Chapter 36: The Showdown
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any DC characters of logos.
NOTICE: I wrote a teaser chapter for my sequel story (It's called Test of Time) and posted it in my stories section. Check it out on my page. Please review and tell me what you guys think of the sequel so far. While this one is rated K, the sequel is T for more violence and death. I think it'll be more visual in some areas as well, but not too much. I'm still trying to keep the spirit of Bruce Timm's DC Animated Universe alive.
STORY
Once again, Raven found herself standing before the founding members of the Justice League. While she was no longer nervous around her fellow heroes, even she was not particularly looking forward to this meeting. The seven heroes bore down on her in an expectant manner, waiting for her to give her mission report.
Clearing her throat, she began. "My recent mission has given us possible leads concerning the case of the Legion of Doom…"
"Please… continue." Superman replied, immediately picking up her slight hesitation.
The young sorceress returned his nod as she continued to review the details in her mind. "The mission was an overall success as we were able to capture Roulette in the midst of the battle."
"Score!" Flash replied, raising a hand into the air like an excited teenager. "The way I see it, all we gotta do now is find out where Deathstroke is hiding, and take the fight to him. Like granny Flash use to say…"
"Roulette and the other villains that we were able to capture are currently detained, and have recently been sent to the interrogation room." Raven interjected, quickly cutting through the Flash's chatter.
Batman stood up from his spot at the council table, causing the other founding members to shift their attention to him. "Very well… I'll take care of the situation immediately." He replied.
"You intend to interrogate the enemy immediately?" the Martian asked.
The Dark Knight simply nodded in response as he headed straight for the exit. Raven stepped aside in a hasty manner as the man swept by her and disappeared through the metallic doors.
Superman inclined his head in thought a Batman vacated the room. Looking up, the Man of Steel simply nodded. "I guess its decided then… We'll have to see what Batman can get out of Roulette, and then we can plan our actions accordingly."
Raven shook her head in an expectant manner. "My apologies for the interruption, but knowing Slade, he may have already adjusted Roulette's mind so that she cannot be questioned about the whereabouts of his Secret Society."
"She has a point…" Wonderwoman added, turning to Superman for suggestions.
John Stewart who had remained silent so far finally spoke up. "Either way, we have to find a way to stop them. If Deathstroke can enact his scheme, we'll be in for a much more difficult situation… a situation that we might not have the power to resolve."
"Agreed…" the Martian replied in a serious tone. "You are correct. We must look at the big picture to ensure that this situation does not worsen."
Shayera raised an eyebrow in annoyance. "How can it get worse? We've got organized super villains massing around the world, and we've been swamped with dozens of cases to solve… Not to mention the impending oblivion that Deathstroke and his cronies have been dangling over our heads."
Superman nodded again. "True, but I spoke with Doctor Fate recently and he told me that the portal spell needed for Deathstroke to access the ceremonial grounds will take several more days to fully prepare… even if Morgaine Le Fey is involved."
"And what will we do in the meantime?" Wonderwoman asked.
The Martian raised a hand in order to get the attention of the other heroes. "The fact remains that we must wait before we can determine our course of action…"
"Yeah, but sitting here like a bunch of politicians isn't solving the problem either." The Flash argued, shaking his head indignantly.
"It's the only choice that we have…" Superman answered. Turning back to Raven, the Man of Steel simply nodded again. "Do you have anything else to report?"
The young sorceress shook her head in response. "I must also tell you that we arrested some of the Meta Brawlers along with Roulette."
"Anyone we would know?" Shayera questioned.
"Perhaps… we had a nasty run-in with some Bang Babies working for the Meta Brawl. I believe that they referred to themselves as the Meta Breed."
The Man of Steel shook his head, looking slightly bewildered for once. "That's impossible. Most of Dakota's Meta Humans were cured of the affliction with the exception of Static and Gear… both of which serve as reserve members of the Justice League."
"She speaks the truth." The Martian replied. "I spoke with Static earlier tonight… The boy claims that many other people were not cured. Static also claims that many more were able to regain their superpowers by breaking into secure locations and exposing themselves to the unstable chemicals that originally started the Big Bang in Dakota."
"We were unsuccessful in capturing the leader, Ebon." Raven added in. "I must apologize for this mistake, but we were severely outnumbered at the time."
A concerned expression appeared briefly on Superman's face. "Is everyone from you team all right?"
The young sorceress gave him a small nod. "Yes… but Black Canary was severely injured, and Huntress…"
"Huntress!" Superman cried, looking thoroughly irritated. "She's not a member of the league anymore. Wasn't Question supposed to meet you in Metropolis last night?"
"I assume… but I was unaware." Raven replied, feeling slightly foolish for having said it.
Wonderwoman stood up from her seat, raising his hand to silence the angry Kryptonian. "He must have had something important to do. I mean, he's usually not the kind of man to ignore an important lead. He probably decided to send Huntress in his place, and considering the current circumstances, I doubt anyone would have rejected help from a reliable source."
The Martian shook his head. "Although the mission was successful, I see a clear violation of protocol that cannot be ignored."
Raven made a coughing noise to gain the attention of the older heroes. While she would have normally waited for them to finish speaking, the young sorceress was beginning to feel strange disturbances in the back of her mind. Something was wrong… and she had a feeling that it involved her friends.
"Perhaps I should take my leave?" she requested, inclining her head in respect as she spoke.
The founding members exchanged a collective nod before granting their approval. "You may leave." The Martian replied, gesturing towards the door."
"Thank you." Raven said, lifting her head and disappearing into the hallway. As soon as she heard the metallic clang of the door closing, she took to the air and began floating through the Watchtower's labyrinth of hallways. Although it was only a gut feeling, she was sure that there was something wrong, and the same feeling told her that her friends were right in the middle of it.
Concentrating her magic, the young sorceress began uttering a simple incantation under her breath. In a matter of seconds, she knew where to find her friends, and luckily for her they were both in the same place right now. With a second incantation, she was gone.
MEANWHILE
Nightwing tore through the darkness as he leapt from building to building, his heart racing as he floated through the skies of Gotham. From below his dark silhouette must have looked like a large bird against the night sky, but the streets were surprisingly empty at the time. A few cars flashed in and out of view as he glanced at the streets, but the city was relatively quiet for the moment.
The young vigilante quickened his pace as he caught sight of Gotham's largest mall in the distance. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have given the shopper's paradise a second glance, but at the moment he felt as if he couldn't find a faster way to get there.
The windows of the large building were darkened, and steel bars had been drawn over the doors and windows, giving the impression that the place was a prison. While people from out of town might have scoffed at the outrageously tight security system, anyone who actually lived in the city knew that it was not a good idea to leave valuables unguarded.
Gotham City had always been a nest of scum and villainy, but times had become harder since Deathstroke reformed the Legion of Doom. With such an organized group of criminals working together, the crime rates had climbed around the world, leaving everyone from the local police to the Justice League, swamped with dozens of cases to solve.
Bringing his thoughts back to the current situation, the young hero noticed how close he was to the mall. Taking one last leap towards the building, Nightwing opened his glider, floating through the air for a few moments before touching down on the roof of the mall. Closing the wing-like attachment, he moved into the very center of the building's spacious roof.
Taking a look around, the young vigilante began observing every inch of the area. While seemingly pointless, he was doing this so that he could be prepared for the upcoming battle. If Slade kept his promise and actually appeared in person, he knew that he would have a better chance of winning if he knew the surroundings better than his opponent. The rooftop was surprisingly empty, aside from the large glass windows that let in the sunlight during the daytime, but a few sections of the building's roof were elevated to accommodate the higher ceilings for whatever room lay beneath.
A sudden whistling noise sounded off in the distance, startling the young hero. Drawing a pair of birdarangs, he looked around in time to catch the first glimpse of his nemesis. Slade Wilson grinned behind his mask, as he approached the former boy wonder. Looking through the pale glow of the moon, the masked villain could see the hero's death glare.
"Well played…" he stated, drawing a katana from its sheath. Adjusting his trademark mask, he began moving closer to the young hero. From the way that he moved, it outwardly appeared as if he hadn't a care in the world. In some cruel way… it was almost as if he was purposely mocking his long-time adversary. When he was within a few meters of his adversary, the two made eye contact for the first time that night. The light from the moon flashed dangerously on the surface of his visible eye as he returned his opponent's deadly gaze. An eerie silence lingered in the air for as the two fighters continued to stare at one another.
Deathstroke cracked his neck in a lazy manner, tightening his grip on the handle of his weapon as he prepared to attack.
"So… you showed up." Nightwing interjected. While his tone of voice was calm and controlled, the deadly glare that had enveloped his facial features was anything but civil. Dick Grayson was usually a very rational individual, but his long history with this masked murderer was something that he could never forgive.
Even if this man sent the rest of the world into ruin, Nightwing was determined to take this man with it. To make matters worse, he had Starfire captive, and even he didn't want to think about what would happen to her if she wasn't rescued.
Slade cocked his head to the side for a second. Although the mask hid his facial features, the villain's excitement was evident. Unbeknownst to the young vigilante, his old nemesis had been looking forward to this battle just as much as he had, but for entirely different reasons. Taking in a breath, the masked villain began to move at a rather slow pace, taking a few steps to his right.
Nightwing had seen this game before, and immediately copied his opponent's paces to keep a certain distance between them. For a few moments, the two fighters continued to circle each other like predators waiting to strike… The battle had begun, and he wasn't sure if he could win.
MEANWHILE
Raven shook her head to clear her mind as her feet touched down on the hard tile floor. Looking up, the young sorceress noticed that she was back in the Watchtower cafeteria.
Beast Boy and Cyborg sat at a table a few feet away and both of them were staring at her in an interested fashion. Looking around, she realized that a few other people had been startled by her sudden entrance, and had turned from their business to stare. Ignoring their bewildered expressions, the young sorceress approached her two friends.
"We have a problem…" she stated, placing her hands on the table and leaning forward slightly as she spoke.
Cyborg raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Slow down Rae… What kinda problem are you talking about?"
"Yeah dude, I just sat down." Beast Boy added in, gesturing towards his still full tray of cafeteria food. "On top of that I had to place a special order to get the vegetarian meal."
The young sorceress fought the urge to roll her eyes, instead choosing to ignore his comment rather than acknowledge it. "I've got a feeling that Dick and Starfire are in trouble." She said, moving closer so that they would not attract any unwanted attention.
The green changeling folded his arms in a childish manner. "Are you absolutely sure?"
"No… but my sixth sense tells me that there's something really bad happening right now. I don't know about Nightwing, but Starfire's been gone for while. Do you find it weird that she went on a really simple mission yesterday, and never came back."
"Good point… I guess." Cyborg replied. "But even if you're right, there's still some problems here. How do we find them anyway? We don't have a clue where the hell they could be."
Beast Boy nodded vigorously in agreement. "Cyborg's got a point. I dunno how accurate your senses are, but I think it's worth looking into. The question is… How do we find them?"
Raven gave them a confident smile as she contemplated on how little they knew. "You forgot that I trained under Doctor Fate? I took some special precautions in case something like this ever happened."
The green shapeshifter shifted uncomfortably at the sight of Raven's smile. "All right, who are you and what have you done with Raven? What's with that smile and that positive attitude? It's kinda freaky to see you acting so optimistic in the face of danger."
"Just listen already!" she ordered in a slightly agitated tone. "Quit babbling so we can get going."
"How?" the pair asked in unison.
The young sorceress shook her head again. "I placed a tracking spell on each of you guys the last time the five of us were together. I did it so that I could instantaneously teleport myself to your position in case you ever needed help."
"Isn't that an invasion of privacy?" Beast Boy questioned, looking slightly confused. The question earned him some stern expressions from Raven and Cyborg, both of which were too involved with the current situation to listen.
"Forget about it… We should at least go to our friends in case they're in trouble." Cyborg interjected, looking rather serious for a change. "I believe that Raven could be right about this, and if she is then we have to be ready for the worst possible outcome." Beast Boy simply nodded in response as he stepped forward to stand beside Raven.
Placing a hand on their shoulders, Raven steered them out of the crowded cafeteria and into the empty hallway. Muttering a few words, the young sorceress rendered the three of them invisible.
"Hey, what's going on?" Beast Boy replied.
Raven tapped him on the shoulder to catch his attention. "You're within a barrier that makes you invisible as long as you're inside of it.
"Why are we invisible?" Cyborg asked.
"In case we run into dangerous situation when we use my locator spell, we can hide and plan a strategy while remaining undetected by the enemy." She answered. "So… you guys ready to go?"
The half robot hero smiled down at his old friends. "Count me in! What about you BB."
"You know it dude…" the green hero replied.
Raven smiled inwardly as she chanted the spell, and in a flash of light they were gone.
MEANWHILE
Thinking fast, Nightwing knew that he was in desperate need a plan. His early arrival had given him a chance to observe the battlefield, but there was one more thing that he had to take into consideration. From their past battles, he knew that Deathstroke was skilled at close range combat, and although he was not completely certain, it was possible that he could use this knowledge to his own advantage. If he was careful, the use of his birdarangs and grappling hook just might help him gain the upper hand in this battle.
Growing tired of the lack of activity, Nightwing made the first move. Leaping backward to avoid any retaliation, the young hero tossed a pair of birdarangs with amazing accuracy. The projectiles whizzed through the air at an alarming rate, but Slade was too fast to fall prey to the assault.
Using his inhuman agility, the evil genius swung his katana in a single fluid motion, effectively and effortless parrying both weapons. Disregarding the attempted attack, Slade bounded forward in an attempt to catch his opponent off guard. Sprinting towards his opponent at an alarming rate, the skilled assassin thrust his weapon forward in an attempt to skewer the young vigilante on the spot. His katana came inches from killing his opponent, but was blocked by the latter's metal fighting stick.
Luckily for him, Nightwing had anticipated the attack, and had drawn his own weapon as a precaution. The sound of metal weapons scraping together issued from the scene, but Slade had seen this coming and was the first one to recover from the stalemate. Increasing the amount of strength behind the attack, the masked villain begun to overpower his opponent.
The young hero tried to shove his opponent backwards, but Slade was obviously stronger than he was, and on top of that he was also the on with the upper hand. The masked villain was bearing down on him with incredible strength, and Nightwing knew that is he released his weapon in an attempt to escape the lock, he would be unarmed and that give his opponent an easy opening.
Leaning in closer, the masked madman spoke. "I had expected more from the likes of you, what a disappointment." He said, shoving his opponent backwards. "Perhaps your concern for the girl is dulling your edge… or perhaps you are really as weak as I remember."
Nightwing staggered slightly, cursing under his breath, but he did not allow the attack to catch him off guard. Using this small amount of time, he leapt backward a few meters and decided to try another approach. Reaching into his utility belt, the young hero drew out a fistful of birdarangs, which he immediately threw at his nemesis. Using the attack as a distraction, he leapt backwards again, creating more distance between them.
"What's the matter? I get the feeling that you aren't taking this battle seriously…" Slade replied, having easily parried the birdarangs with the side of his blade. "As a matter of fact, I have to say that so far I am thoroughly disappointed with your performance on the battlefield."
Nightwing scowled in anger, but said nothing in retaliation as he braced himself for the next attack.
Reaching into his own utility belt, Deathstroke withdrew a pair of laser pistols. Gripping one in each hand, he increased the energy level so that they would kill their target. Nightwing took a defensive stance, but the masked villain appeared to be unfazed by the gesture.
A clicking noise echoed through the night as the madman pointed his weapons at his young adversary, grinning behind his mask as he did so. "If you continue to distance yourself from me like a frightened child, then you have left me no choice. If you refuse to die like a hero… THEN DIE LIKE A BEAST!" Abandoning his calm tone, the masked murder's voice had risen to a savage bark. Pulling the triggers of his weapons, Deathstroke began his new assault.
Nightwing reacted quickly, darting around the laser blasts and diving behind objects as his opponent closed in on him. Running and jumping into the air, he barely managed to escape the deadly blasts. He knew that Slade was a dangerous fighter, but his old adversary rarely ever resorted to the use of such deadly weapons back in Jump City. Thinking quickly, the young hero came to a horrific conclusion… looking back now, it all made sense. Throughout the many battles that he had fought with this man, Slade had never once taken him seriously.
Slade laughed in a cruel manner as he watched his nemesis struggle, barely able to dodge. The onslaught continued for a few more seconds, but the masked villain had other plans. In a single fluid motion, he spun the laser pistols around between his fingers and placed them back into their holders.
The young hero glared up at his enemy in a defiant manner, his eyes narrowing dangerously. While his gaze remained as deadly as ever, his body had begun to show signs of fatigue. The young hero was not entirely sure what to think of the situation, but he could not deny that his opponent's sudden seize fire had brought to him a feeling of relief. If the onslaught had continued for a few more minutes, he probably would have died.
"Ah, I see you're as fiery as ever. Aren't you, Robin…" the masked man replied in a mocking tone.
While Nightwing said nothing in response, his glare deepened as he heard his opponent refer to him by his old title. Having recovered from the recent onslaught, the young hero took another fighting stance.
Slade simply nodded. "I see you understand now… You realize that you cannot possibly hope to defeat me by fleeing like a child. Tell me, are prepared to take this battle seriously now. If you do not… You and your little friend will die tonight."
"How do I even know that she's still alive?" Nightwing asked, narrowing his eyes in distrust. "Even if she was, I doubt you would just hand her over if I defeated you."
"I doubt my word means anything to the likes of you, but I assure you that your little friend is quite safe. Whether or not she remains as such is entirely up to you." Deathstroke replied in an emotionless tone.
"Then I'll win!" the young hero shouted. Springing forward like a beast, Nightwing thrust the end of his fighting rod towards his opponent.
Drawing his two swords with unnatural speed, the crafty villain crossed the blades of his weapons, effectively blocking the strike. For a few moments the two fighters stood across from each other, their weapons trapped in a dead lock. Slade simply smiled at his opponent's surprised reaction, having expected an aggressive attack from Nightwing. Exerting his strength upward, the masked villain shoved his opponent backwards in an effortless manner, following up with a powerful kick. The blow struck quickly, sending the former boy wonder flying backwards.
Thinking fast, the young vigilante placed his arms in front of his chest in a defensive manner, using his stance to block the attack. While the kick had sent him backwards several feet, he was relatively unharmed by the sudden assault. Placing his weapon back into his utility belt, the former sidekick took another fighting stance.
"If you prefer…" Slade replied, giving his young opponent a quick nod. The masked villain brought his weapons up over his head, twirling his swords between his fingers like batons before sheathing them. "Now… shall we continue?"
"Lets…" he replied, glaring at his opponent for a few seconds. Pouncing forward like an angry beast, Nightwing unleashed his assault on his opponent, placing all of his focus into a quick volley of kicks and punches.
Slade took a step to the side to avoid the main strike, weaving to the left and right as he moved backwards away from his opponent. Watching Nightwing's movements, the masked villain begun to see openings in his opponents stance. An evil grin began to form beneath his mask as he quickly began formulating ways to thwart every one of his enemy's moves. Sure he knew that he could end it now if he wanted to… but where would the fun be in that?
Seizing his chance, the masked killer took the opening that his opponent had left and began to counterattack. Bending backwards with incredible flexibility, the masked villain thrust his leg upward, landing a powerful kick to Nightwing's jaw. The hero let out a cry of pain, stumbling backwards like a drunk. Flipping his body into an upright position, Deathstroke aimed a volley of punches.
Nightwing swayed around like a twig in the wind, barely able to dodge his opponent's deadly assault. Thinking quickly, he began flipping backwards away from his enemy, following up his move by drawing his fighting staff. " I was hoping that it would not have to come to this… but you leave me no choice." A large blade extended out of the end of his staff as he pressed the button on the side of his weapon.
"Impressive… Slade replied in a mocking tone. "but do you have the courage to use it on me?"
"I do… for all the lives you've ruined… for all of the people you've killed… this ends here." Dashing forward like a madman, the young hero withdrew a fistful of birdarangs from his utility belt, tossed them at his opponent.
"It won't do you any good…" Slade casually replied. Drawing out his sword, he effortlessly parried each consecutive birdarang. Having used his volley of projectiles as a distraction, the young hero lifted the staff and began spinning his weapon in a circular motion, bringing it down on his opponent's head like a lance.
The villain's eyes widened with visible shock as he realized his mistake. There was no denying that he had left himself wide open just there, but that didn't mean that he was going to lose this fight. Pulling himself backwards, the masked villain barely managed to avoid the oncoming attack. The blade sliced through the air, grazing the front of Slade's mask as it did so.
The attack did not come without a price, because in charging forward like that, Nightwing too had left himself wide open. Thrusting his fist forward, the masked murderer had taken advantage of the situation and had landed a powerful punch directly in his opponent's stomach.
Nightwing fell through the air, barely managing to land on his feet. Using his staff for support, the young hero couldn't help but clutch his side in pain.
"You have improved considerably since our last battle… I guess that counts as a scratch." Deathstroke replied in an unpleasant tone. "I must have miscalculated just now…"
The young hero turned to face his enemy, but his eyes widened in curiosity at what he saw next. The trademark mask that Dick Grayson had seen so many times now lay in two pieces on the ground next to his feet, and across from him stood the fully unmasked man who had caused so much misery. Slade Wilson's face was heavily scarred, and he wore a black eye patch over his right eye. An unpleasant grin lit the man's features as the wind shifted through his tangled white hair, and although there was nothing particularly hideous about his face, the villain's features radiated a sense of bloodlust and battle.
"At last you see my true face…" the villain replied, looking completely indifferent to the situation. "Pity that you were never once able to unmask me back in Jump City… but it never would have mattered either way. You know that I had never tried to hide my identity. I have and always will be… Slade Wilson."
"And you say that with such pride…" Nightwing hissed, glaring at his enemy. "You were never scared of anyone learning who you were, because you were a murderer and nothing more."
The villain shrugged in a mocking fashion at his opponent's comment. "Ah, how little you understand… I regret nothing."
"BASTARD!" Nightwing shouted, charging forward with his weapon poised to kill.
Slade simply let out a small sigh as he called upon the power of the Trigems, which rested within his utility belt. A wall of fire surrounded his body, effectively shielding him from any harm. "I was hoping for a decent fight, but I grow tired of your futile efforts. At your level, you would've died anyway, but as an act of my mercy I grant you a quick death."
Nightwing gasped in terror as the wall of fire engulfed his body. Closing his eyes, the young vigilante prepared to die, but the attack never came. Opening his eyes the young vigilante realized that the dark fires were no longer closing in around his body. Looking up, he saw Raven floating in the air above him.
"Need some help?" she asked, looking down at the battlefield. Nightwing nodded in response to her question, breathing a sigh of relief as the young sorceress joined the fight.
NOTE TO READERS: I don't know if anyone still cars, but I'm still here writing the story. The writer's block is finally gone, and I think I can pull this story to the end. Please review my story… ideas are welcome too. I know it's not really a romance fanfiction, but I was hoping that some people could diverge from that genre at least once and a while.