The Next Generation

Thankfully Neal's reflexes had improved under Shiva's training, even if it hadn't been with weapons it was still going to count for something here. Of course only a second after he had caught it he felt a serious pain in his leg as Talia smacked him insanely hard on his leg. Before Neal could even yell out in pain Talia was continuing her flurry of blows. Neal began to move to block, but his use of a staff of all things was quite terrible, and he wouldn't be able to move as fast or as swift as Talia was. He kept trying to block, but he very rarely succeeded at making contact before he was hit. And even when he hit Talia's staff, normally it just moved her an inch away from where she was intending to hit him anyway.

"Pathetic," Talia stated, throwing the staff to the side and telling him to drop his. She then grabbed two wooden swords, tossing one over to him. "Perhaps swords will be better." She gave him only a second to prepare himself before coming in full force again, going into another wild flurry of blows. Of course, things didn't go much better this time around either, resulting in Neal only getting beaten on quite a bit more. After several minutes, Talia sighed. This was going to be a long day, wasn't it?

"I can see you have a lot of room to improve," she stated, taking a few steps back and walking over to the weapon rack. She started removing a couple pairs of batons. "When training with me, you will learn how to utilize all forms of weaponry to their fullest. At least that is the goal. Whether or not you will succeed in that remains to be seen. I will also teach you the art of stealth. Our entire society revolves around secrecy and shadows. Being able to remain unseen is a very important part of our repertoire. I hope you're ready."

Yeah, pathetic was a good word to describe how Neal felt right now. Damn, and he thought the beating that Shiva gave him was bad, at least she didn't use weapons against him! She just used her fists! Talia was going to be pushing him through the same pain again, something that Neal honestly wasn't looking forward to. He kept his goal in mind, no matter how many beatings he was going to take from Talia he was never going to forget why he was here. As the blows from the swords were aching his muscles, Neal looked up to see Talia grab some batons, also telling him about what was being expected of him.

"I don't have the best natural talent, but I'll learn everything you have to teach me Talia," he said as he looked right at her. It was going to be a long day and an even longer week, but Neal was going to throw himself in until his eyes bled if he had to.

---

Several days later he and Talia were once again training with the wooden swords. She still hit him quite frequently, but at least he was now able to put up a defense whereas before he just took everything she threw at him. Much like with Shiva he didn't make the same mistake twice. The moment Talia pointed something out to him or gave him advice he was able to change. He still was nowhere near the best, but hopefully Talia would at least be able to see that now.

Talia launched a rather particularly fierce blow that not only sent Neal's sword flying away but left a fairly impressive spot on his arm. He crumbled to one knee as he grabbed at his arm. "Damn it," he muttered to himself as he quickly moved to retrieve his sword before Talia could launch another attack.

"It's too late," Talia said, as Neal went for his fallen sword. She slashed down with hers and struck him on the back of the head, wood thumping against his skull. "You're dead. That's enough for today, I've beaten you long enough. At least you're improving, though, at a faster rate than I anticipated. I commend you for that."

Just as Talia was about to dismiss him for the day, someone else joined them in the training hall. The same man that recruited Neal, the new leader of the League of Assassins. "Working him hard are we, Talia? Good," the man said, walking up to he two of them. "I have an assignment that needs to be taken care of, and I believe that our newest member is right for the job. As you know, we as assassins do accept contracts from those who know of our existence and the various services we provide. One such contract has come in, and I want you, Neal, to see it through. Since you are still new, however, Lady Shiva will assist you on the mission and shadow you, in case you require assistance."

Neal's head was struck and it was only worsened as his head struck the hard ground. Talia was definitely better than him, but he was starting to predict her moves far more. Well, at least he was able to react to them better than he had before, and that was good enough improvement for Neal. "Thank you Talia", Neal said with a bow from his head as he stood up. At least she admitted he was improving, and that was a good start for Neal.

As the new voice suddenly spoke up Neal quickly turned around in order to see him, standing up fully to show respect despite how much pain he was in. It would probably be obvious to everyone that his legs were about to fall out from beneath him. As the man spoke about an assignment that he wanted Neal to take care of, he couldn't help but blink in surprise. "You want me to take care of it?", he asked before realizing how stupid that sounded. "I'm sorry, I guess I just didn't expect to receive any assignments until my training was complete. I'll gladly accept though", he said with a nod. At least Shiva would be there incase anything went wrong, that was a comfort at least.

"What is the assignment?" he asked curiously. The League was secretive, but surely they'd at least give him the full details of his assignment.

"Lately, the police force has been in disarray within the city," he explained. "It's been split between those who see the Titans as the vigilantes they are and resent them for taking cuts of their work and pay, and those who remain loyal to them as superheroes. This has created quite a few problems, a lot of it stemming from the current police commissioner failing to create a compromise between both sides. The fact that he supports the Titans I would image does not help. Someone, whose identity will remain a secret, has requested that the head of the problem within the police force be removed. The contract is to dispose of the commissioner."

Neal listened as the leader spoke up about what the contract was. As he spoke it though, Neal's heart began to sink as he heard what it was that he needed to do. The commissioner? But he was the only one of the police who stood up to defend Neal after he had killed that man! Was he really the target of this mission? Neal looked down for a moment, taking a deep breath before looking back at the leader again. "Is there any particular way you want it done? You have trained me well, but I haven't really been taught any lethal killing moves since I have been here" he pointed out as he just wanted to clarify what needed to be done. "Sword? Gun? Poison dart? Suffocation? Anything in particular?"

"The particular method is inconsequential," he replied. "Though there is a sizable bonus being offered if it can be made to look like a suicide, so keep that in mind. Now, take what time you need to recover and prepare yourself; you will leave for the job tonight. I expect you to return by morning successfully. Good day, Neal, Talia." He gave them both a respectful nod, and then departed from the room.

After watching him leave, Talia turned back to Neal. "Your first assignment... try not to screw it up." And with that, she, too, left him to get ready and recover before that night.

"I see, thank you for clarifying that," Neal said as he heard that there was a bonus to make this look like a suicide. It seemed like he was going to be at a hard crossroads. Kill the commissioner and turn his back on the League? Or somehow find a way to escape all of this? As kind as the League had been, something told Neal that failure was not going to be an option.

"Until tomorrow Talia" Neal said with a small nod despite the criticizing tone that she spoke towards Neal. If he had to guess, she probably would have said that he wasn't combat ready yet. He had to do this though, the League was making him stronger so that he wouldn't ever be weak again. He couldn't turn on them now. With his head in several places at once he went off to the spring in order to heal, wondering just what exactly he was going to do.

Several minutes later he had already gotten into the water and was now merely staring at the wall. Talia had given him a good beating, so he needed to recover as much as possible before he left.

The night came swiftly, bringing with it the contract that Neal had been assigned to. After being transported back into the city along with Shiva, the two began to track their target. The police commissioner worked late nights, often doing paperwork until well after midnight. He would be alone, but the location was no good. Too many security cameras in a police station. So they would wait until he left. He typically walked over afterwards, making his way just across the Brooklyn Bridge, where he lived at a nearby apartment. But that, too, would be a poor location. Even at night, the bridge was plenty busy. This was the city that never sleeps, after all. No, the best place to get the job done would be his apartment itself. They could follow him there and make their way inside to eliminate him. Shiva, of course, wouldn't step in unless necessary. This was Neal's contract.

And so they located him, followed him, and remained hidden in the shadows, never being seen by anyone. They made it to the balcony of the commissioner's apartment, where inside he was preparing himself a late night meal. "This is your opportunity," Shiva told him. "Go in and complete the contract. I will be right here if anything goes wrong."

After fully resting himself Neal set out with Shiva in order to complete the task. They had been transported back to the city, Neal of course being blindfolded once again since they still didn't trust him with the location of the League. As they watched the commissioner Neal couldn't help but remember how the commissioner had stopped the other cops that were trying to give Neal a hard time for killing that damned bank robber. As much as Neal knew that he needed to do this, he was afraid of what it was going to do to him. The commissioner eventually made his way back to his apartment, the only place where an assassination was likely to work.

As Shiva spoke Neal didn't look at her, instead he kept his eyes on the man, pondering about what it was that he was going to do. "They were hoping to make it look like suicide," Neal admitted as he looked over towards Shiva. "I......I don't know how to do that" he admitted as he once again returned his gaze towards the commissioner. Shiva would be able to obviously tell that Neal was nervous.

Shiva paused a moment, glancing back at him carefully. He was nervous, she could understand that. She'd been nervous the first time she had to carry out a contract as well, though that was many years ago. "You just have to be careful. Leave behind no trace of your presence, and make sure use a method that one would likely use to kill themselves. A gun, a knife, whatever. Just remember, though, the bonus isn't everything. If you find you can't make it appear like a suicide without failing, then it's best to complete the mission without the bonus."

Neal heard Shiva's words, but he was still concentrating on the deed. While Neal was still battling on the inside of what was right and wrong, his mind began to kick in. While Neal could learn really fast with his mind, it also made it far more impressionable than others. Being around the League made the idea of killing the commissioner for the greater good an easy thing to consider. He took a deep breath before turning to look at Lady Shiva. "For the future," he said with a nod before suddenly moving forward.

He barely even turned the handle of the door, only enough to actually allow the door to open. Once inside Neal slowly closed it as the commissioner had his back to him. Too easy. Neal took only a few steps before quickly moving forward, one of his arms wrapping around the commissioner's neck while the other quickly wrapped around the other arm in order to hold him there. The commissioner reacted quickly, trying to use his own strength to remove Neal, but it was to no avail. It took several moments, but the commissioner's grip began to falter before his entire body went limp.

Once that was done Neal loosened his grip and watched as the commissioner fell forward unconscious. Neal quickly picked him up and placed him in a nearby chair, up properly as if he was about to eat. Without waiting any longer Neal reached forward and took the commissioner's gun that was strapped to his side. Neal made sure it was loaded before moving forward and placing the gun in the commissioner's hand. It would have only his fingerprints on it, not Neal's. The barrel of the gun was now placed against the commissioner's exposed neck.

The next thing Neal knew, he'd be blindsided by a figure darting across the dark living room. The figure leaped forward and tackled the commissioner's assailant to the ground, pinning him down by the shoulders. He likely wouldn't hold that position for long, though. Neal had learned an awful lot in recent weeks, after all. But when Neal looked up at the figure poised over him, he might find himself in a bit of momentary surprise. Staring back down at him... was Nightwing.

"Looks like you were right," Nightwing said, to someone else in the room. He hadn't recognized Neal yet, though, considering the uniform he wore concealed most of his face. "They responded to the contract promptly enough."

"And now we have a way to find where the League is hidden," another voice said, as the second person stepped forward. It was Batgirl.

Neal didn't hear anyone coming and so was tackled to the ground when he was just inches away from pulling the trigger against the commissioner's neck. He was quickly pinned to the ground, causing Neal to turn around as he saw who on earth it was. His eyes widened temporarily as he realized that it was none other than Nightwing. No....this had been a setup from the beginning! The contract was a fake! They probably worked together with the commissioner on this!

Neal's head quickly turned as he saw that Batgirl also came out of the shadows. So this was the game they wanted to play huh? There was no way in hell that Neal was going to be captured by these two. He made a quick jolt of his body, trying to get Nightwing to re position himself before Neal quickly sent a sharp kick into Nightwing's chest to get him off of Neal. Once that was done Neal quickly turned towards Batgirl, trying to defend himself for the attack that he was certain was coming.

No way she'd just stand there while there only lead into the League escaped after all.

Nightwing hadn't quite anticipated the blow to the chest, grunting as it struck home and forced him off. He wasn't down long, though, quickly getting back up to his feet to better apprehend the assassin. With his attention turned towards Batgirl, he came up from behind and attempted to lock in a debilitating hold that would subdue him. Batgirl also had plans to put him out of commission once Nightwing had him in place, but she never got the chance. The glass of the balcony door shattered as Shiva came rolling into the room and went straight for her, knocking her into the kitchen counter.

"You!" Batgirl exclaimed, righting herself again.

"Cassie..." Shiva stated, holding her guard up. "You shouldn't be here. Stay out of our way and go home. Don't make me do this."

He had anticipated a blow from Batgirl sooner, and Neal hadn't expected to have to deal with Nightwing again so quickly as he came from behind Neal and wrapped him up in a hold. Neal watched as Batgirl began to come forward, but thankfully they had no idea that Neal had some serious backup this time around. Shiva came through the balcony door and stood between Neal and Batgirl, preventing her from attacking Neal directly. This only allowed Neal to smile.

With Neal's new distraction, he quickly turned his attention back towards Nightwing, his captor for the moment. Neal quickly shot his head backwards, forcing contact against Nightwing's face and probably doing a number on the hero's nose. The moment that Nightwing's grip loosened Neal quickly broke free with his own strength before turning around and launching a single punch to Nightwing's jaw. As Nightwing stumbled backwards Neal leapt up and shot a powerful kick right into the side of Nightwing's ribs. Lastly, as Nightwing fell to the ground, Neal shot down a powerful stomp right on top of his old leader's knee.

Neal had never felt so powerful before, Nightwing had always schooled him when they had trained. Nightwing really HAD been holding him back this entire time! "You have no idea who you are messing with," Neal said as he used his power in order to disguise his voice to sound much different than his actual voice.

Nightwing had never felt so powerless in his life. He had expected members of the League of Assassins to be skilled, but he hadn't been expecting this. It was like trying to fight a pissed off Batman. he could barely follow the assassin's moves, let alone defend against them. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground and hurting in more places than he could keep track of, though the most prominent injury was the stomp to the knee that prevented him from standing.

Shiv and Batgirl were fighting, meanwhile. Batgirl seemed to be fairing much better than Nightwing was, though, actually seemingly matching Shiva for quite a while before being kicked backwards, though remaining on her feet. It was at that moment than Shiva grabbed Neal by the hand and pulled him towards the balcony.

"We must go, now!" she stated. While they could have easily finished two heroes off together, most likely, she could already hear the sirens in the air. The police were on their way, and they couldn't sit there to be discovered.

In seconds, the two were out of the apartment and leaping over rooftops to escape. Batgirl, however, had different ideas, racing out of the apartment herself to pursue them. "I'm going after them!" she called back over her shoulder.

"Don't!" Nightwing yelled, trying to stand up. He only collapsed a moment later, holding his twisted knee. "Shit, Cassandra, come back!"

Surprisingly, Batgirl managed to keep up with the two of them for quite some time. Shiva led them as fast and far as possible, trying to evade their pursuer, but try as she might, Batgirl would not disappear. There might be a question of why she didn't just turn around with Neal and put a stop to her themselves, but there was a big reason why she couldn't bring herself to do that, but now wasn't the time to explain it. Eventually, she brought them to an old abandoned warehouse.

"We'll lose her inside," Shiva stated, as she busted down the front door and dragged Neal inside, closing the door behind them.

As soon as Neal made sure that Nightwing wasn't going to get back up, the young assassin turned to see that Shiva and Batgirl were fighting although they were far more evenly matched than Neal had expected them to be. He knew that Batgirl was good, but he didn't think that she'd be capable of matching with Lady Shiva. How could that be?

Neal didn't have any time to ask questions though as Shiva pulled him away, saying that it was time to go. It made Neal angry inside, it was his first contract to prove himself to the League and he had failed. It was a trap yes, but he wasn't able to kill the commissioner. Would the League be upset? Or since it was a fake contract would they not care at all? He pushed those thoughts away as he continued to move along with Shiva.

Neal and Shiva were still moving, Neal constantly glancing backwards to see if Batgirl was still on their tail. She was apparently. Neal didn't want to use his power to lose her, because otherwise Nightwing might recognize Neal for who he really was. He couldn't risk that right now! As they moved closer to the warehouse Neal quickly moved inside, not even stopping once the door was closed.

"We should find a place to hide in order to ambush her, there's no way she can take on both of us at once" Neal said in a quiet voice as he looked towards Shiva. "All we need to do is something small, break her leg or something so that she won't be able to pursue us anymore"

"Maybe..." Shiva whispered, taking a look around inside the entry of the warehouse. "But I would prefer to escape without conflict if possible. I can't explain why right now... but you have to trust me on it. Now come on, there must be another exit around the back. We should look for it." And with that, Shiva led him through a long hallway and into a large, open area, where goods would have been stored if the warehouse were still in use. As it were, the entire floor was empty, the ceiling rising high with catwalks suspended above them. She silently waved him towards the back of the storage area, into another series of halls that passed by several old offices, where hopefully they could find another exit.

Meanwhile, Batgirl managed to break through the same door that they had come through. She looked around briefly before hurrying into the large, open storage area. It was empty, apparently, with no sign of the two assassins. But she wasn't going to give up just yet. They had to still be here somewhere. She quickly made her way across the large open floor, when suddenly a voice stopped her cold in her tracks.

"Cassandra Cain," the voice spoke. "I thought that might be you that sent the contract. I'm so glad that proved to be the case... it's been a while, hasn't it?"

That voice...

Whirling around, she looked up at one of the catwalks above her. But the face she saw didn't match the voice she knew. He was younger... no older than his mid thirties. But the voice. It couldn't be a mistake, it couldn't. It was too familiar. But then why was it attached to a seemingly different person?

"Who... are you?" she uttered, taking a few steps backwards.

The man jumped down from the catwalk and landed just twenty paces from her. "Don't recognize me? I don't blame you... I've had a little work done, you might say. But deep down, you know it's me, don't you? Maybe this will help." He then reached into the pocket of his uniform and pulled out a very distinctive mask, which belonged to the costume that she was more familiar with. He quickly slipped it over his head. "How about now?"

"No... that's not.... it can't be," she uttered. "You're dead. I watched you die."

"You should know by now that you cannot kill me," he said, taking several steps forward and drawing his sword. "But I can kill you. You are a loose end I would rather not have lying around."

Batgirl worked through her shock and remained in her defensive stance, ready to fight. "I've beaten you before."

"No, you've survived me before," the man stated flatly. "There's a difference. And besides... I'm still in your head."

---

"There's no other way out," Shiva stated, as they reached the end of the hall. "We'll have to double back... and see if we can't avoid our pursuer. If we can't, then we will have to use force. But non-lethal only. Am I understood?" She gave him a serious glare, then hurried with him back towards the main storage area.

A pained scream ripped out through the warehouse, interrupting the silence. Shiva paused with a startled expression. Something in her gut sank to a place she didn't like. Something was wrong. She took off running, not waiting for Neal to follow. When she burst into the storage area, she came to a sudden halt, frozen in place at the sight. There was Batgirl, on her knees and impaled at the end of the masked man's blade. He glanced up as Shiva made her appearance, then drew the sword from Batgirl's chest.

"NO!" Shiva screamed, dropping to her knees in horror. She collapsed forward, barely catching herself with her hands to keep from hitting the floor. She couldn't stop staring as Batgirl crumpled, motionless.

Neal couldn't help but just stare at Shiva as she insisted that they just avoid Batgirl rather than just take her out. He didn't understand why, he was able to take out Nightwing without even breaking a sweat. Surely the two of them together would easily defeat Batgirl? Even Shiva on her own was winning, albeit that it was a bit of a fight between them. Still, he didn't understand but Neal was certain that she wouldn't ask it of him unless she truly believed that it was best. She had done too much for him to doubt now. He quickly ran with her, looking through the various areas to find some sort of exit.

"Damn it, I can't believe there's only one way out" Neal muttered to himself as they failed to find another exit. "Alright, let's head back just like you-" a scream suddenly cut Neal off as both he and Shiva stood dead still.

"Shiva!" Neal shouted as she took off in a sprint. "Damn it Shiva, what's gotten into you?" he asked himself before running off after his master. As far as Neal was concerned she was still his superior in the League, even if she wasn't his teacher anymore. He continued to follow Shiva, catching up about five seconds after she had arrived. The site made Neal stop motionless. Batgirl had just been rammed through with a sword, and now Shiva was just staring at her in shock.

Neal didn't want to question it, but wasn't this a good thing? Someone else had just taken our their enemy for them. But than again, that didn't make this new person a friend. "Who are you?" Neal demanded as he looked towards the masked man. "What is your purpose in being here?"

"Relax, Neal," the masked man said, reaching up with one hand to remove said mask. With the face revealed, Neal would recognize him instantly as his leader in the League of Assassins. "It's only me. I do suppose I owe you an explanation for what took place here tonight, though. I suspected that the contract we received for tonight was a set-up, so I took the liberty of following the two of you on the job. I had reason to believe that Batgirl was in the city, and... well, let's just say that we've crossed paths before, and I know what a nuisance she can be when left unchecked. It didn't take much to determine that she was likely the one behind the contract, in attempts to lure us out into the open. I allowed you to pursue the contract in order to turn the tables on her. Instead of being the ones lured, we did the luring, and now she is no longer an issue. You did well, Neal. I'm proud of you."

Shiva, meanwhile, was ignoring everything that he was saying. Instead, she had managed to crawl her way over to the fallen Batgirl, crawling because her legs weren't quite working right, feeling like rubber. Reaching out, she cradled the bloodied girl in her arms and removed the masked bat cowl to reveal her face, which stared back with lifeless eyes.

"Cassie..." she uttered, in tears. "You weren't supposed to be here... I'm sorry... this wasn't supposed to happen."

The man looked down at the scene with a small sigh. "Of course, there are some inevitable consequences. A mother's love for her daughter runs deep, after all, even when on opposite sides of the field."

Neal immediately relaxed the moment that he saw who the man was. He hadn't even realized that it had been the same person, it was amazing what a mask could do for people. "Sir, I apologize I didn't know", Neal said and gave a small bow. He didn't mean to speak rudely to his leader after all, but he couldn't have possibly known. He listened to the leader's explanation of events. So he knew that it was a trap but wanted it to be triggered, which is why he didn't say anything to Neal or Shiva. Well it had worked easily, Batgirl was now taken out after she was one of the experts on the League of Assassins after all. "Thank you sir, Nightwing was there too but I damaged his leg to the point where pursuit was all but impossible" he added in case the leader wasn't sure of Nightwing's condition.

Neal turned his gaze over towards Shiva as the masked man spoke about the connections between a mother and daughter. Shiva and Batgirl?! They were mother and daughter!? Neal froze for a moment as he now understood why Shiva didn't want to fight her, she still cared for her. The fact that she was cradling the corpse was evidence enough. Neal averted his gaze, unable to watch.

"So what happens now?", Neal asked as he looked to the leader.

"Now, we return to our base where you will continue your training," the man explained. "I do thank you in your assistance, you did well. Shiva, you can rejoin us when you're ready. I'll leave you alone to... mourn. Come, Neal, let's leave this place and return. I think she needs to be by herself right now." With that, he led Neal out of the warehouse and to an awaiting vehicles that would take them back to the League of Assassins' base.

Shiva, of course, hardly even paid attention to anything that was directed at her. She was concentrated only on her daughter. Maybe if she remained there long enough, this whole thing would prove to be a dream and Cassie would wake up... she knew that wouldn't happen, but she still hoped.

---

All but impossible. Or almost impossible. Nightwing lurked in the shadows of the warehouse, though he'd made it there only barely. His left leg was messed up something fierce, and he could barely put any pressure on it without collapsing from pain. Nothing was broken, he didn't think, but something had been pushed out of place. He'd have to get it looked at later. Right now, he was still on the job. Granted, he'd only just arrived a couple of minutes ago, but having to travel the whole way practically hopping on one foot wasn't exactly a good way to get somewhere in time. He was just glad that the signal from Batgirl's communicator worked, so he could find them.

Unfortuantely, it made no difference. Nightwing still got there far too late to be of help, not that he was in much of a condition to do any helping. By the time he arrived, Batgirl was already dead, cradled in Lady Shiva's arms. But his eyes were focused on the mystery man right now, the one with the bloodied sword. It was a shame he hadn't arrived a minute sooner to see his mask, or else he wouldn't still be wondering who in the hell he was, and why his voice sounded so damn familiar, despite the fact that he had apparently never seen him before.

As the man was turning to leave with the other assassin, Nightwing raised his communicator and switched it to camera mode. He zoomed in on the man's face and snapped off a rapid series of images. Hopefully, he discover something later through extensive analysis. It was when the man spoke to the other assassin that Nightwing almost dropped the camera. Had he said... Neal? That couldn't be right.... it wasn't their Neal. It couldn't be. But then... where had Neal really gone? Where did he disappear to? It wasn't... it could not be on of his Titans. He would not believe it, not without evidence. Until he had any such evidence, he could only concentrate on other things.

His gaze moved back over to Batgirl. There was no question, she was dead. he felt a sinking feeling deep in his gut. He may not have liked working with her at times, but she was still a fellow hero and a good person at heart. There was also one deep dread he had about the situation: Batman was going to be pissed.

Neal gave another nod as the man once again thanked Neal for his part. Neal still felt like he should have done better, he hesitated and waited far too long. He would have been able to kill the commissioner had he worked harder and faster. Next time he would not hesitate. The League of Assassins were his new family, the Titans were just group of people that abandoned him when Neal needed him the most.

Before they left Neal cast one look back at Lady Shiva, wondering if she was going to be okay. Despite where their loyalties lay, they were still family....and it must have hurt her deeply to watch her die. Neal turned his head away, knowing that anything he said wouldn't help. He moved back to the vehicle, applying the blindfold before heading back to the base. He still had more work to do, as Talia would still expect to see him today.