AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first story on here. I'm co-writing it with my friend, who does not have an account. He has written this chapter, and I've taken care of the next one. Even if you aren't hooked by this chapter, I recommend you at least read the next, which was a much funner chapter to write. There's a lot more written, but we're doing some severe editing before they're posted, but we did make sure the first two chapters could go straight up.

There will be a lot of characters - right now around twelve, but that could change if we feel a point of view is neglected. There are no rules, any characters can die. Depending on response, we may pen a sequel, but... baby steps. It's planned out to the end, so it's full-steam ahead with the writing. Have fun kids! PS: Do not attempt any of this at home. If you want to become an enhanced super-soldier, it is my recommendation that you do it at a friend's house. I wash my hands of any injuries you may sustain in the process. ;)

DEATHSTROKE

The morning sun cast long shadows over the streets of Metropolis. Deathstroke watched as people forsook their cars and the monorail in favour of walking, and tapped his armoured feet off the black floor of the limousine. His eyes swept the outside as they passed it; nobody could see in, but he could see them. He caught himself picking at some flaking yellow paint on his armour; this was an old suit. "You seem on edge, Slade."

Deathstroke turned to face his employer. "Just admiring the sunrise."

"You don't see many?"

Lex Luthor wore a white suit, the top button of his shirt left undone. Lex's eyes were striking, it was the first thing he had noticed upon meeting him for the first time, all those years ago. They hadn't changed; eyes full of green money, filled with some hidden obsession. What billionaire doesn't have some secret fetish? thought Deathstroke. It had been said that you could see your reflection on Luthor's bald head, unfortunately Slade had found that to be false.

"Too much work for pleasures like that," Slade answered, and his head followed his eyes back to the outside that streamed past so quickly. Light traffic on a fine summer morning. Though he slept little, last night he had found that he slept not at all; there was something in the light air this morning that filled him with a sense of dread and doom. He had been trained to peak physical and mental capacity, and he was deeply aware of his surroundings. His guns were essential, his sword was necessary, but it was his instincts that got him through the day. It was exhausting to be on such high alert at all times, but sleep did not come to his easily. Lucky for me I don't need to do it so often.

"I know how you feel," Lex muttered. "I don't have much time to do anything other than business, these days."

Except perhaps waging a quiet war against Superman.

"Almost there Mr Luthor," announced a voice on the speakers.

"Very good," Lex replied.

Deathstroke removed a handgun from his belt and drew the ammo clip, checking it to be full for the third time today. Luthor had made his instructions quite clear. "Kill my associate on sight," he had told Deathstroke. "You must give him no time to hesitate, he must die. You cannot miss."

"I'll put a bullet between the eyes of the president if you paid me enough, Mr Luthor. I'd snipe your associate from the other side of Metropolis. Being at your side just makes it all the easier."

Lex offered up a dry smile. "I need you by my side should my associate get any ideas of his own."

"And here I thought you wanted a partner to watch the sunrise with you."

He laughed. "This business agreement will turn sour, Slade. And when it does I need the best at my side."

"Who is this associate of yours?" Slade asked.

"He's not from around here." Lex replied cryptically.

"Gotham?" he asked.

"Think further."

"I failed geography."

"It's best I don't say. Anyone could be listening."

It's not just 'anyone' that wears a ridiculous red cape and a giant flimsy S.

"He gave me his word that he would come alone. There will be no one else there. He didn't ask that I make the same promise," he added with a wry smile.

The white limo had pulled into an alleyway. The large, towering buildings of the industrial district of Metropolis made it seem more suited to Gotham than Metropolis; spray-paint coated the brick walls, posters advertising Booster Gold's new cereal. Gold is more of a brand name than a superhero, thought Slade. The red and gold emblazoned logo of Superman was up there too, though sloppy and poorly done. Slade had seen the outfit up close, though only a few times. The less he dealt with the Kryptonian, the better.

Slade was sure the meeting had to regard the superhero in some way. Aside from attending board meetings, what else did the rich boy have to occupy his time? I know an old grudge when I see one, he thought. The limo came to a stop outside a large warehouse like building. There was a 'for lease' sign that hung shoddily over the door, next to a vehicle entrance large enough to admit a bulldozer. Slade knew the building to have been a storage container for rock salt during winter.

The limo driver climbed out the car and rushed to Lex's door. With a relaxed sigh Lex stepped out of the limo, polished black shoes clacking off the tarmac. The driver had seemed to run around the car to open Deathstroke's door, but Slade was already out. He had become accustomed to opening his own doors. He allowed his gaze to wander over the rooftops, wary of snipers and assassins who may have been tailing them. Deadshot, Slade knew, had been contracted to kill Luthor. Floyd Lawton and he were old friends, but the assassin wouldn't let that get in the way of a handsome payment from another crooked billionaire.

The driver opened the trunk of the limo and presented Lex with a small black briefcase, which Lex took and set off for the door. They entered the building, and Slade closed the door firmly. Slade scanned the room with his well-trained eye before he let himself relax. Some salt still remained in the cavernous room tucked away in the corners or in hardened patches on the floor. There were windows, though they were too high up to be a vantage point, or to allow people to watch the transaction go down. Slade saw a giant manhole cover that had not been in the plans, and he rushed to inspect it. Rust had welded it shut a long time ago. He knew that it would not be a problem. "Is the room secure?" Lex asked impatiently.

"Yes," he replied. An electronic sweep had been ordered earlier by Slade, so the room was sure it was free of listening devices or any other bugs. "But let's not linger too long. I don't want to tempt fate."

"I can assure you this shall be quick," Lex said confidently.

Slade sighed and stood at his employer's side.

Lex huffed as he drew up his watch for the seventh time, not that Deathstroke was counting.

"Check your watch all you want, Luthor," Slade said. "I don't think he's coming."

"No." Lex said after a short pause. "No, he is not."

They had been waiting for the best part of an hour when they decided to leave. Deathstroke turned and made for the door when he heard the voice. "Leaving so soon?"

The man had not finished his sentence by the time Deathstroke's gun had cleared its holster and he had fired one single shot towards his head. At the other end of the room stood a man in a jacket of black leather, a dark green shirt and almost black jeans. He seemed a small man, and Deathstroke could see the red of his eyes from across the room. Between his fingers was a smoking bullet. "Your actions speak volumes about yourself, Slade Wilson," the man said as he flicked the bullet away. "Or perhaps they speak more about your employer," he added, and his eyes moved onto Lex.

"Which one are you?" he said. Too many superfreaks these days to keep track of which ones can catch bullets.

"That is not relevant," the stranger said, striding towards Lex. "What matters is what you brought me."

Slade partially drew the sword he kept slung across his back. "Come any closer and we'll just see how fast you are."

"Lower your weapons or you will die," the man assured him.

"I agreed to make the trade in person!" Lex argued sharply.

"I am who you seek," the man assured the seething rich man. "An avatar, at least. My true form would draw unnecessary attention."

"Do you fear him so much that you must send a puppet to do your bidding?" Lex said. "Your last attack on him was a failure; I watched you fail."

"No better than your own floundering attempts, Lex Luthor."

"With your device my attempts should flounder less," he retorted, though Deathstroke was sure there was something of a wounded pride in his comeback.

At last I gathered that Superman is involved, he thought, but other than that I am lost.

"They will be. First, I will need to see the data you have brought me."

"Of course."

Without any sign of fear or hesitation Lex moved forward with Slade following him closely. Handing the case over Lex only smiled. The man did not return it. "I can assure you it's all there," Lex said as he stepped back, never turning away from him.

"I'm sure," the man said as he opened the case anyway.

"What about what I want?" Lex demanded.

"Be silent."

The man lifted what looked like a data chip from the case. There was a light thrumming noise and the man's skin became a shiny metal that almost seemed like liquid silver to Deathstroke's eyes. The chip submerged beneath his skin. Lex's coming outburst dissipated at the sight of this, his look of fury turning to one of fascination. Slade tensed. Something isn't right. Snapping his eyes back open the 'avatar' tossed the chip aside. "The information is incomplete."

"I don't understand."

"The weaknesses of every metahuman on the planet is what I asked for. But what I receive instead is an incomplete list of weakness for the lower rungs of the Justice League ladder. This information is next to public knowledge."

"I'm afraid that is all the information I have," Lex sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

Shaking his head he replied, "It's not what I asked for specifically, but it will do."

"Where is my own piece, the technology you promised me!"

"Empty promises, Mr Luthor."

"I will tell him about this, Construct. I will tell him that you are here, and they will find you."

"I was afraid you would say that," he said with no pity. "But no matter, I brought a failsafe."

There was a shivering of the earth, and then a segment of the floor burst, dust stirring, knocking Lex and Slade off their feet. Whilst Lex landed flat on his back, Slade dropped into a roll and landed with his sword drawn.

Out of the dust staggered a great beast, double his size in length and breadth. Its skin was hard grey leather with bone white spikes protruding from its knuckles, elbows, shoulders, knees, toes and around its jaw. Over its massive muscular body was a pair of green shorts which stopped above its knees. A pair of blaring red eyes glowed from deep-set sockets. Around its neck was some kind of silver collar with a pulsating red light.

"What the hell is that?" Slade snapped as he rushed between the monster and his employer.

"A novelty item. Its previous battle with the last son of Krypton did not end in its favour. It took some time but I was able to place a collar of my own design around the beast's neck. It's no more than a dog for me now, a bloodhound for my enemies."

As the avatar spoke the beast only stared at them with an uncontrollable hate, its body rising and falling with every breath.

"The collar is Kryptonian," the avatar continued as he walked around the beast which paid him no mind at all. "And it is your reward. You'll just have to take it from him. You were never going to leave this place alive, Luthor. I'm afraid I must cover my tracks… and there's little more convincing than widespread devastation wherein you were just one more casualty. Nobody will even remember your name."

Lex held his watch up to his face. "Deploy the suit!"

Moments later a green capsule crashed through the ceiling, landing on the floor a few feet away from Lex. Fumbling to his feet with his blackened white suit and polished shoes Lex rushed to it. "Doomsday," the man said. The beast's massive head turned to face the avatar. "Kill them both."

Lex climbed inside the capsule. It quickly morphed into full body armour with thick arms, legs and an opening between the shoulders for Lex to poke his head through. On the chest of the green and purple battle suit was a glowing green L. The avatar watched with a smile as he started to melt, liquid silver retreating into the hole in the floor made by the newest arrival. Doomsday charged Slade with a roar. Barely able to step out of the way in time Slade took a swing at the monster with his sword. Striking its upper back he left no trace of any injury. His sword shook at the impact and flew from his grasp. Doomsday swung a massive fist at Deathstroke and swatted him like a fly into a wall that crumbled and fell onto him.

Deathstroke staggered out from the debris and saw a green blur rush past him. He drew some form of gun and blasted Doomsday through a wall, which collapsed and soon he was outside. The beast stumbled and almost fell before regaining its footing. It lifted a car like a rock and threw it at Lex, who narrowly missed it. "SLADE!" he heard, and Slade ran to him. He could feel his adrenaline kicking in, his healing factor working up. Heal faster, he thought. There were limits to what his body could heal – his missing eye was proof enough of that.

Deathstroke trained his rifle on Doomsday. The nightmarish creature was stepping out of the hole in the building, tearing down even more of the wall as it crashed through. "This creature cannot be killed. We must bide our time until he can deal with it."

Deathstroke snarled as he fired at Doomsday. The heavy tungsten armour-piercing bullets struck Doomsday's giant white chest, crumpling on impact into tiny metal discs.

Doomsday roared and began a charge. Sliding between the beast's legs Deathstroke pushed himself into a somersault before landing on the roof of a people carrier. Lex activated some kind of propulsion system sending flames spewing from his suits hands and feet which tossing him into the air. With some quick manoeuvring he landed on the other side of the street.

"Let's call it quits and walk away from the table!" Deathstroke shouted.

"No! It's being force to hunt me, nowhere is safe! We must not let it run rampant through Metropolis!"

"How long until the spandex brigade get here?" Deathstroke asked, leaping off the car as Doomsday body slammed it.

"Just keep it occupied!" Lex yelled as he charged Doomsday.

Bounding into the air Lex clumsily aimed a kick at its jaw. The point of his boot crunched against its jaw bone, staggering the goliath. With a battle cry Lex punched Doomsday again and again, forcing it backwards with a reverberating smash every time his metal fists struck its stone skin. Doomsday caught Lex's blows and roared in his face. Squeezing, it crushed the exosuit's fist and probably Lex's own. Lex was forced to his knees, waling, by a chortling Doomsday. Grasping his shoulders Doomsday continued to apply pressure. Deathstroke could hear Lex's suit alarms from where he was standing, even over Lex's screaming. Deathstroke primed a grenade as he leapt onto an upturned truck. Flipping clear over Doomsday he landing right behind the brute and his bawling employer. Pouncing on the creature's back he scaled it swiftly using its protruding bone spikes before it could realise what was happening. With more than a little gut Deathstroke crammed the grenade deep into Doomsdays agape mouth. Deathstroke pulled his hand free, and not a second too soon as Doomsday's jaws clamped shut. Making me handless as well as eyeless, he thought. How lopsided I would look.

There was confusion on Doomsday's face until the jerk. Doomsday grunted as a faint bang resonated from within his chest. Lumbering around to face Deathstroke, Doomsday pointed and glowered in his rumbling voice as green blood dripped from between his teeth.

Rearing his fist back Doomsday brought it crashing into the ground. Cracks shot out across the entire street and caused every building within five blocks to quake and their windows to shatter. Unbalanced by the sudden seismic activity and the raining fragments of glass Deathstroke was unable to escape Doomsday's flying tackle. Crushed between the pavement and Doomsday, Slade tried to wriggle free. The beast returned to its feet and then lifted Deathstroke off the ground, tossing the mercenary high into the air. Slade wasn't sure how high he was thrown as he was sent spinning and flailing by his sudden journey skyward, but he was certain he saw the roof of a two store building.

Doomsday's hand clamped around Slade's foot when he came within reach. Glass sprayed in all directions as Slade was slammed onto a car, its frame crumpling and alarm blaring. Deathstroke could taste the iron blood in his mouth. Slowly, he drew a pistol and fired at Doomsday with a desperate cry. Grunting when one of the bullets struck his brow Doomsday lifted Slade into the air, growling with fury he started to bend Slade's back. Slade could feel his vertebra cracking with the strain. "Beast!" Lex yelled, staggering back to his feet.

Doomsday turned to face him, ceasing his attack on Deathstroke. "It's me you want!" he planted a hand on the roof of a car to steady himself. "Leave him!"

Dropping Deathstroke like a sack of potatoes he stomped towards Lex.

"Luthor!" Slade shouted as he gingerly pushed himself of the ground. "Run!"

"Tell the Justice League," he said, "tell them that the Construct is back!" Lex said as he tried to limp out of the way of his foe.

"Tell them yourself!" Deathstroke snapped, drawing his pistol and firing at the monster. Tired of his resistance Doomsday ripped a lamppost from the ground and threw it back without looking. Metal connected with metal, Slade's helmet cracking and splintered like an egg shell, the fragments of his mask piercing his skin. With his vision blurring and ears bleeding Slade felt his pistol slip from his grip. Dragging himself away from the black oblivion Slade tried to keep focused.

Doomsday was no man, he was a beast – hell walking, an apocalypse with legs and eyes. How could he match that? Blood was pooling around his head, dripping between the cracks across his helmet. Lifting his face out of the asphalt with his vision warped and hazy he saw Doomsday leaping into the air. On his descent he braced his shoulder like he was charging something. Crashing back to earth like a living meteor he sent Lex flying along with every car in the street. Sliding across the floor Lex shielded his face as Doomsday began clawing and punching at Lex's armour. Sparks and shrapnel flew in all directions, dancing and tinkling across the cracked ground. Punching and kicking at Doomsday, Lex started to scream as Doomsday's bone like claws started cutting his flesh. Pulling Lex out of the ruins of his armour he raised him up like a fisherman's prize catch. The ivory white suit was stained with dirt and blood, torn apart like the skin beneath. Trying to pry Doomsday's fingers away off of his chest, Lex choked blood.

Doomsday clenched his fist. Bones crunched as Lex's ribs shattered, his organs turned to pulp. Gasping, he clutched at Doomsday's arm as blood gushed from his mouth. A hollow feeling came over Slade. Defeat, he thought.

Yet it was more than that. Lex Luthor was considered a visionary, his every action in an attempt to advance humanity. Luthor had power and influence to rival the President of America and the drive to do what needed to be done no matter the consequence or opinion of him. Slade had seen the death of many politicians and powerful figures and with each of them he had been able to predict how their deaths would affect the world. But the ramifications of Lex's death were almost impossible to predict. Yet Slade could see how it would affect him. Lex was Deathstroke's most lucrative client, and with him dead his reputation for success was in the mud.

Deathstroke staggered to his feet, his armour tattered and broken, his spirit fractured. The great beast began to a fist and began to charge. Deathstroke raised his sword. Perhaps I will die with my reputation.

And then Doomsday was gone in a flash of red and blue, and Slade could see the cool clear sky.