Angel with a Shotgun

Chapter 5: Ultimatum
mood music-Hurricane by 30 Seconds to Mars/Hero by Skillet

"They're powering themselves with a serum."

"What?"

Batman and the Team were in the infirmary. Batgirl was immediately rushed in. Her wound wasn't too serious, a graze on her shoulder, but Batman said she was out of commission for at least three weeks. She was lying down in a bed while the others stood around. Batman pulled up a holographic picture of a sample of an electric blue serum. "Red X and Renegade are powering themselves with a serum," he repeated. "It gives them enhanced strength, stamina, speed, agility, and reflexes. It's the same serum—"

"That Deathstroke uses," Batgirl said, attempting to sit up. She flinched and Artemis gently pushed her down by her good shoulder.

"Yes," Batman said. "I acquired a sample at their run-in with Deadshot last night."

"Batman," Kaldur said, stepping forward, "Renegade and Red X aided us in our battle last night."

"I am well aware," Batman said.

Wally narrowed his eyes angrily. "Did you not hear him?" he asked, pointing his arms at Kaldur and staring Batman in the face. "He said they helped us!"

"They assisted you in order to take down a common enemy," Batman dismissed. "That does not mean that they are on our side."

"What about this?" Zatanna asked, holding up her left arm. The blue adhesive was still stuck on it. It had solidified slightly, losing its sticky surface.

"What about it?"

"In the battle, one of Deadshot's men cut me with a knife," Zatanna explained. "Red X stuck this on my arm. And look," she peeled the substance away, revealing her clean, smooth, and undamaged skin, "it healed me."

Wally grinned excitedly. "See?" he said pointedly. "They're on our side!"

Batman stared down at him. "Go home," he said, turning away from them. He began tweaking with some of the medical equipment that no one else ever knew existed. "Report here tomorrow at 8 A.M. sharp."

Wally's grin dropped and he visibly sagged in disappointment. He dejectedly followed the others out into the hallway. He yelped when Artemis yanked him to the side and the infirmary door slid shut. "What's going on?"

"We're gonna go find Robin and Jason," Artemis said. The Team was crouched down on the floor and Conner was on high alert for anyone listening in.

"How?" Wally asked.

"When we battled them last night," Roy said, "Batgirl planted a tracker on Robin. We have a lock on their location."

"But we have to break Barbara out of the infirmary first," M'gann added.

Wally grinned wickedly. "What's the plan?"

Red X and Renegade fell at Deathstroke's feet, hands and feet chained together. He glared down at them. "You have failed your final test," he said.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Red X growled. He spit on Deathstroke's boot and the villain responded by kicking him in the face. He fell back, moaning in pain.

"Stop it!" Renegade yelled.

Deathstroke bent down and grabbed him by the hair. Renegade hissed in pain. Deathstroke pulled his head up so they were face to face. "You want me to stop?" he asked. He released him. "Alright. I suppose you want me to activate the probes, then?"

"No," Renegade and Red X said, "don't."

"I didn't think so," Deathstroke said. "You two have failed me. And for it, you must be punished." He reached into his utility belt and pulled out a long, deadly crowbar.

"Batman, you there?"

Batman pressed his finger to his comm. link. "I'm here," he responded quietly. Barbara was sleeping and he was watching over her. "Are you here yet?"

"We're coming as fast as we can."

"Good. Are you absolutely sure you want to—"

"Batman, we're all sure that we want to do this. Don't doubt that."

"Affirmative," Batman said. "Be ready when you get here. We'll leave right away."

Red Arrow watched, crouching in a corner, as Batman exited the infirmary. The Dark Knight glanced in his directly and Red Arrow silently moved out of sight. Batman narrowed his eyes, but walked down the other end of the hallway. Red Arrow held up two fingers and flicked them forward. He and Superboy snuck to the infirmary door and found it locked. Superboy nodded and Red Arrow got down on his knee to pick the lock. He was never as good at it as Robin and Batgirl, but Ollie had taught him a few tricks in his Speedy days.

Superboy's eyes scanned the hallway for any approaching figure. He listened as Batman walked into the main hall and began conversing with Red Tornado.

Red Arrow pulled the lock pick out and the door opened. He rushed inside and ran to Barbara's bed. He gently picked her up and carried her out. Superboy closed the door behind them and the two began running to the hangar.

"We have Barbara," Red Arrow said telepathically. "We're on our way to the hangar."

"You better hurry," Kid Flash warned. He looked down at the minicomputer Robin had given him for his 16th birthday. It showed Batman leaving the main hall and heading back to the infirmary. "Batman's on his way!"

"We're here!" Superboy ran into the hangar with Roy right on his heels. The bio ship hatch opened and they raced inside. The rest of the Team was already strapped in. "Fly!" Superboy yelled.

Miss Martian took off as the hangar door opened.

"Stay odd the radios," Red Arrow instructed. "Batman could track us through the signal."

Barbara groaned and her eyes fluttered open. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Good," Artemis said, "you're awake." She reached into a bag and pulled out a black suit. "We have your costume. Suit up."

"Why?" Barbara asked. She was still dazed.

"We're going to find Deathstroke," Kid Flash said. "We're going to get Robin back."

"Ugh!" Jason's back hit the ground and he gasped painfully.

Deathstroke roughly hauled him to his knees. "Come on, X," he growled into the boy's ear, "stand up!" he swung with the crowbar and smacked Jason in the face. He cried out and slammed down onto the ground hard.

Jason's body was ragged. His helmet was somewhere across the room. Deathstroke had removed it when he began his assault. Jason's domino mask was cracked away, the whites of the mask pierced through. Fear shone through his green eyes. He felt at least a few broken ribs and possibly a fractured shoulder.

"Stand up!" Deathstroke screamed. He stood over Jason and hit him with the crowbar once again. "Be a man! Come on! Stand up!" He hit him between each sentence. Jason shit his eyes tight. He cried out with each strike and felt another rib crack.

"We're close," Kid Flash said. He stared down at his minicomputer and watched as they got closer and closer to the red dot on his map. "Faster, Miss Martian!"

"We're flying as fast as we can go," Miss Martian said.

"Are you worried about him?" Artemis asked tenderly.

"Of course I am," Kid Flash snapped. "We don't know what Deathstroke could be doing to them."

"We do not know if they are committing crimes, either," Aqualad said. "We must remember the serum Batman warned us about."

"It could drive the average person insane," Batgirl said. "It turns human instincts into that of an animal. We don't even know if they're still themselves."

"Robin and Jason aren't average people," Zatanna reminded them. "They wouldn't have been influenced so easily."

"Yeah," Rocket agreed. "And either way, we're kicking Deathstroke's butt."

"Approaching Deathstroke's hideout," Miss Martian announced. Everyone looked to Aqualad.

"We will sneak in together," he said. "We'll infiltrate the hideout, find Deathstroke, and take him down. We'll deal with Robin and Jason when we meet them."

Deathstroke stomped down on Jason's back, effectively cracking it. Jason cried out weakly as Deathstroke's foot held him in place and he proceeded to beat him.

The sound of groaning metal sounded through the air. Deathstroke ceased his beating and looked up at the metal doors across the large room. The groaning grew louder and he heard a ferocious yell through the other side.

Superboy burst through the door, making a human-shaped hole in the metal, and charged at Deathstroke. He plowed the villain into the back wall with a boom.

Kid Flash zoomed into the room and spotted Jason lying on the ground. He sped to his side and knelt at the ground. "Dude," he breathed, "what…?"

Jason groaned as he looked up at him. "Get out," he said weakly, "now."

The rest of the Team ran into the room.

"Robin!" Batgirl yelled. She ran to where he was chained to the wall, unconscious, and pulled him free. He limply fell to his knees and she pulled him up.

Zatanna gasped as she spotted Jason. His body was bloody and his suit was torn in many places.

Superboy screamed and smashed Deathstroke's body further into the metal wall. Deathstroke pulled out the tube of Kryptonite. Superboy gasped. Deathstroke slammed him in the face with the tube and he passed out.

"Attack!" Aqualad yelled. The Team ran forward.

Red Arrow and Artemis shot two arrows each at him. Deathstroke pulled out a knife and slashed two of them out of the air, dodging the others.

Miss Martian and Rocket flew towards him. Deathstroke took out dual pistols and shot. Miss Martian dodged, but one bullet hit the center of Rocket's Inertia belt. She powered down and hit the ground. Deathstroke took out another gun and blasted Miss Martian with a heat ray. She hit the ground with a thud, her body steaming with heat.

Aqualad charged up and slashed Deathstroke's helmet. A large crack formed over his eye. Aqualad kicked him in the stomach and punched him in the face. Deathstroke stumbled backwards before straightening, completely unaffected, and cracked his neck. He aimed his gun at Aqualad and shot. He cried out and fell to the ground.

"Enough," Deathstroke hissed. He took out his trigger and pressed the button. The Team went rigid. They all cried out in pain, clutching at their bodies. Their skin burned. Their heads felt like they were going to explode. Lava was flowing through their veins.

Jason watched as Kid Flash doubled over and passed out. "N-No…" he stuttered. He attempted to get up, but the pain was overwhelming. Totally not whelming, he struggled to think before he passed out.

… …

Kid Flash awoke with a bad pain in his neck, vaguely aware with someone's foot was in his face. He opened his eyes and found the bottom of Superboy's shoe with gum on it. Kid Flash skirted away and bolted up. "Ah!" He—was in—a cage.

The rest of the Team sat up, looking just as startled as he was.

"Good."

They looked up.

Deathstroke stood from his grand chair. "You're awake."

Red Arrow stood and gripped the metal bars in his hands. "Where are our friends?" he demanded.

"They're safe," Deathstroke said, "for now."

Kid Flash stood next to Red Arrow. "Let us out!"

Deathstroke chuckled. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

"You're not sorry," Zatanna said. "You beat Jason with a crowbar."

"You've been torturing our friends!" Artemis yelled.

"They've been working for me on their own free will," Deathstroke said.

"Bull!" Rocket shouted.

"What was that?" Batgirl asked calmly. "What happened to us before?"

Behind his mask, Deathstroke smiled. "Your friends infected you with virus probes that cause you extreme pain and could, over a specified time of continued use, kill you."

Batgirl shook her head. "No," she muttered, "no, no, no, no, no…" She fell to her knees.

"Oh, yes." Deathstroke reached into the cage, his hand passing through it as though it were air, grabbed Batgirl and pulled her out.

"Hey!" Artemis cried. "Let her go!"

Superboy slammed his fists against the cage, but a force field seemed to protect the metal bars.

Deathstroke pulled her along, ignoring her struggles, and chained her arms and legs to the wall. He pulled a remote out of his pocket and pressed the red button on it. A platform rose up out of the floor and Jason and Robin were on it, both of them unconscious. Robin's arms were chained to the floor.

"Robin!" Kid Flash cried.

"I have no control over Robin," Deathstroke said, pulling out another trigger, "but I do have control over Red X." he pressed the button and Jason immediately straightened. He stood up stiffly, moving as though being controlled with puppet strings. "Take out your gun," Deathstroke ordered.

Jason did as he was told.

The Team stared in horror. "What are you doing?" Kid Flash screamed.

Deathstroke pointed to Batgirl. "Kill her."

Robin groaned as he woke up. He quickly took in the situation and began fighting against his restraints. "No, X, don't!" he yelled. "Stop!"

Jason walked and positioned himself about twenty feet from Batgirl. He raised his gun and loaded it. Then, his padlock charm fell out of his pocket and landed with a solid thud on the floor.

Zatanna gasped silently. She grabbed her key necklace from under her shirt and pulled it out. A tear slipped from Jason's eye. Looking up at him, Zatanna pressed the two ends of the key together. It clicked and sparked.

Jason's body twitched and began sparking as well. He looked at Zatanna, saw the key in her hand, and smiled. That smile held no happiness, but simply acceptance and defeat. He dropped the gun and fell weakly to his knees.

The key sparked again and pricked at Zatanna's hand. She flinched and dropped it, ripping the chain from her throat and letting it fall to the ground.

Jason fell onto his back.

"No!" Deathstroke roared. He snarled and took out his own gun. "I'll do it myself!"

Jason narrowed his eyes. Ignoring the pain, he bolted to his feet and launched himself at Deathstroke, his body still sparking and malfunctioning. He desperately tried to wriggle the gun from his grasp. He managed to twist it away from Batgirl. He pulled the trigger and expertly shot the chains holding Robin's arms back. "Robin, get the Team out of here!" Jason ordered.

Robin pulled his arms free and ran to where Batgirl was chained up. He pressed the button in the wall and caught her as she fell. He hoisted her to her knees and dragged her towards the Team's cage.

"No!" Deathstroke screamed. "I never lose!"

Jason grunted as he fought against the villain's strength. "Sorry, Slade," he said with difficulty, "but today—I win." He elbowed Deathstroke in the face, kneed him in the stomach, and grabbed the gun.

Deathstroke kicked him in the gut, sending him flying backwards. As Jason stumbled back, Deathstroke whipped out a gun and shot, aiming at Robin and Batgirl. Jason jumped.

"No!" Zatanna shrieked.

The bullet sailed into Jason's right side and he fell to the ground. He lied there, motionless and lifeless.

Smoke rose from the barrel of Deathstroke's gun. "No, child," he said, "today I win."

Robin felt something snap inside of him. Anger boiled in the pit of his stomach and rose to the surface at a speed faster than the Flash. He released Batgirl and roared in rage. He surged forward and kicked the gun from Deathstroke's grasp. He punched the villain in the face and pounced, like a lion attacking its prey.

Batgirl grabbed the bloody crowbar from the ground and smashed the control system to the cage. The Team burst from the inside, minus Zatanna. She'd fallen to her knees as she stared emptily at Jason's body, tears forming in the brim of her eyes. Batgirl grabbed her arm. "Zatanna, come on," she urged. "Come on!" She pulled the stricken girl to her feet and towards the battle.

Kid Flash zoomed to Jason's side. He immediately applied pressure to the bloody wound. "Jason," he said frantically, "c'mon, buddy. Stay with me. You're gonna be okay."

Superboy and Aqualad raced to help Robin.

The rest of the Team gathered around Jason's body.

"No," Jason said weakly. "I won't."

"Don't say that," Zatanna said, falling to her knees on Jason's other side. "We'll get out of here. Batman can fix you."

Jason shook his head weakly. "No," he grunted. "My SDM mode has been activated."

"SDM?" Kid Flash questioned. Realization dawned on him. "Self destruct mode?"

Jason nodded.

Zatanna clamped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying.

Jason groaned from the pain. "It activated through the key," he said, pointing to Zatanna's charm. "My body will shut down from the inside and I'll die."

Batgirl gasped. "No…"

Superboy roared as he charged at Deathstroke. He punched the villain in the face and straight at Aqualad. The Atlantean caught him and shocked him in the head. Deathstroke cried out in pain. Aqualad shoved him forward and Robin threw an electric bola at him. It tied around his body and forced him to the ground. Deathstroke the Terminator fell.

The three ran to the others. "What's happening?" Robin asked, crouching down.

"Jason's body is starting its self destruct mode," Kid Flash said, ineffectually trying to stop his wound from bleeding.

Robin's eyes widened from behind his domino mask. "What?" He looked Jason in the eye. "Why did you activate it?"

"He didn't," Zatanna said quietly. "I did."

When Robin opened his mouth to speak, Jason cut him off. "I told her to," he said. "I had to be stopped. If she hadn't activated it, then Batgirl would be dead right now."

Robin stared at him and shook his head. "Why?" he asked. "Jason…you're gonna die."

Jason's gaze pierced past Robin's domino mask, into his blue eyes. "I know."

Kid Flash grunted in frustration. He'd almost been hurting Jason with how much pressure he was applying. "C'mon," he said desperately. "We gotta get you out of here. There has to be some way—"

"NO!"

All their head turned around to see Deathstroke, standing in his own broken binds, gripping his sword. "I—don't—lose!" he screamed. He yelled as he ran forward, wielding his sword.

Robin took out his dual Eskrima sticks. Aqualad took out his water-bearers. Superboy cracked his knuckles. The three rushed forward for another fight.

Kid Flash grabbed Jason's arm with his bloody gloves and tried to hoist him up. "Let's get out of here," he said. "Batgirl, help me get him." She grabbed Jason's other arm. "Batman can fix you up."

"No," Jason protested, wincing in pain. "You have to get out of here. Leave me behind. There isn't a way to save me."

Deathstroke broke past the three heroes and rushed at Jason. A batarang whizzed through the air and struck the ground at his feet, stopping him in his tracks.

"Like hell there isn't!"

All looked up at the second story to see Match, Batman, Wonder Girl, Green Lantern, Arsenal, and Terra standing in a fading cloud of smoke from the fallen doors.

"Titans," Match yelled, "go!" He flew down and body slammed Deathstroke. He punched him into the back wall with a satisfying crunch of the metal.

"Titans East!" the villain cried. "Attack!"

The back wall automatically rose to reveal the Titans East, frozen in pods. Inertia, Bombshell, Risk, and Sun Girl charged forward from their pods. The Two Titan teams collided in battle.

Terra, floating on a slab of earth, jetted forward. "Deathstroke!" she yelled. She jumped into the air and sent the slab of earth flying into him. It slammed into the villain's body in a burst of dirt and rocks.

"You know this guy?" Superboy asked.

"We had a run-in with him a while back," Arsenal said, shooting Risk with a foam arrow.

"He drugged me and forced me under his control," Terra said, grinning wickedly. "It's time for some payback." She forced some earth through the metal walls and crushed Sun Girl in two walls of solid rock.

Match grabbed Inertia by the scruff of the neck as he sped by. He hoisted the speedster into the air and threw him into the ceiling. Catching him the way down, Match dropped him and kicked him to the ground.

Wonder Girl caught Bombshell with her lasso. She pulled her to the ceiling and slammed her into the ground. She grabbed the villain's arm and threw her into the air.

Green Lantern pointed his ring at Bombshell. He trapped her in an energy clamp and slammed her body into the wall. Just as the smoke cleared, he kicked her in the face and created a giant boxing glove. She only had time to gasp before he punched her to the ground.

Risk broke free from the blue foam. He charged at Terra, but Arsenal smacked him in the head with his bow. Arsenal took out an arrow and stabbed him in the shoulder. From the arrowhead, ice expanded down his body, freezing him solid.

"No!" Risk said, struggling to break free. He fell down, in a heap of the other Titans East.

Arsenal smiled. "Lights out," he said, before kicking him in the face.

Deathstroke looked down at his defeated Titans. "No!" he said. He turned and ran right into Batman.

Batman grabbed him by the front of his suit. "No one—steals—my Robin," he said in a deadly tone. He threw the villain into the air and punched him into the pile. Deathstroke fell back, unconscious. His mask as cracked over his right eye. It was closed.

Match looked up. "Jason!" he said. He rushed forward and knelt at his best friend's side. The rest of the Titans followed. "What's going on?"

"His self destruct mode's been activated," Kid Flash said.

"What?" Match said. He looked down at Jason. "You promised me you'd never use that unless it was your only option!"

"Ugh, it was," Jason said. "I was under Slade's control. If I hadn't used the SDM, I would've killed Batgirl."

Batman knelt at his side next to Zatanna. "You were never willingly working for him," he said. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Jason nodded. "No," he said.

Arsenal looked down at him. "I never doubted you," he said.

Jason managed a small smile. "I know."

Terra had a death grip on Arsenal's hand. She sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye. "Jason," she said, trying to control her sobs.

"Hey," Jason said softly, "you still got that hairclip I gave you?"

Terra managed a sad chuckle. "Yeah," she said, nodding. Arsenal squeezed her hand supportively.

Jason smiled. "Good."

Wonder Girl placed her hand on his ankle. He looked up at her. "I was never very good with goodbyes," she said. Green Lantern knelt down next to her. He could see her holding back tears.

"That's okay," Jason said. "I'm not saying goodbye." Green Lantern looked at him. The two locked eyes and Jason sent him an unspoken message: Take good care of them. Green Lantern nodded.

Match smiled down at his best friend. "We've had some good times, haven't we?" he asked.

Jason smiled back at him. "Yeah, we have," he said. "Thanks for being there for me, Match."

The clone nodded. "You too," he said. The two teens bumped knuckles.

Batgirl grabbed Robin and hugged him fiercely. He ran his hand through her hair and held her close. The only thing that mattered to Batgirl in that moment was that Dick was okay.

"I don't have much time," Jason said. He looked directly at Zatanna. "There are so many things I have to apologize for."

She caressed his face in her hands. "No," she said, "you don't have to apologize for anything."

Jason's gaze shifted to Robin. He held Batgirl in his arms. "You'll tell her everything?" he requested.

Robin nodded. "I will," he promised.

Jason nodded. His gaze shifted back to Zatanna. "Remember," he whispered, "I love you."

She cried at the memory of the first time someone said that to her. "I love you, too," she said. Tears ran freely down her face. Jason closed his eyes and leaned into her palm. He was ready. He was ready to die.

Batman took out a syringe. "Hold still," he advised bluntly. He stuck the syringe sharply into Jason's elbow.

"Ah!" he cried in pain. Suddenly, when Batman pushed the green serum into his bloodstream, his body twitched and went stiff. His breathing suddenly halted and all his movement stopped.

Match looked up at Batman. "What'd you do to him?" he demanded.

"I injected him with a freezing serum," Batman said. "It'll completely freeze his nervous system, stopping the shut down sequence, but only for a short amount of time." He grabbed Jason's body and picked him up. "We have to leave. Match, Superboy, Wonder Girl, grab Deathstroke and the Titans East." He looked down at Jason's lifeless form. "Hold on, Jason."

AN: Wow, that was a long chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed! It was intense, huh? I've actually had the second half of this chapter written for a long time, so…yeah. I've been looking forward to this.
Also, I have a feeling that the original Roy Harper on the Young Justice TV show is going to have a robotic arm and will start going by Arsenal (just my theory), so if that happens, then I will change Connor's superhero name to something else. Just wanted to give you a heads up on that.
So, the secret weapon has finally been revealed. In Project Sidekick, Deathstroke and The Light mentioned the NCS. I would like to correct that and make it the NSC, standing for Nervous System Control. That's how Deathstroke was controlling Jason. Batman will explain this in the next chapter, the finale. (PS: I hope to have the finale posted in 1-3 days.)
Read and Review!