Raven is being led through a dark hallway. Although she currently has a bag over her head, she can sense her surroundings. She has two guards behind guiding her, two more behind them and four more in front. They have heavy boots and are armed, probably the guys who drugged her. And one more, a woman probably, tailing the group. She can also sense she doesn't have any handcuffs over her hands.
She can sense the subway not so far from her, they must be currently underground, probably on their way to their layer where more of them are sure to be.
This might be her only chance to escape, the element of surprise being her advantage. First, she must disarm them. She focuses on the automatic guns in the men's hand. The woman doesn't have any weapon.
Suddenly the automatic guns on the military's hands are surrounded by a black energy and are ripped from their hands before being crushed.
"Wha…" one of them manages to say before all eight of them are forcefully thrown against each other.
Raven makes a run away from the soldiers but before she can make it far, she is grabbed by the neck by the woman and pushed to the nearest wall. Raven grunts in pain having hit hard the wall.
"Well, aren't you the rebel girl" the woman says.
Raven looks at the woman, she seems familiar.
"Kory?" she asks.
The girl lifts an eyebrow. She is quite similar, the same tanned skin and build but the similarities end there. This woman has dark hair combining it with her purple dark clothes and is grinning at her. "I don't think I've ever been said something so disrespectful in my life, I'm her sister, Komand'r."
Nightwing quickly enters the Nightwatch, he rips off his mask and throws it away. He had failed them. He makes it his desk hurling over all the stacks of paper and equipment. They had trusted him, his plan. All his pent-up fury unleashed as he smashes the Nightwatch destroying everything. And now Kory and Victor were dead, and Raven kidnapped. He smashes furniture, screens, his rage terrifying. Deathstroke, he had toyed with him. His hands start bleeding. He had done exactly what he wanted. He begins to exhaust himself running out of things to smash, but not sated, searching for more. The murderers, all a facade to set him in a trail to ultimately get to Raven.
He stops as he notices a small piece of paper with a "?". He picks it up and turns it around. Is an all too detailed hand drawn maze. He looks carefully at it, it sounds familiar.
He pulls out his holographic screen. "Show me Jump City's underground tunnels" he orders. The screen changes showing a map. Nightwing looks at it, then at the drawing. It's a match. At the center of the maze there's a X sign. Riddler left him the location of Deathstroke's hideout. They will be waiting for him, probably a trap, but it's not as if he has any more alternatives.
Koma pushes Raven down onto a chair. Raven looks around. It's a very spacious place, all built around a waterfall that distributes the water between the sewers. There are also a lot of militaries like the ones that gassed her pointing at her. She can also recognize the man in the purple jacket.
"Don't bother tying her up, it won't have any use, she can easily untie herself" a voice says. Raven looks at it. "Right C-14? Or is it Raven now?" Deathstroke says as he comes up to her. He takes off his mask showing a middle-aged man with white hair and an eyepatch on one of his eyes.
Raven spits at him. Koma is about to punch her, but Deathstroke stops her with a hand signal. He looks at Raven.
"My name is Slade, Slade Wilson, I was the one that liberated you."
"Clearly" Raven responds sarcastically. "Nightwing got me out of Starlabs."
"Nightwing was a mere piece in a more complicated game, a piece that I directed to you, I wanted you free."
"What do you want from me?" Raven asks.
"Nothing, I'm just asking for a small favor in return, and I will let you go."
Raven again spits at him. "I'm not stupid, I know the kind of favors you will ask…"
Before she can finish Slade slaps her hard on the cheek. Raven looks at him utterly surprised.
"Fine, if freedom isn't enough, I'll get you some real motivation" Slade says as he walks away. "Don't let her get away" he instructs Koma. He looks at the man in the purple jacket. "Get ready, Jericho, we may be expecting a visitor anytime soon." Jericho nods.
A scavenger is looking through the debris of last night fire along his dog. Valuable things often can be found after this kind of accident, who knows, may be some coins, cables, things that later could be sold and feed him for the day.
His eyes light up as he notices something shiny buried underneath the debris. He picks it up. It's a metallic hand.
"Oi, nice, looking like we eating good tonight, Fido" he says to the dog.
He smiles, probably worth some good cash. He turns it around inspecting it some more. The hand suddenly moves. The scavenger freaks out and lets is go. The dog barks. The hand falls to the ground and again it starts moving following a straightforward direction. The scavenger just stares as a lot more metallic pieces start getting out of the debris and moving in the same direction as the hand. The dog continues barking.
The scavenger follows the pieces until they reach a full-on robot with a human face buried in debris. It seems to be shut down; its eyes closed. The scavenger kneels and moves some of the rocks. Suddenly the robot's eyes shut wide open as he releases a breath.
"What the…" the scavenger screams as he runs away, clearly scared of what he found.
Nightwing drives his N-Cycle into a tunnel. He hops off. Theres a door. He pulls out the hologram checking it's the correct place, he should be right where one of the entrances is.
"Let's end this" he says as he forces the door open.
He enters a hallway and starts walking through it.
Raven notices how there seems to be movement around the lair, the military all moving in different directions, they are preparing for something. She looks at Koma.
"Hey Komi" she calls.
Koma looks at her. "Call me Koma, my sister used to call me Komi."
"Aren't you worried about her?" Raven asks
"No, not exactly" Koma says as she turns around and walks away.
Raven looks around worried. "What is going on?" she asks.
"The fireworks" Koma answers.
Victor makes it to the underground lab at his mansion. He has all his parts back including his arms but barely into place. Struggling with each step he takes; he is in pain. He reaches the labs stretcher and lays down on it releasing a grunt. He presses a small button in his temple and the Max 7 chip is expelled. Victor grabs it and looks at it. Its all burned, like it was worn to the ground. He throws it away.
"Computer, get me lieutenant O'Hara, its urgent" he orders. He presses a few buttons on his control panel on his arms, a small flame coming out of right index finger. He starts wielding his arms back together,
A military is guarding down at the tunnels, as he turns around, he sees a raging Nightwing sprinting at him. Before he can react, the hero jumps and delivers a roundhouse kick to the face knocking him unconscious.
Another guard spots him and fires. Nightwing dodges them, moving like a shadow in the darkness, until reaching him. Two blows to the chest, elbow to the face and another kick to the face.
Six guards hear the shots and pile up behind the access door. They hear more shots and another guard screaming. Then, everything goes silent. They all raise their weapons waiting for the incoming attack. No sound, only their heartbeat. The door opens, the military automatically shoot firing countless bullets without even seeing anyone.
"Stop!" One of them yell.
They all stop firing. Silence again. Three smoke bombs come rolling up their feet instantly going off covering the hallway with smoke. Nightwing drops from the ceiling as he starts pummeling guard after guard, weapons involuntarily firing as their bodies go flying. All six guards lay unconscious. Nightwing continues.
Victor is at Jump City's police Station. A number of cops looking at him as he briefs them in the situation.
"With Raven in his power, who knows what he can do, we have to find them now" he informs.
The lieutenant nods. "I want cops in every block, don't let any possible hideout without checking, is it clear?" They all nod. "Go!" They all go to the exit, getting in their cars and driving to their assigned area. "Hope we find him" the lieutenant says to Victor.
Victor nods. "We better, in Raven's file it said that she was tested using gunpowder, oil, polyisobutylene…"
"All elements to making bombs" the lieutenant continues.
"Exactly, we must find where they could be combining them." Victor finishes as he turns around looking at the white board. He notices the investigation of the missing cement trucks.
Nightwing makes it to an opening where he is stopped by a blinding light to the eyes. He looks up at the upper levels, black military watching him, he also notices Raven with Koma and Jericho by her side. A big waterfall falling at the center.
"Tough day, Grayson?" a voice asks teasingly.
Nightwing looks right in front of him where Deathstroke is.
"Let's end this" he says as he takes away his esgrima sticks.
"No clever comment? I was looking forward to it" Deathstroke teases. He has a bo-staff in his hands.
They circle each other studying the other. Both having fought each other before but as Robin instead of Nightwing. Raven nervously looks at Nightwing.
Nightwing takes a step forward raising his esgrima stick but so does Deathstroke, their weapons clashing before leaning back again and back to studying their opponent. This would be a very even fight. They again meet in the middle, their weapons clashing, Deathstroke blocks Nightwing before leaning back and using the length of his bo-staff hitting him hard in the face.
Nightwing stumbles back, drop of blood pouring from his nose from the blow. He charges again throwing an avalanche of blows, Deathstroke manages to block each one, he attacks using his bo-staff horizontally, hits him first, but Nightwing blocks the second attempt, leaving both in a standstill, trying to overpower the other one.
"You are weak, Grayson" Deathstroke says he pushes forward. "Life out of Gotham has cost you."
Nightwing greets his teeth struggling against Deathstroke's strength. His sweeps his enemy feet and jumps back creating some separation. Before he can know what his happening, he receives a hard breaking-skull type kick to the face that send him backward to the floor. A dizzy look in his eyes as he gets up. Raven is suffering from above. Deathstroke slow walks up to him. Nightwing charges his esgrima sticks and runs up to the killer. Deathstroke blocks him with one arm and punches him with the other. Nightwing again goes to the floor.
Nightwing jumps up right in front of Deathstroke using the element of surprise, he tries to punch him but the villain catches his fist twisting it and delivers a punch of his own.
"You lack strength, you become predictable" Deathstroke says.
Nightwing answers back as he front flips positioning himself right behind him and manages to land a hit, but Deathstroke blocks the second one. "I wonder, what would you be without your jumping" he says as he steps hard on Nightwing's ankle. A crack sound echoes throughout the layer. The hero cries in pain as he staggers back.
He grabs three smoke bombs and throw them at Deathstroke who looks unimpressed, a smoke cloud forming around him. "Didn't Batman tell you? I also was trained by the league of shadows, molded by them… not by some circus brats" he finishes as Nightwing attacks him from behind, but he quickly turns around blocks the attack, punches him, grabs him by the hair and slam him hard to the ground. Deathstroke turns him around and continuously punches him in the face. Nightwing's face is swollen and covered in blood as he doesn't have the strength to react. His mask broken. The military watch in silence the spectacle, the only sound being Deathstroke's fist colliding with the hero's face.
Raven turns around, she can no longer watch this.
"You come to this city, preaching as if you were some kind of savior, but you are not, you are just a kid who thought he was a man, pathetic, trying to prove you were this great detective, you did exactly what I wanted." He says as he punches him one more time. Nightwing can barely breathe.
Deathstroke stops the beating. He takes off Nightwing's mask and throws it to the waterfall. He gets up. "Gun" he calls. One of his men throw him a gun. He grabs it, picks up Nightwing, grabs him by the throat and points the gun to his temple. He looks at Raven. "Here is your motivation." He signals to Jericho who shows her a map with eleven red dots marked around the city. "Each of them is a truck parked around the city, the materials are all inside, you only have to blow them…if you cooperate, I won't hurt him."
"Raven no" Nightwing manages to mumble through the pain. Deathstroke hits him as he holds him tighter. Raven can't decide.
"I won't do it" she says.
"Don't test me girl." Deathstroke says. Raven doesn't answer. "Have it your way" he says as he takes the safety off preparing to fire.
"Wait no!" Deathstroke smirks. "I will do it" she says as she gives up. She looks at Nightwing. "Sorry Nightwing" she says in shame.
"Raven no" the hero whispers.
Raven looks at the map, closes her eyes and focuses con the trucks.
Victor is at the police station; he notices someone arguing outside. He looks out. Is a cop arguing with a truck driver, besides him his cement truck.
"Look sir, you'll have to move your track, you can't leave it outside a police station" the cops says.
Victor's eyes widen. He looks back the board with the missing trucks. They are using trucks as bombs.
"Watch out!" he yells as he grabs the lieutenant and throws him to the ground positioning himself on top to protect him.
At that moment the cement truck goes off, the police station instantly in flames.
One of the military receives a message by radio.
"Police station is down" he informs. Deathstroke smirks. The rest of his men cheer. Jericho crosses the objective in the map.
At the city hall, the mayor is in his office looking through the window. A short man, with a bit of a belly, grey suit and glasses over his face. Two cops approach him from behind.
"Sir we have orders by lieutenant O'Hara to send you to a safe place."
The mayor turns around. "Nonsense, with election day so close, I can't be seen…" An explosion goes off at the city hall destroying the building.
Nightwing is still in Deathstroke's grasp. He looks at Raven.
"City hall is down" the military calls as they all cheer.
Raven is now floating her eyes glowing white as she focuses on her remaining objectives.
Garrison Slate exits Starlabs. He gets on his car when he notices a cement truck right in front.
Starlabs whole building and laboratory goes off with the explosion.
Mad Mod is at his bar playing pool with his thugs. With a smooth touch he manages to put the ball in the hall when the explosion goes off outside. Panicked he throws himself under a table before the whole bar explodes.
Raven's eyes stop glowing as she collapses on the ground. Koma helps her up.
"All eleven targets are down" the military informs. Jericho crosses the last of the dots. "The city is on flames."
Deathstroke looks at Raven and smiles. "That was all I needed."
Nightwing notices Deathstroke is distracted, he elbows him to the chest, takes the gun away and leans back creating some separation between the two. At that moment Deathstroke takes out one of his katanas and before Nightwing can react he stabs him in the chest. The hero's eyes widen as he looks at the blade in his chest, blood pouring out of it as he stumbles back.
"NO" Raven yells. "You said you wouldn't hurt him."
Deathstroke doesn't say anything. He just signals to Jericho who takes out a syringe and sticks it in Raven's neck. Her eyes start closing.
Deathstroke looks down at Nightwing who is struggling to breath. Using his boot, he pushes him down to the waterfall.
"The time of heroes is ending… loser" Deathstroke says as he looks at the waterfall. Nightwing's almost lifeless body disappears from sight. He looks at Jericho who comes to his side. "Prepare everything, we move to the next phase."