Slade Wilson was bad news.
Really bad news.
He was cynical and sly.
Strong and feared.
Someone no one really trusted...and with good reason.
Assassins are bad news in general, killing machines without remorse ya know.
But Deathstroke was different. He wasn't just this murderous being with no feelings. He wasn't just a soldier taking orders. He was a businessman, someone who did a job well but only on their terms.
He used people as pawns. Be-friended a target before he wiped them out.
He even betrayed a partner because a better offer came about.
He was only in it for himself.
Family? Friends? Fuck em. If he doesn't deem it worth his time...it isn't.
If he doesn't feel like breathing the same air as someone...he won't.
He was the worst person to see on any occasion...let alone a covert operation.
At the sight of him, See-more shield goes up again instantly.
"Boy", Deathstroke tutts, pointing his gun at See-More almost mockingly. "With those wounds, you'll bleed out in approximately twenty- two minutes, based on your file I'm thinking you can only keep this up for another ten. Let's make this easier hmmm. I have a schedule to keep. Where is the drive".
See-More gulps, fisting his hand tight and keeping his mouth shut. He can't give Deathstroke this drive, and he won't. But he's not sure how much longer he can hold out.
Deathstroke sighs, "I suppose you're going to make this difficult then".
He doesn't wait for a response, instead, he fishes out another grenade. This one he doesn't throw, it explodes the minute he sets it down.
See-more groans, swallowing ash more than air as his shield shatters. He manages to pull himself off the floor right as Deathstroke readys his leg to kick him.
In the end, it wasn't enough of a save. Deathstroke does kick him. He kicks him hard, up against the gate. Hard enough that See-More was sure his body left an imprint. Hard enough that See-More felt his courage loosen just a bit. He then tightened it, as another kick came.
Throughout every kick, Deathstroke asked for the drive. Each kick harsher than the next. When a particularly nasty kick caused See-More to fly to the other side of the gate, Deathstroke paused.
"Well boy, can't say you'll last much longer. I gave you wounds to bleed out, but I could end your suffering now. Search your body after, but then there is no fun in that. Surely you know I am simply playing with my food at this point ".
See-more grimace. Because of all the things Deathstroke was, he wasn't a liar. See-More was no match for Slade Wilson. And eventually, Slade would kill him.
So See-More just needed to make sure he didn't get the drive when he did.
It was then that See-more knew what he had to do. He hadn't done this since he was little, back in his days at Cadmus. But he's sure, he's almost positive this will work.
It has to work.
He groans fishes the flash drive out of his helmet then holds it out. He musters the most strength he had, all the strength he could, and he thought about her. He thought about them.
He watched as the flash drive disappeared from his hand.
Deathstroke was on him that minute, fisting his shirt roughly as he yells out, "Where did it go! Where did you send it".
See-More doesn't reply. He's happy, he knows more than anything where the flash drive is. He just hopes Hood and Jinx have a solid enough mind to take the hint and leave.
While they still had the chance.
"Fine" Deathstroke grumbles, grabbing the boy by the scrap of his neck. He pulls a sword from behind his back, pushes it to See-More's neck. Then he pauses and looks to his left, highly amused. "Oh I'm being watched. How..funny. Shall I guess who you are….no? Would you rather I guess where you are… I'll be with you a moment just let me kill this-".
WSSSSH!
See-More gasped. In less than a second, the blade is shot from Deathstroke's hand. The man doesn't seem too surprised. He keeps his hand around See-Mores neck, hell he grips him tighter. He even grins at the tossed sword as it blows up.
He was not surprised in the slightest.
"Little witch, been a while" Deathstroke chuckles as Jinx jumps into their vision.
She doesn't fight him, and she doesn't address him either. She knows fighting Deathstroke is not something done half-assed. It's also not something you do without a plan. It's something actually to avoid if possible.
So instead her eyes focus on See-More's neck. They focus on See-More injuries. They focus on Jordan's body, and then they glaze. "Heard ya scream. Sorry it took so long, the giant would not stay the fuck down".
Deathstroke only laughs harder, "Ignoring me are you? Do you think that'll stop me from slitting his throat? Or perhaps you think I'll be so attentive with your apparent kill, that I'll ignore what's above us".
Suddenly there is a growl. A cuffed Killer Moth is dropped down from a tree, an angry Red Hood follows.
Deathstroke grins, it's not his favorite Robin. But he'll do. "Boy", he saids with a slight smile.
Hood growls, trigger finger already itching. Seeing Jordan's body and seeing See-More hurt, it just pissed him off. It be so easy, so damn easy to shoot his frustrations out. But he knows he can't shoot Deathstroke with See-More held captive….. No matter how much he wants to.
And he really fucking wants to.
So instead he settles for petty. Keeping his gun pressed against Killer moth's head he regards Deathstroke smoothly, "Slade Wilson. Why I am not surprised, guess it's true you'll do anything for money. Careful though. Ya know what they say, Wilson, scum that goes together die together."
Deathstroke smiled, "And yet I'm told you died alone".
Hood bristled, his trigger finger is more than itchy. But he thinks of See-more, he looks at Jordan and he keeps his fucking mouth shut.
Instead, he kicks the shit out Killer Moth….repeatedly. For a second Jinx lets him, but then she figures if she doesn't step in Hood will end up killing the mutant.
And unfortunately, they kinda need the freak.
When Jinx finally gets Hood to calm down, she peers over at Deathstroke. He's smirking, left hand still pressed on See-Mores neck, right hand positioned on his pistol.
He's too in control at the moment. It's apparent, and she wants it gone.
But she also wants to know just what the hell is going on. And if Wilson had the flash drive, why would he bother holding a conversation with them? He's chatty but professional to a T. If he had it, he would be gone, on his way to his employer.
She glances at See-More. He isn't looking at her, still clawing at Deathstroke's grip.
If Slade had it, he wouldn't bother with them at all.
She raises an eyebrow, "Double-crossing the League Wilson. I heard you power-hungry but not stupid".
"Is that what Luthor told you? Hmmm….or was it Rouge. I understand you're in debt to the woman, but you must know, you're nothing but a lackey to her and the league. Do you honestly trust their word? " Deathstroke replies.
He's baiting her, she knows.
He wants to get her angry enough that she'll spill everything. But she won't tell him what she knows. And she won't tell him what Luthor doesn't.
Instead, she motions to Killer moth, " He isn't in the League".
This is all the focus Killer Moth needs as he spits and swarms at his gag. When he is free of it, he snarls at Deathstroke. "Wilson, you were not to be here for this. I had it under control".
Deathstroke for the first time in this conversation looks annoyed," Clearly I can see that Walker" he saids while motioning to the pistol Red Hood still has on Killer Moths' head.
Killer Moth glares, his broken wings move slightly, "This is nothing. When I get my helmet back, my moths will destroy everything. I don't need you"!
"Yes well, I didn't trust you three to get the job done and He agreed" Deathstroke dryly spat.
Red Hood and Jinx both bristle at that, because it just solidifies another person is in charge.
An unknown person. A person who had enough leadership or cash to get Killer Moth and Deathstroke on the same team.
A problem.
They don't get to dwell too much farther on who He is though. Because the more Deathstroke and Killer moth talk, the harsher Deathstroke grips See-Mores neck.
And the more blood See-More gargles.
"I'm going to guess this won't be a simple switch hostage situation then", Jinx asked.
Deathstroke gives both her and Killer moth a pointed look. He then chuckles, " Good guess, I'll give you the boy for the drive though".
It takes all of Jinx not to smile then. Good, he didn't know where the drive was at all. Now all she needed to do was pretend that she did.
"That seems a bit unfair".
"Child don't pretend you know what's on it".
"Am I to pretend you would be doing all this if it wasn't important".
As she and Deathstroke argue over the drive, Hood regards See-more. The boy is hurt, badly. He has more holes leaking blood than Jason would like to count. He is bruised and his wrist looks broken. His one eye keeps blinking like he's trying to stay awake. His mouth keeps twitching, causing him to choke on his own blood.
He's dying, and they don't have time. They need to get him to Gizmo, fast.
"This is stupid! You want the drive, fine. Let us just patch him up first, he's not gonna survive if you keep strangling him" Red Hood grits out.
Deathstroke smiles, "Give me the drive and you can patch him up".
The two gun-happy ninjas start each other down. One in pure hatred, another in total glee.
"Fine" Hood finally bites out.
Instantly Jinx's head whips towards him. She had thought he was bluffing, but just from tone alone, she can tell he wasn't.
A hundred thoughts swarmed her head. When had Hood found the drive? Why didn't he tell her? Was he really going to give it to Deathstroke?
"Hood, no-" she chokes out, just as the boy whips a flash drive from one of his pockets.
"We don't have any fucking alternatives! Pinocchios dead and if you haven't noticed See-Mores damn near there", Red Hood angrily interrupts.
Jinx frowns looking at See-More once more. She noticed, god she fucking noticed. But there had to be another way.
She tries to voice this but the words fall on her tongue like dead weight. They seem selfish as she reiterates them in her head, and terrible as she looks See-More.
Hoods right. There is no other alternative.
Red Hood growls, then kicks the still cuffed Killer Moth to Jinx's feet, "Watch him".
But Jinx doesn't. She just watches Hood instead.
As he walks to Deathstroke it more than clear that Hood doesn't trust him. He doesn't like him.
And he doesn't want to do this.
The boy's reluctance only makes Deathstroke grip See-More harder. It only makes his victory that much sweeter. He loves it, he thrives on an opponent who he can mold. One he knows doesn't want to but bends at his whims.
As he looks towards Hood, he can see the frown. He can see the frustration and the anger. And if he squints he is reminded of another black-haired teen. He is reminded of his favorite little bird.
He smirks almost salivating now. This is his favorite part.
Hood stops, now only a foot away from the assassin. He motions to See-More. "Same time", he orders.
Deathstroke nods. He is a man of his words, so he will give the one-eyed boy back as soon as he gets the drive.
But who he kills after, well that he won't spoil.
Hood tosses the drive the same time Deathstroke pushes at the teen. Hood has to leap to catch him, but he does catch him.
See-More tries not to complain as his body hits Red Hood's muscles.
"Sorry" Hood grunts, fixing See-More a bit more so the boy now rests on his back. See-more wants to think it's about the pain, but he can read Hood's tone more clearly now than ever.
"Don't give me that. You were supposed to get her out of here" See-More slurs.
And God does Jason know. He knew the minute the drive magically appeared in his hand. He knew what See-more was trying to do. He knew what See-More wanted to do.
To want to protect somebody so bad. To literally set yourself on fire just to keep someone else warm.
He knew exactly what a sacrifice felt like. And he knew exactly the kind of person See-More was.
He knew, which is why he couldn't let it happen.
He doesn't tell See-More this, instead, he glares. "I'm not one to go back on my promises".
Instantly See-more glares back, "That was almost a year ago, I'm not the same person! I'm older than you! It's my decision! I don't need you to-
"Yeah and I don't need to lose two members of the team in one day" Hood grits.
That does it. Effective immediately See-More is silent. Hood welcomes this as he adjusts the boy on his back and begins to walk to Jinx.
He doesn't trust Deathstroke to not stab him in the back, so Jason walked backward. Meaning he literally shuffled behind himself. Meaning he kept his eye on him. Meaning he saw and was able to avoid every one of Deathstroke bullets.
Unfortunately for him, that also meant he couldn't see Killer Moth.
"You were supposed to be watching him" Hood angrily quips as he struggles against the glue-like goo at his feet. Thankfully, Deathstroke had stopped firing after they became glued down to the floor, some might think it's because Wilson has a bit of respect for the trio.
Jason knows it's because Deathstroke hates an easy kill.
"I know, fuck. I'm sorry" Jinx growled, as she blasted the goo off of See-More and Hood. She hopes the quick save will be enough to shut the angry teen up.
It wasn't, but it did deflect his attention back to Deathstroke at least.
"And you...Could ya be any more predictable. I mean fuck did ya wait a full minute before cutting Killer moth free and trying to kill us".
Deathstroke doesn't reply too busy avoiding a furry of pink surges.
"I told you it was a bad decision", Jinx muttered. Launching herself once more up into the trees. Slade has but a second to assess her location before she emerges from his left. Pink dagger skillfully cutting Deathstroke left torso.
He slits her wrist in response.
As the trio goes at it. Hood tries his hardest to keep the semi-conscious See-More awake. Apparently, Killer moth's goo makes excellent bandages. He's no Alfred but Jason thinks he did a bang-up job. See-More's not even bleeding anymore. He looks a little less clammy too.
When he finishes Hood slaps See-More, hard. "No sleep, Cyclops. You're our ticket out of here. Need ya awake and fucking focused".
See-More blinks looks at the dressing, and groans, "Whaa- oomf".
It's all he can do as a small powder is slipped into his mouth. He recognizes the taste almost immediately, feels the effects even quicker than that.
Gizmo's chami pills.
"I knew swiping a few from the munchkin would come in handy. Sorry, I can't heal ya all the way, I only took one. Look you save up some energy, when you can, beam us the fuck out of here. I really don't give a flying fuck where. Just the fuck out here" Red Hood replies.
See-More doesn't really nod, but he doesn't sleep either. So Jason figures, he partially understands the plan.
Which at this point is good enough.
As he avoids the fucking dog-sized moths, because yeah those are still a fucking problem. Hood edges closer and closer to Jinx and Deathstroke.
When he's about a foot away from the duo, Jinx glares down at him. "Get See-More out of here".
"And leave the asshead assassin and Bugman to you, no dice. Look Cyclops is fine, added a good four hours with my first aid" Hood mutters, after sending off a few of his own rounds.
He then sends Jinx a challenging glare, she only rolls her eyes in retort.
Even in near-death situations, Hoods gotta defy her.
They alternate in fighting, one sending surges at Deathstroke, the other at the Killer Moth. It's a simple team-up, but a hard one. They're managing to keep Deathstroke and the moths at bay, but barely.
Neither one of them were exactly in tip-top shape when this started. And right about now Jason is really wishing he kept some of that powder for himself.
"How we looking Cyclops", Hood murmurs from his position.
Seep-More grimace, "Bad. I can't even beam the flash drive out of Wilson's pocket".
Hood bristles, "Forget the fucking drive. The plan is us, beam us out of here"
"No! Then everything was a waste" See-more whined.
It took all of Hood not to shoot him then. "Yeah big fucking waste, but ya know what I'm really fucking okay with that." As he stalked closer to the one-eyed teen he had hoped the sheepish boy would back down. Follow his order and complete the mission.
Surprisingly, he didn't.
Legs wobbly, See-More bravely stood up. " Well I'm not! We have to get it back. I can do it. I just need Deathstroke to stop moving so much".
"Oh, my- fuck forget the stupid drive. That powder was about half a pill. You're were fucking dying so don't pretend you're all better now.", Hood grits.
"I'm not!", See-more yells, he then sighs taking in a small breath before continuing." Look I know I'm not better….. And I know this is stupid but Jordan's dead. Does that mean anything to you? We can't let his death be for nothing. We have to get it back".
Ugh, the fucking big-hearted Cyclops. Really? He can not be fucking serious.
Hood growled, checking over See-More's determined face once more. He then looks at Puppet King's body, the broken mess that it is. He pictures the teen who although annoyed the fuck out of him...deserved better.
As seconds ticks by Hood gnaws at his lips, curses See-More out a million times in his head, then sighs.
Fuck the one-eyed freak is right. They can't let Pinocchio- they won't let Jordan's death be for nothing.
Even if it is a dumbass idea.
Hood sighs, " Can you keep a shield around Deathstroke and Killer Moth for like two minutes".
"Uh yeah, but why", See-more carefully asked.
Hood doesn't answer instead he murmurs a small "Just follow my lead" and leaps into the air.
Then with a new fury, Red Hood starts shooting crazily around the area. At first, it looks like he's just trying to cause chaos. But as some pieces of the gates fall, and some moths crash into each other it becomes clear. He's trapping them.
Stopping them from leaving.
Jinx doesn't even get to question why, as See-More beams next to her. A shield now in front of the two villains. "What are you doing! Your energy is low enough as it is," she warns.
See-more grimaced," It's actually not that bad. Hood slipped me one of Gizmo's pills...well more like half a pill. Anyways I'm not even dying no more".
"That's great, are you still bleeding" Jinx sarcastically seethed.
See-more sheepishly grins," Uh maybe a little but that's just giving me character right".
Optimistic little imp isn't he.
Jinx sighs, "I'm assuming you two idiots have a plan".
"When have I ever fucked around without one", Hood yells after lunging to the top of a tree. He then grabs the machine gun from his shoulder and blasts the neighboring tree down.
BAM!
The giant tree falls down almost immediately. It hits See-mores shield with a hard thud, and Jinx can't help but glare at Hood when it does.
Jackass, Hood is usually more careful than that.
See-more doesn't seem too upset, he only winces a little. Then he settles his gaze back at Hood. "Yeah, it'll work fine, send all you can".
Jinx frowns still watching as Hood sends a couple more trees down on See-More's shield. They hit with an audible thud, but no cracks form.
And then it hits her. The tree's, they're being supported by See-More's shield. But once he drops the shield….. They'll have no choice but to fall on what's below it.
Or rather whose below it.
"You're an evil genius," she whispered. Not even allowing Hood to hear her as she sends a few more trees down on See-Mores shield.
By now Deathstroke clearly understands the situation. There is no physical way out of this. Sure he can send grenades or bullets to break the shield, but that won't change the situation. If he breaks it or if See-more lets down the shield about five sycamore trees will come down as well.
Killer Moth is less..understanding. He is aimlessly trying to break the shield, pounding on it and screaming at the top of his lungs. Unfortunately for him, no one is really paying him any attention.
In less than a minute, a small barrel of trees are piled on See-More's shield. He is obviously struggling to support them if his face any clue.
This is the only reason Hood decided to stop playing gardner and address the two trapped villains. "Alright, scumbags deal time. Eventually, Cyclops here is gonna drop this shield, the minute he does you two are a pair of flatbread. But we're nice, so we'll let one of you go. But that one has to give us the drive".
"Tch in your dreams boy", Deathstroke quips.
Killer Moth frantically glared. "That's not possible and you know it! You can't really expect me to be able to get it from him. I don't have control of my moths without my helmet and he is carrying at least ten highly dangerous weapons ".
"Like I would need any of those to kill you". Deathstroke grumbles.
Killer Moth looks like he wants to say more, but he doesn't. Instead, he growls and glares at the ground.
Hood again doesn't look too disturbed by this. He shrugs, waves a hand and watches as See-More's shield gives away.
That second more than a dozen trees fall down on the two. It is silent for a moment, the only sounds were the small cracking of the branches and the squelches of the moths.
Almost instantly Jinx tries to locate the bodies, they already fucked up enough and she really wouldn't put it past Wilson to hide the drive injured and all.
But once she and Hood are inside the little pit of chaos, she realizes there may not be much to recover.
"Fucking gross" Hood mumbles as he steps yet again into some moth guts.
"Let's just hope the drive wasn't too damaged. Giz isn't a miracle worker" she replies.
But the more the two roam around the tree pit, the more skeptical she becomes. They should've found the bodies by now. Killer Moth had two broken wings and an ankle. He couldn't have gone far.
There is a buzz near her ear. It is the first warning she gets before a bullet breezes past her.
It was the first warning Hood had missed.
BANG!
The shot pierces through the area, hitting the teen right in his clavicle. It doesn't shock her that Hood doesn't scream. It doesn't even shock her when See-More does. It does, however, shock her when she realizes where the gun came from.
There in the sky is Deathstroke. He is being held up by Killer Moth, a fully healed Killer Moth. It's too weird, too unreal and Jinx has to blink to make sure she wasn't dreaming. The same thing had happened earlier right, with the Bull. Back then she just supposed he had a healing factor but now…. Now she thinks something else is responsible.
And now she really is fucking worried.
"Tch pathetic", Slade reprimands, gleefully watching as Hood holds his now bloody shoulder. Slade rolls off of Killer moth in an instant, landing on his feet quietly. When he is but a foot away from Hood, he continues. "Did you really think I wouldn't be able to avoid a few trees"?
Red Hood scoffs, holds pressure to his wound, and sneers. "No, I figured, which is why I didn't only send trees".
He then smirks in pure Robin fashion, chaotic and righteous. Deathstroke and Killer Moth don't even have a second to process what that meant as gas leaks from inside the trees. At first, the gas looks harmless, the standard smoke bomb.
But then the gas enters their lungs, and their eyes get heavy. Deathstroke tries to activate his filter on his mask but it won't give. He grimaces when he realizes Hood had persistently shot near his mouth. He tries to hold his breath, but he remembers Jinx nicked his lungs.
He smirks, chuckles a little as his mind gets hazy. "Excellent work, Robin", is the last word he utters out before he falls.
Killer Moth isn't far behind him. He falls from the sky almost instantly, his body creating a small crater.
It's silent for a minute and then Jinx exhales, loudly. It was a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Pent up energy she could finally let go. Finally, it was fucking over.
"Your. a fucking. evil. ass. genius.", she sighs yet again, watching as Hood lets out a breathy chuckle.
It's hearty but hard and really Jinx can't blame him for that. This had been a rough mission. They had both been through the wringer. They looked like literal shit. Bruises, blood, and bones were not spared.
"Take a look at his shoulder," she said to See-More after a second. The boy smiles and nods, much to Hood's annoyance, instantly fusing over the taller teen.
They start bickering but Jinx ignores that.
Instead, she takes a few more moments to collect her breath before fishing the flash drive out of Deathstroke's pocket.
She glares at it. Offending little thing.
The small black casing, no larger than a tube of lipstick.
It was too much trouble. What the fuck was even on it?
She doesn't get much time to dwell on it. At that moment the security cameras start moving, the lights shift on.
The blackout is over. The powers back.
"Testing! Testing! Can any of you hear me", a scratchy voice bellows.
And fuck, Jinx relaxes just the slightest. She's never been so fucking happy to hear Gizmo.
Almost excitedly, she presses down on her comm, "Yeah Giz, loud and clear. We'll report in person. It's too much shit to unpack right now."
This time Gizmo doesn't argue. Instead, he stops, swallows loud and mutters. " The four of you are..okay then".
This makes Jinx pause. Gizmo sounded... sounded like a wary little kid. Like he wanted better but was expecting the worst.
She then remembers his words. The four of you.
Oh….he's asking her. He can't say it but he wants to know if Jordan.
Her breath hitches at her throat, " Three Giz."
Oh is the best response Gizmo can offer and for while it's just silent. It is the first time any of them are acknowledging that Puppet King is gone and it hurts.
Suddenly a siren hits the air and she literally freezes as a gust of wind blows past them.
Fuck, the police? They're basically the heroes' little minions. Which meant the supers weren't that far behind.
She runs to Hood and See-More, pinching the both of them as close as possible. "We need to get out of here".
"Understatement of the year" Hood teases, now supporting himself up against a tree. He was paler but held his smug fuck you frown. She ignores him again, choosing instead to turn towards See-more.
Surely, he of all people can see how serious this was.
See-more smiles but that soon turns into a frown. He tries to beam them away, really he does. But the energy circle just keeps fading as the sirens get louder.
Fuck.
Jinx, looking more frantic than ever, shakes her head in frustration. "Fuck it, let's run. We're banged up but we can make a few miles right".
Jason's eyebrow raises almost immediately, "Sure, Eyeball here still has a few holes in his legs. I have a bum shoulder and a few thousand bruises. You have way too many issues to list. But ya know what choice do we fucking have".
She takes it back, Hood is not a genius. He just an asshole, pure fucking idiot asshole.
"Well, technically you do have a choice to stay there and get caught. But if you start running now I may have three untraceable tickets to the nearest airport ready by then", Gizmo adds.
" I can beam us! I just need a few more minutes to get some energy", See-More unhelpfully adds.
Rolling her eyes, Jinx starts her sprint. She's still injured so the shit hurts, her ribs aren't even a subject she wants to touch. Plus, she's pretty sure her ankle is twisted.
She can't imagine Hood is any better. While he may say he just has bruises, she's almost positive he has more broken bones than her. Scissors, Man-Bull plus Killer Moth, and Deathstroke. Yeah, he definitely has a few broken bones. Still, he doesn't complain at all, even begins leading the pack as he runs ahead.
See-more is probably the worse, exercise isn't his forte. And although he's healed, he still has a few cracks in his legs. It's unbearable and he thinks he might have opened some unhealed wounds. He is the slowest of the three. Once they make it to the city portion he is reminded of that clearly.
Hub City is a ruin. It has too many bodies and too many destroyed buildings. It's hard enough to run on the pavement, mix fresh corpses and blood and demolished skyscrapers… and well he's never been the most coordinated. Jinx and Hood are a good two feet ahead of him when he gets spotted.
"Hey you there", a policeman yells. A batch of other officers and two heroes beside him.
Right away See-More's one eye widens, he tries to run harder but he's still too slow. Jinx and Hood's eyes widened as well. See-More can tell they're going to run back for him, that they'd rather fight with him than leave.
But See-more knows those "heroes". And he knows, especially in the condition they are in, Jinx and Hood are no match for Wonderwoman and Firestorm.
He also knows these particular heroes have a body count, and they both will willingly add to it.
So he runs back, towards the cops and he puts on a front. He bites his tongue as he shoots flashy eye beams and adds to the destruction.
He keeps everyone else's eyes on him, so they won't see the shield he has over Jinx and Hood, and they won't see them beat on it.
He keeps everyone's attention just long enough for Wonderwoman to send a nasty punch to his head. Just long enough for Hood to see Firestorms burn travel up his neck. Just long enough for Jinx to see Wonder Woman's sword at his neck.
Long enough, that neither sees the energy below them. And neither knows, until it happens what See-more did.
"See-more", Jinx yells again, but by this time it's too late.
The light blinds her for a second, but she can't bring herself to close her eyes. She needs to see it. She needs to know that See-more didn't just give himself up for them. That he wasn't fighting fucking Wonderwoman injured. That he is with them still.
But when her vision comes in, he isn't.
They are no longer in Hub city, instead, they're gasping on Gizmo's floor.
This has to be a dream. A really bad fucking dream.
She felt the tears burn her eyes as she endlessly tries to blink herself awake.
He was supposed to be here. He should be here.
"That fucking idiot" Hood yells while glaring at the floor. He pounds on it, bruising his knuckles as he tightens his lips.
He told that fucking idiot didn't he. He told that asshole and he… he
Fuck.
Jason glares, pounds the floor harder as he grits his teeth. Why the fuck would that idiot? Why the hell would he do that?
In his anger, in his need to yell at something, his glare turns to Gizmo, "Why didn't you send backup. You knew by then we fucking needed it".
"I- I couldn't. It's covert...I thought if we send more people-
"We? You weren't even fucking there. You didn't see shit! You didn't do shit. You know what I forgot you did do something, you fucking sat here and listen to us struggle", Red Hood interrupts. In his anger he had turned to Gizmo, etching closer to the boy by each second. By the time he had finished his rant, he was peering down at the kid.
Suddenly a body squeezed in between the two, an exhausted Jinx. "Stop it", she clipped.
And normally Hood would tell her to fuck off. Normally he would scoff and continue even angrier than before, but this time he didn't.
He just glared. Glared at her, glared at Gizmo, and stomped out of the room.
She's not sure if this is a good thing or not.
After a few minutes of silence, Gizmo slips Jinx a chami pill. It works, she could feel her body stitching together the moment it passes her lips, but it doesn't stop the pain in her chest. And it doesn't stop the thoughts in her head.
He was fighting Wonderwoman right. She had a sword to his neck. She had a sword to his neck and See-More…..
"Jinx", Gizmo starts, but she shushed him before he could continue.
A tear dipped passed her cheek, and she quickly moved to wipe it. Then in an almost emotionless voice, she asked, "Status".
"His comm went offline….but that doesn't mean anything. You know See-more he rarely fights, so he probably gave up. They probably just captured him, sent him to Arkham or-", Gizmo murmured.
"Or he's dead", Jinx finished.
The like Jordan didn't need to be said.
She staggered, wincing as her healing wounds protested against the movement. She throws the flash drive at Gizmo, doesn't even watch him try to catch it as she grits out. "I want a detailed report on just what the fuck is on that as well as the Melvot one."
"Of course" Gizmo whispered. He then paused, almost as if he was unsure of his next words. "Jinx, are you-
She waved him off, "Giz I'm tired. I have my cover in a few hours. We can recap later...make sure Hoodie gets a pill, please. Send whoever to deliver it but give it to the bastard by the next hour".
As she walked away, she walked with a hunch. Her mind flittered back to the last conversation she had with Abigail.
"I know, you're sick… but you can't bail"
"Oh, but the booze will help. Look I know Daddy made that stupid order but you're a rule-breaker…besides I really think Wally needs all of us ya know. He had a full-blown anxiety attack earlier and I had no idea what to do".
"His friend just…..died".
"Trix I really think he might need some therapy".
"I mean I can't imagine what it's like to lose a friend".
Jinx paused finally letting the tears fall, as she once again thought of Trixi Sanalon's dumb response.
Yeah, me either.
Chappie 16/17- So yah after reading some reviews and relooking at the chapter I do realize this was kinda a lot to read, so I broke chapter 16 into two chapters. Sorry, for those who were expecting different.
Okay, so that was a lot I know. Way more deaths than I had anticipated but ya know PLOT. Anywho we finally get some answers and much more questions. Lol I know, ya'll never get one answer from me without three more questions being presented. First off, Toler was housing dun dun dun a flash drive! Any guesses on what's on it? This flash drive looks very similar to the Melvot flash drive, so there is your slight clue. Also, we got some backstory deets sprinkled here and there. First off Puppet King, aka Jordan Weir a dramatic little troll who I adore. When I tell yall this chapter hurt, bruh.
Jordan's powers were touched on in chapter 1. It was such an experience for me to go back and give you guys the full details of this. I was so stoaked. There was a lot of See-more stuff I hope yall caught. I've been dropping a little hint here and there on who he is and whats his personality but I feel like a full description can be found here. I love him so dearly so this chapter nearly koed me. See-more is such a good soul and I ….well I had to do it. I teased it a bit with Deathstroke gave ya security and then yanked the blanket, sorry. I also gave you a bit of his backstory, did yall catch it.
As for Red Hood, he is an asshole but a smart one and a kind one. Like I said in the last chapter I am slowly unraveling Jason's backstory and I can't wait. I gave you guys a bit of clues again on what that is. Also touched on his and See-More history. Lastly Jinx, god where do I begin. She has been through a lot. Some hints of her backstory were dropped but mainly I wanted to showcase her leadership since the last mission she was on was through Wally's lens. Btw Wally again did not make an appearance but he will be back, I know I'm sorry! Also, this chapter was a lot less dialogue than my usual chapters, sorry for that as well. It was a covert mission tho, so less convo.
As for the mission itself. So Scissor and Man-Bull are kinda C list villains in the DC universe but I like them so sorry, not sorry. If u know Scissor's backstory then u know Jason killing him will definitely come back as some good ole karma. Killer Moth is a fool lol. Ugh, Deathstroke a sophisticated baddie, and I love writing his snarky ass. All of these villains have one thing in common tho...who they're working for!
Who do you think is behind all of this please let me know your guesses.
Kinda rambling atp, so I'll stop. Before I go I wanted to thank everyone so much for reviewing and reading, I really appreciate it. It makes me so excited to write when I see them like literally chapter 18 in process lol. You guys make my day, so thanks again! Much Love! Review!
Review Responses
grungekitty
Hi! Yeah, the chaos club is always such a trip lol. They can be exhausting as people but like that's why we love them right? As for what's going on, well kinda told you but kinda didn't lol. The flash drive is only the tip of the iceberg lol, once they see what's on it bruh trust me, buckle up. I'm sorry I made you wait so long. Hope you enjoyed this new chapter! Thanks again for reviewing!
CagraCourter
Hey! Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad you like this fic! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter.
Falconress
Hi! Thanks for reviewing! Important politician? What do you mean? Is that your guess on who's behind this?
Nana1995
Hello! Thanks so much for reading! I'm sorry you were sad last chapter. I'm glad the fic could bring you a little happiness. This isn't the happiest chapter so sorry for that.
Graceful Petals
Hi! Thank you so much for your kind review! Literally your so sweet! I'm glad you like the chapter, I hope you like this new update. Thanks again.