Honestly." I sighed.
"I'm sorry, I cannot authorize that."
"Alright, I'll just go to the fucking Batcave, then, Jesus, make things difficult, will you?" I growled and whipped the bike in a 180, heading towards Gotham at full speed.
"Move, Captain. Doctor Erin, what can I do for you?" Batman spoke into the line, sounding impatient.
"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something, Batsy, I needed your help with a situation... you see, I've been unconscious for four days, ever since you all came to see me-"
"No Wonder it's been quiet for a few days now..." I heard Dick mutter.
"I will remove your namesake, Nightwing, if you see fit to continue mouthing off for no reason!!!" I snapped at him.
"Nightwing will be silent. What's the issue? Why were you Comatose?" Batman steered the conversation back on track.
"My powers, as you know, were Fledgling; still developing at an accelerating rate. After you left, I succeeded in creating Nuclear Fission/Fusion with my hands, building a set of armor from just the Oxygen in the lab. The power requirements for that shocked my system, and put me into a coma, as my powers consolidated and then matured. My powers, quite simply, went through a forced puberty. As such, I am unfamiliar with them, and would like the expert advice from someone else who uses similar abilities." I hummed.
"... And?"
"I just need you to call Raven for me and ask her if she'd like to mentor me for a Session, that's all." I chuckled.
He sighed heavily. "Raven is on Patrol at the moment with her partner. She is unreachable until later tonight."
"Ooh, patrol! I've never done that, sounds fun! Where am I headed?" I asked easily.
"Patrol was a code. They're on personal time, and will be left alone."
I could tell he was glaring, but it just made me smile. "Awwwww, date night?!? Alright, I'll leave them be... tell her to call me when she's up to it, will you? These portals and smoke magic are... very weird."
"Magic? Your powers are based in solid science, are they not?"
"My current theory is that my tech became so advanced that it crossed Roth's Event Horizon, and it is now sufficiently advanced so as to be nearly indiscernible from Magic... or I simply achieved Magic with Science, whichever works." I shrugged, and activated camouflage, whipping into the Batcave and looking around. "Huh... no one home? HELLO-O-O-o-o..."
"Are you... in the Batcave?" He asked slowly.
"Meh, either that or I've found the wrong highly-advanced lair. Ooh! And who's this?" I rode the bike down, landing next to a thin and hooded woman walking along the paths. "Hullo! Who might you- oh shit fuck!!!" I reeled back as a line of blood appeared on my exposed collarbone, where she'd nearly cut my throat open.
"Report!?! Who is attacking?!?" He barked.
"Gimme a mo', ya fuckin' Idjit, an' I'll find out!" I snapped back, and hummed, staring at the woman to keep her in my line of sight, and figure out her identity. She slowly readied her sword again, glaring at me, and I realized she couldn't hear my conversation with Batman, as I'd made sure that every portion of my communications was secret, even my voice, for everyone's benefit. (No one needed to hear my telepathic sexting, after all.)
I turned off the sound dampeners, and spoke aloud. "I'm Nomad, an ally of the Batman's. Who are you?" I asked carefully.
She didn't answer, and instead glared narrower, revealing the soft crinkles at the corner of her eyes, despite her youth. A familiar feature. Before I could comment, she leapt forward, and was almost instantly overwhelming my senses with slashes of the sword that didn't reach me for only one reason; she didn't want it enough.
With a little more effort, I probably wouldn't be able to dodge at all, and it struck me, how much my newfound combat ability had relied on my ability to think faster than my opponents. I resolved to train my own reflexes, for the inevitable battle where my abilities were restrained somehow. Relying on something usually was a good way for it to get taken away or restrained, after all; nearly every comic book ever taught that lesson.
When I finally got room to breath, getting my bike between us, I held up a hand. "Stop, Cassandra Cain, Orphan... Halt, Daughter of Shiva!" She tightened her grip, and I sighed. "Batman, could you get to the cave, now? Your latest Bat-Child is still apparently a little murderous, and she's not listening to reason."
The Zeta Platform activated, and he stepped through with Nightwing, frowning severely. "Cassandra, enough! Doctor Erin is an ally to the League."
She glanced at him, and nodded slowly, sheathing her sword, then glared at me suspiciously.
"I suppose I shouldn't have entered without an invitation, that's true; you have my apologies." I nodded, accepting blame where it was due, and stretching my sore shoulders, as the small cuts there healed. "Also, you're something of a badass, for a, what, 16 year old? Very nearly as skilled as your mother, believe it or not, and I would know."
She narrowed her eyes, and made a slicing motion across her throat, somehow communicating effectively to me with only body language and hand motions, indicating that if I'd fought Lady Shiva, I'd be dead.
I laughed softly. "You're adorable, my dear, but I'm an Amazon wearing a Power Dampener. If I'd used my super-speed or strength, or, hell, my invulnerable skin, you wouldn't have stood a chance. I wanted to see how I'd do without my powers, and I was mostly disappointed with myself..." I frowned, thinking about how I could train my reflexes.
She frowned, then turned around, stomping away in a huff.
When she was far enough away, I lowered my voice. "Interesting Girl... how long has she been here?"
He nodded. "A few months. Oracle has been teaching her."
Nightwing stepped over to my bike as Batman walked away with Cassandra, and he stroked the gas tank, tracing the many images of Death in their common form of the Pale Rider. "Sexy bike... Now, let's talk about your abilities... I can shed a bit of light on them, from my experience with Zatanna and Constantine, and if you still feel the need to talk to Raven, we can make that happen tomorrow morning. It's 8PM here, after all."
"Mm. Want a ride, then? Probably need an open space that doesn't have a capacity to collapse on our heads." I shrugged, and mounted the bike casually.
He nodded, climbing on the back. "Sure, let's go, then."
I grinned and dropped us through a portal, into the air about 10,000ft above Gotham.