63 Months After the Destruction of National City

"Why me?"

"Because you're one of the few people who can pull this off." Alex crossed her arms over her chest. "And I need someone they won't see coming...someone who can fly under the radar. Someone who isn't me."

Slade chuckled. "I image you're at the top of their most wanted list."

Slade Wilson. Deathstroke. Former assassin for hire. The deadliest man on planet Earth. Or at least, he had been until the Regime took over. The moment Supergirl started declaring war on conflict across the planet, the market for mercenaries dried up and Slade had been forced into retirement. Not that he was doing bad for himself. Alex had been keeping tabs on Slade since the beginning, one of the loose ends Oliver told her was worth watching out for, a potential ally if ever they needed him. Slade was holed up in a multi-million dollar mansion in Bali, drinking half-century old scotch by the bottle.

"What makes you think I give a damn about the Regime?" Slade asked, leaning back in his chair.

Alex could tell that retirement didn't suit him.

"You can't want to live in a world like this," Alex answered. She weighed her next words carefully before speaking, knowing that if she pissed Slade off she wouldn't be leaving Bali alive. "And Supergirl killed Oliver, I know you cared for him like a brother. Now's your chance to get even."

The assassin got up from his sun chair, tipping out the glass of scotch he had been holding, the amber liquid spilling unceremoniously onto the ground. "What's the job?" Slade grimaced.

"Breaking into the Regime armoury to retrieve a Mother Box. We can get you in but getting out will be up to you."

"A suicide mission." Slade smiled. "Sounds like fun."

XXX

"They captured Deathstroke," Lex spoke as he walked into the command room of the Insurgency HQ. "Holt just confirmed it."

"Do they have any idea why he was there?" Alex asked, not turning her attention from the computer in front of her.

"He's not talking." Lex answered.

Alex grinned. "He won't."

She had been right to trust Slade. Everything in her had warned against it at first, even with the assurance Oliver had once given her. The world had changed. Criminals were easier for her to trust than the heroes she had once fought side by side with. Alex pinched the bridge of her nose, scrunching her eyes up as she tried to put the thoughts of just how much the world had changed out of her mind.

"He failed to retrieve the device." Lex walked up behind Alex, looking at the screen. "Wait, is that—"

"A full 3-D schematic of a Mother Box? Yes."

"Deathstroke digitally mapped it and sent it to you?"

"He knew he wasn't going to be able to make it out of there, so he did what he had to do." Alex looked over the plans for what felt like the hundredth time. "Question is, can we use it to build our machine?"

"Absolutely."