"Give up, Renegade. You have no chance of victory against the Order personified." spoke Dr. Fate solemnly.
Renegade, not knowing the instincts of self-preservation and preferring death to surrender or escape, straightened his back and sent him a smirk. "I've always hated order: you should see the state of my room."
The next thing he knew he was staring directly at a dozen Dr. Fate clones, all of them ready to attack him.
"Dude, I was joking."
The assassin drew both swords just as all the copies of the sorcerer teleported around him. He rolled dodging an energy sphere and slashed out, stabbing the first copy of Dr. Fate who disappeared. He turned sharply and quickly moved both swords, deflecting more magical attacks.
His body began to move automatically and he swung his swords left and right, attacking and defending with fluid, instinctive moves. Adrenaline began to flow through every fiber of his being as he began skewering Dr. Fate's copies like skewers, dodging their attacks thanks to his superhuman reflexes and instincts or blocking and deflecting them thanks to his extraordinary skills with swords.
His every move was automatically dictated by his true self, his instincts, which he kept at bay almost always simply for the good of all.
The most dangerous, lethal, deadly and efficient weapon in the world he was.
Renegade slid to his knees, ducking under a construct of energy, and soared over the head of Dr. Fate's copy, swinging his swords down as he was somersaulting in midair and stabbing them into the copy's head, which immediately dissolved. He landed easily on his feet, realizing at once that that was the last copy, and shifted his gaze to what had to be the real sorcerer who was staring at him with a tilted head.
"Admirable. Fascinating. A simple meta-human who was able to take down dozens of my copies easily."
The acrobat's chest warmed at the surprisingly praiseworthy tone of the powerful sorcerer.
"However, you will not emerge victorious from this battle."
Renegade stiffened when he saw Dr. Fate disappear and strained his enhanced hearing to the maximum, ready to pick up any sound. He stood still for a few seconds but could not hear even the smallest of noises when he suddenly got a bad impression and looked up sharply.
It was too late.
A ray of energy swept through him completely and Renegade found himself thrown far away until he slammed his back hard against the alley wall. However, the sorcerer's blow was such that the assassin felt as if his whole body was on fire and he gritted his teeth hard, his grip on the swords tightening even more.
The Promethium chain mail of my armor should have absorbed the energy of his magic attack but apparently his magic is simply too strong and, in general, irrational.
The Talon looked up and saw the magic user darting with immense speed toward him. He leapt to the side, dodging just in time the sorcerer's fist that created a definitely frightening hole in the alley wall, and the mercenary took advantage of the defenses left open by stabbing Dr. Fate's right side with one of the swords that broke through his layer of armor while simultaneously striking his right knee with a violent kick.
Dr. Fate fell to his knees on the ground, blood beginning to gush from his wound, and the next thing Renegade knew he flew to the other side of the alley until his head hit the wall so hard and violently that his vision blurred. He fell crouching to the ground with an involuntary grunt and squinted, trying to see past the fog that blurred his vision.
Not even a second passed when a sharp pain exploded in his stomach. Thanks to his practically infinite tolerance of pain, Renegade merely blinked and lowered his gaze, watching in surprise at his own sword that had previously skewered the sorcerer but had now passed through the layer of his own armor to pierce his stomach.
Obviously the Promethium chain mail of his sword would have pierced through the same material as his armor.
Eh, at least Dr. Fate gave me my sword back.
Dark blood began to accumulate in the mouth of the young man who spat it out as he drew his sword from his copiously bleeding wound, twirling it deftly along with the other.
Fortunately, Dick had been trained to fight in virtually any condition, no matter how many mortal wounds he sustained: he was literally capable of fighting for days on end without ever stopping for a single second with so many serious and mortal wounds increasing and healing thanks to his healing factor.
The Court of Owls had made sure of that.
Renegade clinked his swords with each other, metallic noise spreading, and narrowed his gaze toward his opponent floating inches above the ground, his hand brought to his right side previously wounded by Deathstroke's former apprentice.
His wound will heal in no time as well as mine and we will be back to square one. No matter how hard I try, his magic is simply too strong. If I prolong this battle, not only will he have a better chance of defeating me and capturing me with his magic but I also risk some other heroes awakening from their wounds and joining him.
I must find a way to end the battle as soon as possible. Dr. Fate has no real weakness, though, so how the hell can I defeat him? And I can't even shoot him with a tranquilizer like I did with Zatanna: his armor covers him completely.
The mercenary continued to stare at his opponent when his gaze fell on his helmet. An idea immediately blossomed in him and he gave a mental smirk.
It is worth a try.
He quickly stowed his swords and his hands snapped toward his utility belt. He noticed Dr. Fate suddenly disappear and he threw the smoke grenades to the ground, hiding amidst the smoke that quickly began to expand.
The sorcerer appeared amid the smoke and with his magic dissolved it easily, finding that there was no trace of the mercenary. He looked around carefully and his hands began to glow, ready to launch a magical attack as soon as he caught a glimpse of the assassin's figure. For a few seconds there was nothing but a tense silence when suddenly Dr. Fate turned sharply, creating a magical shield in front of him that blocked a shuriken. He closed his eyes behind his helmet, recognizing the attack with which Renegade had knocked down both Zatanna's magic a short time before and Green Lantern's barrier in the previous battle, and anticipating the blinding light that would come out of the shuriken to stun him.
Except he perceived no change or any revealing sound and stiffened when he suddenly felt unknown hands place themselves on his helmet, which was quickly removed. Dr. Fate's armor disappeared and revealed the surprised and disbelieving figure of Nelson Kent who blinked confusedly and turned away, meeting the shit-eating grin of Renegade who was holding the Helmet of Fate in his hands.
"H-how-"
"Did you really think I would make such a predictable move? Please: unpredictability is my middle name." Renegade teased him with an eerie chuckle that sent shivers of fear down the now helpless old man's spine. "I honestly didn't think the plan to take off your helmet would work but I'm glad it did."
The next thing Nelson knew, a fist collided violently against his face, sending him crashing to the ground and straight into the darkness of unconsciousness.
Renegade placed the Helmet of Fate next to Nelson Kent's unconscious figure and frowned. "I hope I didn't hit him too hard. Elders are very fragile, even though the said elder has been Dr. Fate for a good part of his life." he said casually, noting distractedly that in the meantime his serious stomach wound had completely healed.
After putting back the normal shuriken he had thrown that served as a distraction, the antihero's body suddenly stiffened and he looked up suddenly, noticing that Red Tornado was flying toward him. He made a few backflips, dodging the tornadoes thrown by the android, and began to type rapidly on his holographic glove.
I hope Red Tornado is not here to take revenge for its siblings.
His attention was split halfway between keeping an eye on Red Tornado and hacking the hero, merely dodging any attacks coming from it. It took him about 30 seconds to figure out how to bypass the android's security systems and another 20 seconds to disable it. He watched with a triumphant grin as Red Tornado's figure became immobilized before beeping and then falling dead weight to the ground, deactivated.
Red Tornado should be out of the picture for just over an hour.
After casting a brief glance around the alley at the unconscious figures of Batman, Dr. Fate, Shazam, Hawkgirl and Red Tornado, the acrobat shot the grappling hook upward and seconds after the short flight landed on a rooftop. He looked around, staring self-satisfied at the other numerous downed heroes.
Green Lantern. Hawkman. Aquaman. Black Canary. Zatanna. Green Arrow.
And there were also, of course, Superman, The Flash and Martian Manhunter shot down in the house of the fake corrupt politician who actually did not exist at all.
The assassin's smirk disappeared when he realized something quite important.
Wait a moment: it's missing-
Renegade turned sharply, blocking the sword strike thanks to the spikes. His eyes lit up behind the mask and he cast a bright smile at the newcomer. "Princess! I'm so happy to see you again!"
Wonder Woman scowled, her lips drooping and she emitted a snarl in an attempt to overpower him with her much greater strength than the youngest. "Stop calling me Princess!"
The mercenary did a backflip and then literally danced around the fist thrown by her. "More likely the Joker will win the Nobel Peace Prize!" he chuckled, merely dodging her subsequent blows.
The Amazon stopped herself from attacking, realizing immediately that the second best assassin in the world would merely play defense to tease and irritate her, and her eyes fluttered briefly over the figures of all her teammates who were defeated by the boy in front of her. Her gaze immediately returned to Renegade, fearing that he would take advantage of the very brief moment in which her defenses had been left open, but instead to her surprise she found him standing still with his head tilted to the side, his masked eyes aimed at her with such intensity that it was a miracle if she kept herself from shuddering.
"How the hell is it possible that you, a mere meta-human, could single-handedly take down practically the entire Justice League? Including some of the strongest beings in the universe like Superman, Flash and Dr. Fate? For the second time?" she asked in a snarl that hid her real exasperation and surprise.
"It's a side effect of being raised to be the most dangerous, lethal, deadly and efficient weapon in the world."
Wonder Woman did not like his indifferent, impassive voice at all, and unconsciously her grip on the sword tightened slightly.
She would have disputed his statement, probably deeming it arrogant and blusterous, if it weren't for the fact that her mind came to the horrifying realization that yes, maybe he was damn right.
Everything she had learned about Renegade, combined with her personal testimony of what he was really capable of by always holding back a lot -both beating the entire JL twice on his own and slaughtering the Red Sharks- contributed to an image that was becoming a little clearer in her own eyes.
That is, the fact that Renegade was truly the greatest threat existing on the face of the Earth.
Without giving any telltale signs of her next attack Wonder Woman quickly sprinted toward the mercenary, her sword lowering toward him.
Now her attack would be successful in the vast majority of cases because of her divine speed and strength and her training as the best and deadliest Amazon in existence: that and the fact that any opponent would be caught off guard and thus caught unprepared for her attack.
But not Renegade.
Really, Diana was not too surprised when she met strong resistance and when the metallic sound of splintering blades resounded loudly.
It was as if Renegade's body had moved automatically and of itself, as if the mercenary had grabbed one of the two swords without really even thinking about it for half a second and then blocked her attack.
As if his body was a machine always on extreme alert, moving with automatic and instinctive movements, fluid and perfect and flawless and equally lethal and deadly.
His reflexes were not only decidedly superhuman but the demigoddess dared to say they were practically divine.
The only ones she could think of who would dodge that attack of hers were Superman, Flash, Shazam and Dr. Fate. Not even Batman, who was often mistaken as a meta-human because of all his skills and abilities, would have been able to dodge it.
Yet Renegade blocked her strike as if it were an easy thing.
It was honestly very scary.
"Are you seriously analyzing me right now?"
Renegade's amused voice snapped her to attention, noticing only at this moment that she had remained motionless while yet had unconsciously attempted to overwhelm him.
The other thing the princess of Themyscira quickly noticed was that the distance between their faces was not that much. Although they were not so close, they were still a little too close for her liking.
With her heart beating fast in her chest -it was definitely from the adrenaline from the fight!- Wonder Woman stepped back a few steps, establishing a safe distance from her opponent. Renegade lowered his sword to a more relaxed position as he tilted his head, a smirk beginning to form between his lips.
"Your heart is beating fast. More than normal. It used to be constant but now it's not. I don't think it's simply adrenaline, you know." Renegade gave a dazzling, seductive smirk.
The Amazon did not give him time to say any other such bullshit and attacked him again with a fierce snarl. Renegade parried her attack again and tried to hit her with a kick to the chest that she dodged by twisting her body to the side. She charged him with more sword blows but the mercenary merely dodged them all, even going so far as to place his sword on his back.
"Don't just be defensive! Fight for real!" Wonder Woman growled annoyed, her Amazon pride hurt by the fact that it was obvious her opponent was going easy on her.
Never mind that he had just beaten virtually the entire Justice League single-handedly without even being too serious, she wanted a fair fight!
The assassin sent her a dazzling smile and the demigoddess swore that he had just winked at her from behind his mask. "Your wish is my command, Princess!"
It all happened in the space of not even a second.
In one moment the Amazon launched another attack on her opponent and the next instant she found herself lying on the ground.
Renegade had blocked the blade directed at his face with both palms placed with full force on both ends of the sword and subsequently swept her legs. His opponent fell with a grunt to the ground as a metallic clang resounded, her sword falling away from her.
It all happened so fast that even the demigoddess had not expected it and she blinked, effectively surprised once again by the boy in front of her and, in this case, by his speed of attack.
The next thing she knew was a massive weight above her stomach that made her grunt in pain again. She opened her eyes again and her breathing abruptly stopped when she met Renegade's masked face so close to hers.
"It's really true when they say you can't appreciate a view unless you see it up close. And let me tell you, any kind of view pales in comparison to your beauty, Princess."
What the fuck?
Wonder Woman felt her face practically burn, despite the fact that she tried in vain to fight the strong blush that had surely covered her cheeks.
Her fierce Amazon pride was suffering, damn it.
Her whole body was stiffer than a statue and she shivered when his warm breath fell softly on her face. She moved instinctively and pushed him forcefully away from her with both hands, her face contorted into a fierce, embarrassed snarl.
In midair Renegade twisted his body backward and landed crouched on the ground, then rising to his full height and sending her an amused smirk. "You still haven't answered my question from our first meeting: are you single, Princess?"
"Once again: my life is none of your business!" Wonder Woman snarled irritated and annoyed, hurtling at her full speed toward him.
Only to freeze on the spot when suddenly her body was wrapped tightly by her own lasso of truth.
Again.
The demigoddess groaned inwardly.
This is simply embarrassing and humiliating.
Apparently Renegade, during her previous hesitation that had lasted not even a full second, had still managed to take advantage of that very brief moment of time to steal the lasso of truth from her without her even noticing because of her daze caused by the too short distance between their faces.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Princess."
The mercenary's voice drew her attention to him and she gave him a flat look. "My pride is hurt by the fact that in our two fights you defeated me the same way, using my own lasso against me. It's quite humiliating, you know." she drawled sarcastically.
He chuckled and Diana was briefly surprised: it was not his usual creepy giggle that scared anyone but it was a laugh of genuine amusement. The sound was so warm and light that it actually surprised her but she had no time to think about it when he spoke.
"It could have been worse, you know."
Wonder Woman rolled her blue eyes. "Enlighten me."
"I could have forced you to reveal your deepest, most embarrassing secrets that you will surely never reveal to anyone." he stated casually, pointing to her lasso.
And Diana...
Diana actually had never thought about it, not even the other time.
She stiffened and ice began to run through her veins as she realized the power Renegade held over her at this moment: not only would she find herself forced to reveal her deepest and most embarrassing secrets to him but also every secret of the Justice League and its members and every piece of information from the Watchtower.
Although apparently, judging by his words, Renegade was not very interested in the latter things.
Maybe because one way or another he already knew the vital information about the Watchtower and the JL.
In any case Wonder Woman was screwed because at that moment she was completely at the mercy of the world's second best assassin who could have done anything to her and forced her to say anything without her being able to do anything to stop him.
She was completely helpless and it terrified her more than anything else.
As if Renegade had read her mind, or more likely her body language that screamed stiffness, terror and barely concealed panic, he visibly softened and gave her a genuine affectionate and comforting smile that briefly stirred her stomach in a not unpleasant way. "Don't worry, Princess. I have no intention of forcing you to say or do anything."
Relief completely overwhelmed her and unconsciously she relaxed at his words, trusting for some strange reason his unusually serious tone that she thought was sincere. She had many questions to ask him but the only one was: "Why?"
Renegade tightened his lips into a frown, clearly fighting with himself and probably pondering what to say and not to say, and then let out a sigh so weary that he looked as if he had aged 30 years in a matter of seconds. "I'm just saying that free will is one of the things I hold most dear."
Wonder Woman felt something negative move in her chest at the implications of the younger man's words. She licked her lips nervously and gave herself mental strength for her next question. "Did someone deny you your free will, forcing you to do things you didn't want to do?" she asked, surprising even herself at the gentle, caring and sweet tone of her voice.
At first Renegade had been mesmerized by her tongue passing over her lips, grateful that the mask hid the movement of his eyes, but then he visibly stiffened at her question. He then gave another tired, deep sigh, fiddling absentmindedly with her lasso. "I think you've figured out the answer by now." he finally stated after seconds of hesitation, sending her a bitter, wry smile.
It was as if a heavy boulder had settled in the Amazon's chest, making her forget for a brief moment even how to breathe. She was immediately overwhelmed by a strong compassion for the assassin because, no matter that Renegade was the second deadliest and most dangerous mercenary in the world, he was still too young.
Martian Manhunter's words regarding the so much pain, suffering and darkness that he briefly read into the mind of the anti-hero flashed through her mind and she felt her heart tighten painfully.
Diana did not know who was behind Renegade's mask nor what he was forced to endure and go through but she was quite certain that he experienced so much pain and suffering that no one, especially not one so young -Hera, how old was he when he suffered so much if he was now still only seventeen?- should have suffered.
In this regard fragments of the mercenary's speeches returned to the surface of her mind, recalling them with lucid clarity despite the amount of time that had passed.
"I have always lived in a nasty darkness and always will."
"I want to prevent everything that happened to me from happening to others."
"I have personally witnessed things that I would not wish on even my worst enemy."
"You do not know true suffering. You don't know real pain.If you went through just five percent of what I went through, you would already be dead."
Wonder Woman forced herself to ignore the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside her and fixed Renegade with a firm but gentle gaze. "Was it Deathstroke who hurt you so much?
Renegade felt his knees weaken at Wonder Woman's amazing bright blue eyes that stared at him with such intensity but he froze at her words. He opened his mouth, ready with a vehement denial and to defend his father, but then snapped it shut when he remembered the cover story he and Slade had concocted with the Light.
I don't want to lie to Wonder Woman but it's also risky to reveal the truth to her. If I tell her that Slade is a fantastic father, it would create the risk that this news would first spread to the world of heroes and then reach the ears of the villains. And while it's true that we could always say that this is just part of the thick web of lies to deceive the heroes... I still fear for Slade. I can't risk putting him in such a difficult position. But still, I can't lie to my lifelong crush.
However, if she kept this information to herself it would be another matter...
Renegade stared back at her, reflecting the enormous seriousness he felt in that moment. "I will tell you the truth as long as you keep that information to yourself. You must not tell anyone, not even your teammates."
Wonder Woman hesitated, reluctant to not share information that might be vital to discovering the identities of Earth's two most dangerous mercenaries, but she soon remembered the situation she currently found herself in and decided she would accept.
She owed it to him for not forcing her to say anything or do anything without her being able to do something to escape.
Surely any other criminal, both the most dangerous and the most common, would have seized the opportunity and would have harmed her in the worst possible ways.
Especially at the level of sexual violence.
The mere thought made her feel nauseous and it was only her training as a ferocious Amazon that allowed her not to vomit on the spot.
However Renegade was a totally different story.
Not only would he never, ever violate her body in such an atrocious, horrible, inhumane and disgusting way but he, on both occasions when he incapacitated her with her own lasso, never laid a hand on her and on her body -that is, he did not easily beat her to a pulp when any other criminal would have paid gold to do both that and rape her- nor did he show any interest in forcing her to reveal anything he wanted to know from her and could use against her of her and the whole JL.
It was obvious that Renegade was no ordinary criminal -and it would be an insult to his dignity and professionalism to even think of such a comparison- but that he sincerely wanted to do good in the world, albeit with his legally wrong methods.
On a moral level, however, it was a completely different story and depended on the life philosophy of each individual and, as far as she was concerned, they shared a similar thought on how to treat the worst criminals.
All this did nothing but be the confirmation that Diana unconsciously needed and that she finally found.
That is, that Renegade was a good person and that he would never hurt an innocent, despite all the pain he had suffered, and that he exploited the darkness that surrounded him with the sole purpose of eliminating the worst scum in the world that no one would miss, making the Earth a better place.
"I won't tell anyone. You have my word." Wonder Woman promised solemnly, infusing her tone of voice with as much sincerity as possible.
Renegade watched her for a few seconds and the demigoddess allowed him to read her as if she were an open book, wanting and desiring fiercelyfor him to know that he could trust her. Finally he nodded and gave her a small smile. "Deathstroke has never hurt me and never would. Believe me when I tell you that he would rather shoot himself in the balls than hurt me."
A surprised and amused giggle escaped the lips of the princess of Themyscira, surprising herself, and the sound was literally music to the ears for the Talon whose smile expanded unconsciously.
"He saved me." Renegade admitted, getting the superheroine's full attention. "He saved me in every possible way. Especially mentally and emotionally. He took care not only of my training but also and above all of my dignity as a human being. He saved me. And he did this when he had no reason to do so. He's the best father I could have asked for." he stated slowly with a sweet and genuine smile.
The Amazon could do nothing but smile. It was truly adorable to watch the way Renegade idolized his father who was clearly one of his main role models and points of reference.
Even if said father was literally the best assassin in the world.
At least that served as confirmation to allay her deepest fears about whether or not Deathstroke abused his now former apprentice.
And after these words, the answer to this question was obvious.
Although surprisingly she didn't expect Deathstroke to be such a great father from the Renegade point of view, even though his brother was killed precisely because he was a mercenary like their father.
Diana had so many questions to ask, so many questions she wanted to answer but she knew Renegade most likely wouldn't answer her, so she just smiled. "I will carry your words with me to my grave."
The mercenary chuckled. "There's no need to be so dramatic but thank you."
The two exchanged a real and genuine smile and for a few seconds it was as if they fell into a world where there were only the two of them, as if time had stopped and as if the Earth had stopped spinning, focusing exclusively on the superheroine and the anti-hero.
That was the precise moment when for the first time mutual understanding and mutual trust was established within them.
Renegade trusted Wonder Woman with both having mentioned his free will which was denied to him and with important information about Deathstroke which portrayed him as a good father, trusting that the Amazon would not reveal it to anyone, just as Wonder Woman has trusted Renegade that he would never, ever seriously hurt her, the other Justice League heroes or any innocent person in any way.
This represented the starting point of the foundation that would solidify the beginning of their strange relationship which was primarily based on mutual respect and trust, despite the fact that they were on opposite sides of the law.
Neither of them knew exactly how long they had been smiling at each other -and this quite disconcerted the Talon since he prided himself on always being aware of the situation- but the magical moment was broken when Renegade noticed what was happening, then embarrassedly looked away in such a way that Wonder Woman couldn't have glimpsed the heavy blush that stood out clearly on his pale skin.
Dick felt like his cheeks were on fire, damn it!
The assassin took a deep breath to compose himself and, once he was sure that the damned blush had diminished, he returned his attention to the Amazon. "That time has come, Princess."
Her smile faded when Renegade sent her a meaningful and almost apologetic look despite the mask and she let out a sigh. "Okay, hurry up." she grumbled in displeasure.
Renegade chuckled as he moved forward, circling until he was behind Wonder Woman. "I'll be as kind as last time."
Unbeknownst to him a small smile materialized on the demigoddess's face, despite her attempts to fight it.
I know.
That was an unconscious thought that initially shocked Wonder Woman herself but she quickly accepted it as previously established.
And the speed of this acceptance didn't bother her at all, on the contrary.
The princess of Themyscira couldn't stop a shiver from running down her spine when Renegade, with gentle and soft movements exactly like the first time, brushed her hair aside. Her breath came out slightly shaky as his gloved hand gently settled between her neck and shoulder.
"You are not evil, Renegade." Wonder Woman suddenly blurted out, shocking herself. She barely felt his hand stiffen on her skin and, as if someone had pressed a button that kept her from stopping, she continued. "Despite all your killing, despite all your brutality and violence and dangerousness and lethality, you are a good person. It is honorable how you are managing to make the Earth a better place with your own ways and philosophy of life. Don't let anyone make you believe otherwise. I mean it."
Diana didn't know where the hell all this was coming from but she felt like she was obligated to confess it to him, as if the mercenary should know.
Almost as if it were a sort of blessing on her part encouraging him to continue, without ever stopping for any reason.
Wonder Woman could feel his figure behind her emanating surprise, shock and rigidity and she barely held back a giggle.
It was the first time she had witnessed a Renegade completely surprised and taken aback, even though she couldn't actually see him.
Damn, she really would have paid gold to see his expression, no matter the mask.
Renegade recovered quickly enough and unconsciously his thumb rubbed her skin tenderly, sending a shiver down Wonder Woman's spine as she swallowed thickly at the sensation. When he spoke, his voice was a whisper and much softer, gentler and more grateful than she had ever heard from him.
"Thank you, Diana."
The last coherent thought that crossed the demigoddess's mind before Renegade pressed the pressure points, sending her into the darkness of unconsciousness, was not at all about the issue of Renegade knowing her civilian identity, an issue she should be very worried about but that for some reason she had never been for a very long time, that is, since she received the gerberas, but it was completely different:
It's the first time he hasn't called me Princess.