Long Live the King – Deathstroke's Forced Descent into Villainy
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Chapter 10: Guess Who's Knockin' at My Door?
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Timed at exactly ten pm, Slade wasn't stuck in his thoughts. Rather, a fairly pointless argument was about to begin.
He had to be quick, smooth. He was a mastermind, a master liar. A thief to ones' attention.
Even the infamous Bruce Wayne on his computer screen couldn't push Slade Wilson out of the board room – Well, one damned time.
Finally, just there…
~ I stood back enough to know, Wilson. ~ Brooding, the playboy wasted no time coming on as angry. And as annoyed by the stunt his ward's team had pulled under the boy's watch, he lashed out with yet another threat, and another...
Slade stood with his hands clasped behind his back, face to the largest screens in front of him. "If my actions scare you so much, Mr. Wayne, then why don't you tell the boy and his Titans to pull out of the game we're currently playing –
~ Endangering lives the way YOU DID on top of that building isn't just "playing," Slade…~
"The kids acted out to get in my way, I told you before," Slade huffed. "If they try to stop me, I'll not hold back. Your partner isn't equipped to face me, yet."
~ And that's not up to you. ~ Grunted the bat.
"Or you, playboy…" Slade sneered, earning a growl from the hero's lips.
~ Stop trying to take out the Titans; whatever you're being offered –
Slade barked out a cruel, almost to Batman, evil little laugh. A short one, mockingly. " Ha! Did you think this was a contract? Why do you think I've left my old position to pursue this one? I want to get what I want, and what I want, Bruce…is a legacy of my own…"
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Bruce shook his head disapprovingly, then after his brief pause, he spoke.
~ Go back to Metropolis. If you continue to plague the Titans…I'll have to step in. ~
"You can't." Slade shrugged. "If you did, a dozen of my former relations would tear apart the Justice League bit by bit..." Slade's eye narrowed at the screen. "Including, myself. And… I'm not powerless to keep out of the way. This isn't a crime, yet. And besides…" Slade turned to the second screen; the Titans asleep, and some still up with their plans for tomorrow's events.
"The heroes knew this wouldn't be an easy job. If you take that from the boy, you're no better than a jailer to the child you let come to this city. MY city, Batman. They, are just visitors, until I say otherwise."
~ Slade! You… -
"Good morning, to you…Dark Knight." Slade smirked at the frazzled hero, reaching for the button to shut up the big bad baby – man bat. "Catch you on the fly."
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Gotham was closer to New York, and Slade with the Titans were on the West coast. The times may have differed, but not their attitudes towards what Slade was still hoping to accomplish in his new role as Crime lord of Jump City.
He wasn't some thug; he was a thinker. An inventor. The bat would be livid. He WAS the boy wonder's….
Slade rubbed his chin and looked into the mirror right above his dresser. He had to sleep sometime, and tomorrow would be a great trouble for his large brain to manage a dozen subjects.
The newly unveiled device at Ingenico labs was a piece he wanted and so, he would make sure to go after his prize. Right before another landed squarely in his lap. Or, came crawling back to his lair door.
Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough as he laid down and dreamed of Joey's last birthday party with his parents and brother.
That was, until later his communicator by his bedside table, rang out violently to rattle in both of his ears.
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"I. Do Not Know… No! I have no damned idea…" Slade shuffled to get himself a cup of tea or water in the next room's kitchenette. He whined out the last No, a bit anxiously. This was a pain and the caller was very aware of how much they were administering onto their latest target.
"I am serious, I didn –
He groaned and ran a hand through his scruffy beard combo. "I'm serious, Addie. I have not seen our son since the divorce papers were finalized."
~Then why isn't he in the school I enrolled him in?? Why did he idolize you at day one, Slade!? Joey is, thank God, in better hands than we could have been if –
"I left, didn't I? My lies mean nothing I –
~Bull! You …. You left us and decided to keep trying to fight…. Now my baby, Grant is out there doing God knows what…. I…I need you to do what you do and IF so god help me you find him on one of your damned missions, you report or I will come back to shoot your OTHER, eye out….! ~
Slade sat at the kitchen table, at a loss for words. Grant was her first born, Slade's little soldier and she…She believed he wanted to become a killer just like that??
"I will, not because you told me to, but because Grant is my –
~ He's not your kid as far as I can see…I don't even want you to blink in his direction. See him, post it to me or there will be hell to pay. I won't back down, Slade.~ She snared him like his wild self had a choice BUT to listen and stay put. Her demands still kept him silenced, all this time…
Witch, temptress. It was a curse of love's deadly poison at his throat, making him still. All that gusto at the Bat? He wasn't certain Bruce could outwork that lip of his enemy's wife's. He nodded at her, blushing no more as they had in their platoon. She wasn't to be tested. Adeline Kane was the one you didn't make a bribe with and live to tell it.
"I understand."
~Do you? Because anymore lies Slade Wilson, to your family…and I won't hesitate to take you out myself. ~
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The clock ticked to midnight. Slade was still up, asking himself if he should sleep in and recover before his final assault on the pesky Titans. By two, he'd made up his mind to skip a day and work when he was ready in a few hours on the haunt for his new arrangements. He had some cat burglaring to do in the Pm, by that night and not out of Jump, but Central city.
Ingenico had caught onto the controversy and had moved their money maker toy to S.T.A.R labs, since they were in affiliation with the mid west's tech group.
The unofficial C.E.O of the group was a Barry Allen, who'd come across that hefty deed by some freak incident within his circle. (Using the Dc live action verse to make this interesting.) However, he wasn't very goo, no better at his job than Green Arrow in Star city for the years they'd fought toe to toe.
As Slade recalled, his last fake eye was still throbbing to put a bullet between Ollie's two green.
First thing was first; he called up Wintergreen to get him in by vehicle, and then he'd fly out to get his goodie bag.
Though, who he'd meet besides the speedster, it just wasn't his week at all. (Quoting on Epilogue Story arc when we flashback to Wally helping Jinx and Kid Flash and his mentor facing Slade who is at S.T.A.R labs to steal the probe tech. He's that into the game now, but what comes after?
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Central City; August.
Flash, had hit rock bottom against –
Well, he wasn't alone. We can tell you that much.
Mystic havoc would have been fair, but facing off against someone out to steal secrets from S.T.A.R labs?
A really bad omen, and Wally had to be a part of the fight.
Well, it wasn't against one off their CC villains, but the big leaguers' players from back in the day. Even Green Arrow had beef with the killer without a prayer.
One of the best.
And one of the most elusive; on a midnight stroll was a long android, hoping to score itself a shine new toy.
Perfect to cover its tracks, because it was only supposed to be a drone working for the real boss in the shadows.
The gash in the secure wall was totaled. Stolen tech; it was supposed to be a simple job. He'd not forgotten to get toe to toe with the real avenger in question, but our rogue assassin knows how to put on a show and leave in the same hour. His bots created the allure of disillusionment in the crossfire – but with their trinkets and claws, he'd have a lot of regrets at the damage they'd let litter the grounds of Allen's inferior laboratory.
At the door and out again., all in the same night.
The Flash was no exception. He would put the man's lights out. Make him stop before catching that green light. First? The assassin scanned the hall from a large enough air duct. No need to breathe in the chemical fumes. Scientists or no, he had a lot to keep to. The clock was ticking.
Disarm the security in this shit –hole factory. GET OUT. Easy, for one man on a mission, anyway.
And the bots had him covered. One – hundred and ten percent.
The alarms blared, someone had –
"We don't take well to trespassers after dark."
That voice… Shit.
He scrambled and decided to smoke his way to the room where the device was being kept.
Right next door, was the industry sister site Ingenico; which had a hold on the chairman's head. Only the killer in his prime had seen what they'd wanted kept secret.
He wanted it, so he'd snatch up the device.
Tonight. No questions.
Only thing was…The mini – flash was, a pest. He had to be ruptured before midnight. At least.
The smoke ball spilled out and countless pellets let the hall become a waking dust bowl. Flash cleared it up quick as lightening, and had his comrade take the edge off. They went for the vents, so the killer did have a plan – but it was a risk. As usual, this mystery man had called in some back up.
Robots. Commanded, like the army officers they were not. Of chrome and titanium. Masks in shadow on each of their brutally dishonest little faces.
Down the next hall, up a flight…. six feet up, apparently.
He rushed and kicked the grates off.
There.
"Gone so soon?"
~ Flash…. Damn! ~ Slade clicked his tongue coldly at the annoying ass, of a heroic member to the JLA.
"I do appreciate the warm reception, but I won't be long." The man fell from the ducts gracefully, to land in a light – footed crouch away from the vents. "Your security is shit." He dusted off his arms in disgust. "I'm surprised you've managed to stay aloft for this long. Humph. No matter; you're going to hand over the device to me, and back away. I have other work to do, in other cities." He held out a staff that could break Flash's powers to bit, shocking to say the least.
"Deathstroke." Flash squinted and got into his more offensive stance. "You've looked better. Low on funding for that criminal empire you shot back at Green Arrow about, last year? Any luck duking it out and getting your face spat on by the worst crooks in Bludhaven? I'd liked to have seen you try to get your world domination "kicks" of the ground." Chuckled the blonde not – so – rich- millionaire of S.T.A.R labs.
Slade cocked his head at the light swing to his ego; even a good boy could go south, interesting.
He wasn't being fair, but then again. Your enemy's weakness was your greatest strength. Barry was a good guy, but a lovable b-r-a-t. Then again, so was Oliver Queen. Slade wasn't glad to get such a reception from either tightwad kid. Not in this get - up he'd donned today.
He knew them, he had fought every member of the JLA since his first full – length debut. Slade Wilson. They knew him, but he'd not wished to remain so old fashioned as to pass his name around the war tent.
"I got a new job; I'm finally my own boss." He spread his hands out, as if inviting the man into his world.
" No need to look so stunned. You work for yourself too, right?" Slade stepped a bit closer to the stunning marvel. "A, what was it again?" He rubbed his chin to think. "Ah, a Nano – bot control device - one for the sake of curing even cancer…How cruel of you, doctor…" He shook his head, his staff in hand, slipping back only a mere half inch from his prey.
The searing, shocking type of staff wanted action, he'd have it. Patience….
"The ones who will have the chance to benefit, can afford to keep you. But those who'll simply suffer?" Slade's eye changed. He looked more tiger than wild man in his new suit. Very intimidating, Barry noted by the new façade of a criminal Slade had slipped into overnight.
"You may want to work towards finalizing a plan towards universal healthcare, in the near future." He hissed, smirking under the mask. A new one; not as cloth but metal. As grim as it always had been. Only, his one eye was masked a bit better.
Barry huffed. "The device is a prototype and is strictly off limits. If you think that thing will get you off of Santa's naughty list…Well, think again."
They came at one another, talk was cheap. Slade got ready to show Flash that he wasn't willing to sully this new opportunity.
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of ever trying!" Slade made his comeback, and sent the Flash back a few steps in only two, indirect hits.
"I'm too good at what I do. Your partner had better watch his back… –
"Leave Kid Flash out of your demented, comments section, Slade!" Flash noticed it too; Deathstroke had his Ikon tech or Nth metal suit on. It was hard to tell in the poorly lit room at midnight what shields he had up.
His suit had next to no red, only black and grey, besides the mask. Black and red... Yet the metal he wore had such little sheen to it.
As if he'd rather remain in shadow…
This… was a bad move.
Barry saw Slade chuck out a bomb to stick right onto the wall behind himself. The streets down below would not carry the device well. Did he have another means of escape? Was the wall that hollow -
"Oh, speaking of bombs; your partner has never faced my drones, hand –to - hand before, has he? New suit, better detection…. I think you should reconsider my recent threat –
"What threat?" Barry dumbly asked the man. He seemed delighted to monologue tonight, a new mask and a new persona to battle the odds. What came next, had Barry wishing he could fly.
"Glad you could ask. The bots." Slade motioned to the wall and with a detonator's sound BIP* it blasted through, leaving a gaping hole where a copter and bots piloting it, were waiting to pick up their sinful leader and creator. Rubble fell through the cracks as it made a clean mark. Not much damage for the company, but still a powerful blast had shattered Barry's expectations of what this man was still capable of committing to. He took on a job, got it done before the any loose ends could be tied.
One of the best in his field, now a thief and a crime lord… apparently.
"The ones he's bound to face right now, are set to detonate. Just like this wall." Barry went ridged with rage.
"If you let me go with my prize, I'll give you a ten second head start before my own crew is left to the same wreckage with your young, side – kick." He narrowed his eyes at that title. Oh, when would they learn not to stick their noses into other people's businesses?
Those darn heroes had it coming.
As did their blind followers.
"I can't stop you, but we will not see the last of one another. Count on it, Deathstroke –
"Call me Slade." The man seemed to appreciate that promise, keeping word that he would finish that hit on the league's finest, if given enough in payment to do so...
"The new teen heroes in Jump seem not to mind saying my name to the heavens, so do spread the word." He went; taking his leave, and had two of his bots from the copter tug the device and all of its pieces - the data and all, from the mount.
What was he going to do? Create a world wide, human casualty? A mass hysteria boom? What could he possibly do, was the question, as its contents tumbled around Barry's mind and he fled with Slade keeping his word.
Flash flew after the room that Ollie had been cooped up in – the bots were…A kid's blood on his hands? Neither of them could live it down. It wasn't his time, yet. Slade took what he wanted and left the bots to fizzle as Kid chucked them away, finding that Flash had lost the perp. For now.
"What?" KF frowned up at his mentor and uncle. "Did you get him?"
The circuits to these devil – androids had been fried. Any attempts to trace their signal back to the hive, had been lost. Slade had kept his word, but for how long would he hold to those same old morals before the power corrupted him, absolutely?
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