Chapter 50: Sibling Rivalry

"Why?"

After the little revelation ten minutes ago, Slade had demanded that he and Joe be left alone to talk in private. Despite having taken out a significant amount of their men and holding his second-in-command hostage, Joe had obliged. It was his father after all.

"Why what?" Joe asked bitterly. "Why did I leave the Jackals? Why did I leave ASIS?"

"Yes - to all of them!" Slade answered, angry and worried. "I left so you could be safe! I gave up my freedom so you could have yours, and this - all of this, is hardly what I expected from you. A mercenary-for-hire, Joe? What were you thinking?"

Joe crossed his arms, untouched. "After that bitch took you away from me, ASIS all but abandoned me. Rather than take it up with the US government over what she did, they instead swept everything under the rug and put a gag order on me. After all the years of service you and I put in, they threw us away, tossed us aside. So, I was thinking I was returning the favor."

"ASIS didn't like that of course, but I managed to hide both mine and Grant's whereabouts from them. Considering you're here, however, I guess it wasn't well enough."

Joe eyed his father up and down. "So, tell me, how'd you get out from under that bitch's thumb?"

Slade gazed at his son unreadably before sighing, his posture slouching. He looked as if he had aged decades with those simple gestures. "I didn't. At least, not completely."

Joe narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"I was a member of Task Force X - her personal black-ops team of criminals, all kept in line with an exploding chip in the back of their head. Defy her and your brains will be splattered on the floor the next second. For four years I was under her employ, until a friend of mine clued me in on an opportunity to escape, and helped get the chip out of me. I left, but only managed as far as Starling before she caught up to me again."

"So, you have the chip back in you again." Joe surmised.

Slade shook his head. "No. When Amanda found me, she found me with a new, far more effective leash."

Joe stared at his father in confusion, before the realization dawned on him. "Those kids you found on the island."

"Yes."

While Slade had not told his son all the details of what happened on Lian Yu, he had told him enough. Joe was aware of the existences of Oliver, Barry, Kara, and Kal, along with his father's romance with Shado, but he was not clued in on the specifics. Particularly the bit about the latter two being aliens from space; Slade did not believe he could tell his son any of this without being called crazy in return. The Mirakuru had already stretched Joe's suspension of disbelief far enough.

"The only reason I tried to escape is because I heard you and Grant were no longer under her surveillance. Unfortunately, Amanda had already done her research on me, and had located the kids after they were finally rescued from the island. She knew I would go to them first, and banked on that to catch me, and make me aware that she knew who they were and where they lived. It was essentially you and Grant all over again."

Joe frowned, one of his hands fisting together. "If that's the case, then why are you here? I'll just be another hostage against you."

"Because I was worried, Joe." Slade replied wearily. "Amanda may be the devil incarnate, but she isn't completely inured to gratitude. She already has four hostages nearby to keep me in-line - adding you in would be completely pointless to do. So, in return for some more… unsavory jobs, she gave me information on your brother's and yours' possible whereabouts. Considering Grant is living blissfully and happily away from all this, I left him alone. You, however, are another matter."

"So, answer me, son - why the Jackals?"

Joe clicked his teeth. "Originally, I started the Jackals to get enough capital to stage a rescue attempt for you." He admitted. "Storming a secret U.S. government agency to rescue one man isn't cheap, you know."

Slade held out his arms. "That's no longer necessary any more, as you can see."

"Oh, but it is, father." Joe retorted, seething. "That bitch separated our family. She's keeping you as her personal attack dog. We may no longer need to rescue you, but that doesn't mean we're done. Amanda Waller… needs to die."

Kara kept one ear on Slade and Joe's argument as she started snooping around the Jackals' base. Thanks to her powers and training, she had been able to avoid detection this far; however, she knew the longer she kept at it, the more likely it was that someone would find her. She only hoped that Slade managed to get out before she was spotted.

Sneaking into another room, she hid behind some nearby crates when she spotted a couple of the mercenaries overlooking some documents. On the wall behind them, she spotted a map, where there were some specific places marked. Using her supervision, she zeroed onto the map, memorizing it; she'd have to compare it to a more distinct map of Kasnia once she and Slade were out of here.

Listening in on the conversation again, she scowled at the words exchanged.

"Boss, it's time."

"Very well, Nylander."

"Wait, where are you going? Joe!"

"There's no point in you being here anymore, father. I'm not leaving with you."

She could hear Slade scowl. "Fine, then, if that's how you're going to be, then I'll just leave!" She heard a door slammed, and knew it was time for her to go.

"I never should have left him alone." Slade grumbled as he and Kara lounged around in their hotel room. Kal, far past his bedtime, was already asleep in the other bed, his soft snores one of the few comforts of the ever-growing tension in his adoptive father's body.

Kara paid Slade no mind, instead taking out her laptop. She had pulled up an image of Kasnia's map, and was now transcribing the one she had seen in the Jackals' base for comparison.

"I know leaving was the best option at the time, but I should've just escaped the first chance I got instead of waiting for Maseo to give me the okay. Maybe if I had, he would've listened to reason." Slade laughed bitterly. "I really am a shit father. You four end up in the League of Assassins, while my oldest son becomes a crime lord. It really says a lot that the only child of mine to have a normal life was the one who never had a chance to meet me."

"Slade, don't." Kara spoke up, lifting her head. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Blame yourself." Kara responded. "I know for a fact that it doesn't help. Everything you did was to protect Joe, it isn't your fault that he's become what he is. He had a choice, and he made it, and while we both know it was the wrong one, you can't blame him for why he chose it. If there's anyone to blame, it's Amanda for putting us in this situation in the first place."

"Comforting words, Kara." Slade smiled bittersweetly at her. "I just wish I could believe them."

Kara sighed and looked back down at the map she was drawing. Her eyes quickly widened, and she looked back at the map on the laptop for confirmation. Slade, seeing her distress, sat up.

"What's wrong?"

Kara didn't answer, instead quickly going to her bag and taking out a long, sheathed katana, strapping it to her back. She began tying up her hair, making sure it kept out of her eyes.

Now Slade was really beginning to worry. "Kara."

"We need to go now, Slade." Kara finally told him, eyes serious. "Joe is about to do something that we're all going to regret."

"I'll go after Joe!" Slade called up to a flying Kara as he directed his motorcycle towards a different road. "You deal with the mercenaries!"

Kara nodded. Despite the situation, Supergirl still could not be seen in Kasnia without reason - so she was instead dressed in a tight black shirt and pants, made of reflective League armor. It allowed her to blend into the night sky; the only way anyone would be able to see her is if they shined a direct light on her. The lower half of her face was hidden beneath her usual veil, and her hair under the usual hood, keeping any distinguishing physical traits away from curious eyes.

As her adoptive father drove out of sight, Kara descended from the sky, landing on a tall metal ridge, out of sight. She crouched down, using the thermal aspect of her enhanced vision to spot the Jackals. Quickly, she found a large congregation of heat signatures in one of the buildings nearby. Switching to x-ray, she recognized them as the Jackals. Joe seemed to be directing Nylander to do something, judging by how the man led the rest of the pack outside with the equipment. Once they were gone, she saw Slade make his entrance, and knew it was time for her to act.

She descended from her position, using her super speed to move faster but only so much to keep the sounds of her movement silent. Once Nylander and his group were in the vicinity, she pounced.

Grabbing the first Jackal member, Kara spun him around and punched him right across the face, before kicking him forward to allow his body to take the bullets that were now being shot at her. She dropped to the floor, and, leaping forward towards another group, used her right arm as pivot and swung her legs around, knocking them to the ground.

As they were groaning in pain, Kara jumped it, grabbing the arm of another member and directing his gun to shoot at his companions before directing it upwards to shoot him in the head. She then used his body as another meat shield, as she grabbed the handle of the katana on her back and drew the blade outward.

After that, it was a slaughter. Kara cut down man after man, taking out members of the Jackals as she danced around bullets and blades alike. Eventually, the dance ended, and there was only one man left to deal with: Nylander. Snake that he was, he tried to flee, only to be quickly knocked out before he could react, via Kara driving the butt of the handle of her weapon into his solar plexus and then giving him a hard punch to the face.

She quickly tied the sole living member of the Jackals up as she refocused her enhanced hearing back on Slade. After a bit of sifting, she could hear the tell-tale striking of blades, and flew over to aid her adoptive father in his fight.

"Taking out a power plant? Depriving hundreds of thousands of water, condemning half the country to death? What were you thinking, Joe?" Slade demanded, pointing one of his blades at his now disarmed son. "What makes you think that your revenge is worth the lives of so many innocents!?"

"Oh, like you've done any different! Have you forgotten about Milford Sound?" Joe screamed back.

Slade's sword lowered slightly at that, his grip slacking as he looked at his son in shock. "You saw that?"

"Yes." Joe hissed. "I saw it. Don't you dare say you have the high ground on me! You're as every bit as ruthless as I am!" He lunged, and Slade, being too distracted, was unable to stop his son from knocking the blade out of his grip. Joe grabbed it for himself, and pointed it directly at Slade.

With Mirakuru, Slade could easily disarm him and end this fight already. But his mind, clouded by everything that happened, was blank. He couldn't think straight - all he could think of was how he had turned his son into a monster.

"Mother didn't want Grant in this world, which is why she took him away. Me, however? She didn't bother. She knew that I was too much like you, so she left me on my own."

"Six months after that camping trip, I made my first kill." Joe continued, uncaring of the pain his words were causing his father. "I slit his throat, just like you did. Because you were all I ever wanted to be."

Slade stared at his son, and then shook his head. "I'm not that person, Joe. Maybe I was, once, but not anymore."

Joe curled his lip, snarling. He pulled the sword back, looking to swing. "Then you're not my father anymore. Just in my way!"

The blade descended, and Slade closed his eyes, preparing for the pain. It wouldn't kill him - the Mirakuru would make sure of that - but it would certainly leave a nasty scar that would remind him of this day.

At least, until he heard a loud clang!. Slade opened his eyes to see Kara blocking Joe's sword with her own, the metal sliding against each other and giving off a very unpleasant, piercing sound. If the situation hadn't been so dire, he would've winced and bemoaned his Mirakuru-enhanced senses.

Kara kicked Joe right in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards. He righted himself using the railing of the platform they were all on, and glared at the intruder.

"You. You're the girl that Nylander saw with him earlier today, aren't you." Joe growled. "The one Slade called his daughter."

"Yes." Kara affirmed. "Forgive me for hiding my face, but let's just say I'm a very cautious person and leave it at that."

"Kara…" Slade said, at a loss.

"Kara? I see, you were one of the little baubles he collected while he was stuck on that island. A fixture of the fantasy family he made for himself when he couldn't bother look for his real family." Joe scoffed.

The next second, he had to block a strike from a furious Kara. He gritted his teeth as he tried to hold her back. She was unnaturally strong.

"Insult me all you want, but don't you dare insult our father or trivialize what we went through in that hellhole." Kara hissed out.

"No, don't fight!" Slade called out, finally getting a hold of himself. He moved to intervene, but a gunshot stopped him. Joe had taken out one of the guns on his person and aimed it directly at his disowned father.

"Don't interfere." He pushed against Kara, finally breaking the lock. "If your daughter wants to die so badly, let her. She's clearly old enough to make her own choices." And with that, he swung.

Kara countered, and soon the clash of blades began again. Slade watched silently as two of his children did battle. Once again, he felt helpless; for all the power the Mirakuru afforded him, it failed to do anything meaningful when it truly mattered, like now.

Neither of his children payed him in any mind. Instead, they were absorbed in their own battle. Kara dodged a particularly harsh stab and slammed her own blade down, once again locking her and Joe together. They struggled briefly, with Kara tapping into just enough strength to overwhelm Joe and loosen the grip he had on his handle. Acting quickly, she grabbed his wrist and flipped him over, before stepping inside and forcing his arm between her legs. With a twist, she snapped his arm, breaking it. Joe shouted out in pain, grabbing his now useless appendage.

Thankfully for him, a swift kick to the head knocked him into blissful unconsciousness.

"I've called Amanda." Kara announced as Slade loaded the last of the Jackals - Joe himself - into the truck. "She's sending in a plane now to pick us up. All of us."

"Will she be taking custody of the Jackals?" Slade asked tonelessly.

"Nylander and whatever lackeys are left, yes." Kara nodded. She hesitated with the next bit. "Joe is another matter."

Slade snorted. "You'd think she'd want another soldier to do her bidding. Joe would make a very effective one."

Kara crossed her arms and sighed. "Indeed, he would. The problem is that his life's goal - as far we're aware - is to kill her. That makes him a liability."

"We all want to kill her." Slade pointed out. "Everyone in A.R.G.U.S. hates her, and she's their director."

"That may be, but there's a difference: as much as everyone hates her, they all still value their lives over killing her. It's why no one on Task Force X has made an attempt over the years." Kara reasoned. "Joe is a different matter. It's clear he doesn't care if he dies, as long as she dies with him. Why else would he bother doing all of this? With Joe disowning you, Grant is the only possible leverage she would have over him, and she knows that killing Grant would put us all against her. She may have us on a leash, but that leash has a very slippery grip."

"Then where are we going to put him if A.R.G.U.S. won't take him? No normal prison is going to be able to hold him. The only other organization I can think of is the League."

Kara shook her head rapidly. "No way. The League does not take prisoners, only recruits, and there's no way they'll accept Joe as one, even if Oliver, Barry, and myself all vouched for him. Trying to murder half a country just for the sake of money and revenge goes against League principles, and after Al Sa-Her, the League will not take these offenses lightly. They'd sooner kill Joe than recruit him."

Slade sighed. "Then ASIS will have to do. I have contacts and connections, and they'll do their best to keep him under lock and key." He looked at her, a little pleadingly. "Can you and Kal come with?"

Kara smiled comfortingly at him, placing a hand on his arm. "Sure."

As they watched A.R.G.U.S. operatives load the Jackals into the plane, Kal-El grabbed Slade's hand. His adoptive father looked down at him in confusion. "I'm sorry this didn't turn out the way you wanted to, Papa."

Slade smiled tiredly. "It's alright, Kal. Your sister warned me this might happen, and I should've heeded it better."

Kal looked towards the plane, where Joe Wilson was being escorted in by a very large number of guards. "Are you really going to send him to jail?"

"I have to. He's too dangerous to be left on his own." Slade closed his eyes. "I just hope that one day, he'll forgive me for it."

Kara, having heard the entire exchange, simply grabbed Slade's other hand. The three kept close as they entered the plane together. It was time to go home.

New chapter! This finishes the Deathstroke arc for now, though this will not be the last time you'll see Joe Wilson, that much I can assure you.

In other news, I've finally finished planning out Arc III! If all goes according to plan, the last chapter of Arc III will be Chapter 63, after which we will move into Arc IV. I won't spoil much, but let's just say people will be surprised this arc - on both sides of the fourth wall.

Now, for some more news. After some deliberation with my beta, Kara Smoak, I've decided I'm going to be holding a contest. After finals finish next week, I'm going to be updating this story much more often, so this is the best time to do it.

Now, this is a FANART competition.

The Prompt: Draw your favorite scene of To Hell and Back. Any scene. You can have as many entries as you like.

Dates: From the day this chapter is posted to the day the last chapter of this arc (Chapter 63) is posted, you may submit something.

Submitting: Submit your drawings to the story's official blog on Tumblr (the link can be found in the first chapter beneath the chapter summary on the AO3 version). If that is not feasible, then simply post it to your preferred image-hosting platform and send me the link via messaging on either AO3 or FFN.

Winning: There are three ways to win.

1. Author's choice. Whatever piece I favor the most.

2. Beta's choice. Whatever piece Kara Smoak, my beta, favors the most.

3. Fan's choice. I will put up a poll (either on FFN or Tumblr) and have all the readers vote via that.

Prizes:

1. For the fan that wins #1 (my choice), your piece will be the cover page for FFN, the first chapter of AO3, and the TV Tropes page!

2. For the fan that wins #2 (beta's choice), your piece will be the background image of the Tumblr blog, which is scarily bare.

3. For the fan that wins #3 (fan's choice), your piece will be inserted into the first chapter of Arc IV.

That's it for now. Don't be afraid to ask questions (preferably via review or commenting). If this contest does well (as in, gets a lot of submissions), I will consider doing a second one down the line.

Criticism is welcome! Flames will be ignored! Don't forget to update the TV Tropes page!