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in: DC Characters, DC Feature, DC Hero,
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Black Bat

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DC/Marvel: Age of Infinite Heroes
Black Bat by 89g
Name Cassandra Cain
Codename Orphan, Black Bat (Formerly), Batgirl (Formerly)
Species Human
Age 18
Affiliation Bat Family, Birds of Prey
Powers/Abilities
  • Body Language
  • Martial Arts


Cassandra Cain is the daughter of David Cain, and raised from birth as an assassin. This is not commonly known knowledge by any means but those who have personally encountered her at best. She is a close friend of Barbara Gordon and often a roommate with her.

Orphan is a silent martial artist who prowls Gotham City and Hong Kong. Associated as a part timer with the Birds of Prey, she is known on the streets as the person who bested Lady Shiva in equal combat. Formerly known as both Batgirl and Black Bat, she has since created a life for herself, and a name of her own choosing.

Background

Cassandra Cain is the daughter of none other than the Lady Shiva, possibly the top fighter in the DC universe, and David Cain. David Cain is one of the most accomplished assassins in the world who is able to do things that are normally attributed to only people on the level of the Batman. Shiva is still worshipped as a goddess for her fighting skills, and is well known for taking out groups of super-heroes without visible effort.

David Cain was inspired by a conversation he had one day with a noted neuro-sociologist by the name of Lewis Friedman. Friedman suggested that the mind's ability to learn languages was not limited to vocalization. Specifically, that a child brought up knowing only body language would create a person who could read the body like normal people hear words. Cain was fascinated with the idea, but his first attempts were utter failures. He sought out superior genetic stock. Lady Shiva appreciated the plan as well, and the two bore a child hidden away from the world.

Cassandra was raised in a bunker, in the arts of combat from the day she was born. She was never allowed to interact with anyone but her father unless it was training, and never heard a word of language until her own language was fully set in her brain: body language. Her life was devoted to combat, and she was randomly ambushed and shot at any given moment to keep her mind focused on her surroundings. There was never a word of kindness, but the pair had a relationship of sorts and there is no way that Cain could have hidden his pride in his daughter.

When Cassandra was eight years old, David Cain put her in a dress and pigtails and sent her to kill her first target. She did not really understand, but her lifelong programming took over and she tore out the mob boss' throat with a single swipe. Then she watched him die in a way that no child should ever experience and was horrified by what she had done. She fled and spent years on the run; ironically, her father who had trained her in stealth had done such a stupendous job that even he could not find her.

Cassandra wandered the world for years, until she found herself in Gotham. No trace of her existed and found herself trapped in the city by a massive earthquake. No Man's Land. Recruited by Barbara Gordon, she quickly became an invaluable agent and a good friend. There were problems due to the unique wiring of Cassandra's brain, but Barbara's patience eventually won the girl's trust.

Batman became involved in the new arrival, having learned who Cassandra's father was. The language of his fighting won over Cassandra's trust, and she assumed the mantle of Batgirl in her own rather unique way. Driven by the guilt that haunted her over her first and only kill, she drove herself mercilessly and eventually came to accept a way of life that was not based on killing.

Since then, Cassandra ihas met many super-heroes and battled many villains. She spends most of her nights on patrol in the streets, alone. Meeting her mother and falling at her hand gave her a goal...and defeating her gave her a reputation. But when she began to lose to the great martial artists of the world, and lose consistently, she began to think there was a problem. Her reliance on body reading was becoming known, and when your enemy knows your weakness, you lose.

Rebirth


She tried. She tried so hard it left her broken, but she could not fix it alone. So she finally went back to the one person who knew her better than herself. David Cain. Who agreed to help her, on one condition. He would kill one target, and she would watch. Now, as an adult. In desperation she agreed.

The old man saw her play coming though and was ready for it. He knew that she would try to stop him. But the person he had chosen wasn't the target, and David Cain is not an easy man to fool. When Cassandra moved to save her sister Marque from David's knives, Cain died instead. And she was responsible for it happening.

Thus Cassandra Cain became Orphan. And she did indeed grow because of the lesson.

Personality

Personality. It depends on who you are, whether you'll see the bat or the kitten, but this is a basic understanding of the personality behind the Black Bat.

Reserved: To most people, Ms. Cain shows so little emotion as to seem completely robotic. She has such rigid control over her outer self that she comes across, in immediate contact, as a statue or sociopath; completely without understanding of humanity and its failings. This is part of the defense she was taught by her father. If you show your emotions through your body language, your opponent will read them and they will use them against you. This could get you killed.

Soft: There is a deeply ingrained respect for life and people's emotions hidden deeply inside Cassandra. She has such a firm belief in the sanctity of life that it could almost be termed religious. This was, and is, her greatest failing in the eyes of her parents but it is so deeply a part of her being that you will see odd behaviours at the strangest times; a kiss on the cheek of a person who nobody else can see the heart within, odd little choices made. Or something much larger.

Obsession: The Black Bat is unwilling to allow herself free time. Odd how that happens in the Bat family, but this aspect of herself is very dominant. She has never allowed herself to flex, give, or allow a weakness to exist. This is almost entirely a physical obsession, though nobody has ever accused her of being lax in her mental focus to date. It will happen though, as her mind is not at ease. However, she buries herself in training daily and allows no free time to the child inside.

Conflicted: Cass loves very strongly. Her friends and anyone who she lays claim to as her own are more important to her than anything she has in the world, and this is the true focus of her obsessions. To protect. At the same time, she can read the body language of everyone around her and, when exposed to people for long periods of time, knows their inner hearts and the fact that they want things of their own out of her. She's growing to want things for herself, to have interests in knowing the world aside from the Cowl. And she's downright annoyed at being conflicted, since she knows her job. How do you get over having human needs, and inhuman training, when your keeper is the Batman.

Rage: Deep inside is a burning, foul anger. Hidden away even from herself, but it is there. Trained to kill, she wants to do what she was brought up to do. She wants it, but this is a part of herself that will never, ever be allowed to see the light of day. Sometimes, though, that rage manifests in other ways...

Logs

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