Daniel Carter/Sentinel-32 Yrs-Coast City
The moon had reached the apex of the sky for a while now, as midnight had come and was passing. I stepped closer to a piece of industrial property which was purchased by some no name industrialist which was found missing a head earlier this morning. Tracking the clues all the way here, the end of the road...lies just inside those industrial doors. News reports had been plagued by stories of a copy cat killer pretending to be Deathstroke. But I know his style, I know his tastes...and after twelve years of fighting the same man. I know him. He is very much alive, and even in my prison stripes, I managed to track him down. However, it was quite easy, when I enter this place. I am expecting Deathstroke to be expecting me. I walked through the doors, pushing them aside as my chains dragged against the cold concrete. This place has not been used in some time, but up ahead I could see the glow of computer equipment. And in a seat with his back facing me, sat Deathstroke, lightly tossing a combat knife in his right palm. His voice echoed throughout the wide walls.
"I knew you would find me, eventually. However, my point has been proven." He then stood up, now firmly holding the blade in his right hand as he took several steps closer to me, but still we were separated by a wide margin.
"You and I Daniel....we are not so different. You have spent more than a decade trying to convince yourself that you are better than I. And in minutes, I tore it all down. You have finally seen, that when the chips are down. You will steal life just as I do. Face it Daniel...those stripes suit you." I could feel Slade staring me down from behind his mask, expecting my facial expression to change somewhat. Some evidence that he is getting in my head. But my visage remained as stone. And his own was shrouded in shadows, speaking to where I could not clearly see him.
Until I finally broke the silence.
"Slade, this game is over. Our history ends tonight." He actually seemed pleased with the news.
"So, you have finally abandoned your crusade as a failed hero I take it? That will make things far more interesting." He finally said, stepping into the light and revealing his new armor.
I then closed my eyes, as I explained myself.
"No, I wont kill you. But do not confuse this, I want to. My hand is shaking with anticipation of digging this knife into you. But then, I go back to prison. Sentinel is not facing you now. Daniel is, but as much as I would relish it, your death serves me no purpose. Alive, my name is clean. And I can return to my own family." My eyes then shot open and I threw my fists out in front of me, entering a fighting stance.
"But alive is such a vague term, dont you think Slade? For example, a man can have no hands nor eyes and still be alive. Ready to lose the other one?" I taunted, Deathstroke did not take the bait. He threw down his weapons, the assault rifles, grenades and firearms all hit the dust covered floor, not out of rage, but out of a desire to settle the matter once and for all....which between us was the better of the other.
No more verbal jabs were traded, Deathstroke hurled his combat knife at me, I countered by throwing the stone I had carried with me, each projectile collided in mid air as we both shot forward at olympic level speeds. But, Deathstroke was faster, not simply due to his enhanced speed, but my own legs are chained together, limiting my movement.
Slade swept in front of me, delivering a powerful frontal heel kick, backed by more than sent me flying to the brutal pavement with more than 2,000 lbs of force. I could hear the sounds of several of my ribs snapping, as I was sprawled across the ground. Blood seeped from my mouth, as Deathstroke did not miss a single moment. However, neither did I and I swept up from beneath him and lifted him into a double leg take down. Forcing me to lift his body, far heavier due to his armor, and applying pressure to my recent injuries that I do not need, I roared in pain as I then threw his armored body back to the ground with the combined forces of my throw, gravity and his own acceleration due to his weight and armor, he smashed into the pavement hard enough to leave a small indenture in the concrete, causing some pretty massive head damage.
I then seamlessly began to wrap my legs around him and place his right calf in a calf crushing move. Immediately threatening to apply enough force to remove the use of a normal man's leg for the rest of his life, but Deathstroke will heal in time. Although not fast enough to save him. But the assassin did not panic, he swiftly pulled a pistol from his holster and fired several rounds above us, severing a chain which was suspending iron bars directly above us, attempting to crush me beneath them, I was forced to release the hold and roll out from under the falling iron weights.
The seconds was just what Slade needed. I threw myself up, and attempted to keep up the momentum in my favor, as I made a strong and quick right jab at Slade, he blocked the attack and struck at my eyes, blinding me, from there I could feel his armored hands clutch my skull, as he jerked my head violently and raked my face across a wall after slamming my face into the stone. Blood painted the wall as he drug my head like a cheese grater threw three powerful knee kicks into my chest, striking intentionally where I was already wounded, causing immense pain as my insides lit on fire.
Having few choices to break the grip on me, I threw out several elbow strikes in a backward motion, slamming my elbow just short of his throat. From my lower position and inability to gain leverage, it wont cause serious harm, but will interrupt his hold. Using four solid strikes, I slammed my right elbow into his upper chest, forcing him to stumble back, while I then stood up and turned around to face him, but the man recovered to quickly. And once more grabbed me, literally dragging me by the neck and slamming me down upon a work bench, holding me down with one hand, he used the other to activate a power saw, with which he intended to use as a guillotine. The sickening whirring sound reached my ears as he slammed the saw right atop my neck, stopped only by me raising both of my own hands and using my steel chains to shew the saw of the blade.
Burning sparks scorched my face but I pushed back against the blade and threw a powerful kick into him, sending him falling backwards. Throwing myself back onto my own feet, I opted for a move almost unique to Muay Thai and blitzed toward Slade as fast as I could, using the power of my legs to deliver the flying knee strike, using my knee as a spear, I almost broke my knee cap smashing it into the armored chest plate of an assassin. But the attack had achieved it's goal with the force of hitting him with a sludge hammer, throwing Slade back into hands reach of his own weapons, which he had dropped at the beginning of the fight.
Now irritated of the battle, Slade shot his single eye to his modified shotgun, scooping it up and holding it outstretched with a single hand, ready to kill me here and end everything, as his finger slowly constricted on the trigger.
"You lose...Daniel."
I instinctively slapped his wrist and began to disarm him, by using the barrel of the shotgun as a lever, It was not a difficult matter of robbing Slade of his weapon. And with control of it in my own hands, I held the weapon with both hands and aimed lower to my target, and at point blank ranges, I fired the weapon right into his left knee, the shot shattering sound exploding off the walls as Slade screamed in pain, I swiftly aimed the gun at his other knee, repeating the process. Stealing Slade's ability to stand at all. Then, delivered a swift round house kick straight into his chest, laying the wounded assassin down flat on his back as I now stood over him.
The silence settled in quickly, as I bent down lower, and removed his mask, looking him dead in the eyes. Filled with unrestrained hatred of me, and of himself...for not killing me here today.
"It's over Slade." I announced, as blood seeped from his armor and soaked the pavement around him, I rose just in time to see the authorities arrive. Finally responding to the 'Anonymous Tip' I sent them.
Breaking through the doors, they flowed into the room like wasps, as they surrounded Deathstroke. Several of them met my own gaze, as I allowed myself to fall on my own butt, too exhausted from the fight to stand any longer.
As I sat there and observed the officers take Slade into custody, no doubt ensuring he would receive medical attention I could not help but smile past my blood stained face.
With the end of Deathstroke's freedom, my own freedom would be restored.
