Chapter 55
It was 2AM when Deathstroke stepped out of the modified Cessna aircraft, he was wearing his armor with the mask removed, he had his hair cut close and had shaved his beard to a sharp, precise goatee, he was wearing a black patch over his missing right eye, he wasn't surprised when a man seemed to materialize from the shadows right in front of him.
The man, if you could still call it that, was covered from head to toe in lightweight body armor, though he wasn't wearing it rather it was melded to his decaying flesh, his black beady eyes stared at Slade past a curved bronze nose,
"Lead the way" Slade said, the Talon didn't speak, and he hadn't expected it to, it turned and walked towards a nearby jagged cliffside, Slade followed, the Talon made it a couple feet from the edge of the cliff and dropped down forward, it's hands wrapped around a metal valve handle that was concealed in the grass, it looked like it belonged on an old submarine, the Talon began to twist the valve, it pulled the hatch open and out of the way.
Slade stepped into the vertical tunnel, he dropped 30 feet before pressing his hands and feet to the walls, the steel toes of his boots sparked against the concrete walls, he came to a complete stop before dropping the finale 10 feet, he landed in a dimly lit cavern, the walls and ceiling were circular, it had originally been built under the pretense that it was going to be used as an extension of the sewer system, but had never actually been used that way, and that had never been the real intention, that was just what the construction workers were told, and then they disappeared, its actual purpose was to be a meeting hall for 1 of the largest cults in the world, a cult that had built and controlled many cities across the world.
Once the tunnel was finished it was closed off, sealed completely making it impossible to tell that it had ever been there, the image of an owl had been meticulously carved into stone outsets in the walls that were exactly 2 feet apart from each other, the water channel had been filled with dark red bricks, creating an obvious walkway, Slade walked down the cavern and came to a large set of foot thick double doors paneled with worn steel, and decorated with bronze, forged into swirls, and owls, and trees, on either side of the door stood a man wearing a grey suit, and a glossy white mask depicting the features of an owl, as Slade approached the doors both men stepped closer to their respective door, twisted the bronze door handle, and pulled them open.
Slade stepped into the large dimly lit room, it was a circular room with a large pit in the center, and tiered rings with black benches surrounding it, each row a foot above the last, opposite the double doors, near the center of the rings sat a black and bronze throne overlooking the pit, a large bronze owl with outstretched wings sat on top of the back of the throne,
"Hello Mister Wilson" Slade turned to see a woman walking toward him around the top of the rings, she was wearing a black, floor length dress, with a neck line scooping low between her breasts, she had dark hair that cascaded over her bare shoulders, and framed a matte white mask, with identical features to the guards outside the doors,
"I don't believe we've met" Slade said, the woman's eyes stayed blank behind the slits in the mask,
"We have met, it was just before my former being ascended" Slade nodded,
"You're the new voice then?" He offered a slight bow of his head, she didn't correct him.
"Follow me, we have business to discuss" The Voice led Slade around the outer layers of the circle to a narrow hallway cut into the stone wall, concealed by the shadows, she pushed an old, solid wooden door with faded carvings of owls etched into its surface, the room it lead to was large and dimly lit, massive maps were stretched over ever wall, and intricate 3d maps were set up on large concrete tables, The Voice weaved between the tables and came to a large 3d map of Metropolis city,
"The Court has been attempting to get a choke hold on Metropolis for over a century now, back before Superman showed up we had a few seeds planted, but we thought we had more time, and while we were waiting Superman uprooted those seeds by complete accident, his death seemed to provide a new opportunity to replant, and we didn't waste time putting a few pieces in place, however the TItans showed up far too quickly, we sent a team to test them, and the results were valuable, but their presence will poses serious concerns" She explained,
"Because of the connections to the Bat?" Slade said, The Voice began tracing a finger through the streets of Metropolis,
"That is part of the problem, but those 2 are merely a fraction of the issue, you see they now employ the daughter of a shadow, and we can't be certain how much she knows, Garfield Logan, is also a member of their team, we don't think he's even sure what exactly he knows, but even the ignorant might be able to put things together if given the chance, and there's Rachel Roth" Slade raised an eyebrow,
"That whole thing was pretty sloppy for the court" He said, a question in his voice, The Voice shook her head,
"It wasn't the court, Blood had her, but we keep an eye on such situations, and the situation has gotten to a point that could be inconvenient to all of us" Slade nodded,
"So you just want me to knock 'em all off, get the problem out of your way?" He asked,
"No, the court wants it dealt with more carefully, we want an example made of them, in fact it's far better that 1 or 2 of the weaker ones are left alive as a warning to anybody else who might get it in their minds to be heroic" The Voice explained,
"What's the timetable?" Slade asked, The Voice placed her finger on the small replica of the Titan Tower,
"We have waited over a hundred years, so take as long as you need to ensure their destruction" Slade smiled,
"Then it's time we talk pricerang."
10 minutes later Slade was back on the Cessna in the air, he sat silently until the plane was steady,
"William" He said, William twisted around in the co-pilots,
"What is it sir?"He asked, Slade was checking that the money had transferred, he smiled,
"Where is the little princess right now?" He asked,
"Florida, on a contract" William answered,
"When's the job due?" Slade asked,
"It has to be completed by the end of the week, but she plans on executing it tomorrow morning, she said you promised her she could take the rest of week off in Florida, if she finished early, and correctly" William said, his voice had an undertone of disdain,
"Then I guess I'll call her in the morning."