Post by Green Lantern on Feb 11, 2016 4:59:57 GMT -5
Dinah was in Cleveland of all places when she got a call. It was Rick. He was a good friend and trained her in how to fix almost any kind of engine. He was a quirky old bird and his little Mr Miagi lessons on being able to diagnose an engine in a glance or a sound had been helpful as she got nvolved more cases and mysteries as she travelled across the country, helping her catch little details others missed. He was a good buddy of her mentor and second father Ted Grant. Ted was a family friend and army buddy of her dad. When her dad was killed being a hero on his patrol, the stress and raw emotion awoke a family secret within her and she blew out one of the walls as she wailed in grief. Ted stepped in and cared for her, taught her how to fight and control her destructive voice. Which made Rick's call even more bittersweet.
"Hey kid, I would love to chit chat with you and catch up on things but Ted is in a lot of trouble and I need your help. I can't talk any sense into him...." and so that is how Dinah found herself fighting a 12 foot tall behemoth of a man whose body took every blow like he was rubber. Dinah always loved being in the ring, and often took part in competitions as a prize fighter. But, this... this was something else. Underground meta human fights. Ted had gotten into them to prove himself again, and he couldn't seem to get enough of them, his gym was falling apart. And Rick hadn't seen him in months. and these fights were known death matches... he was gonna get himself killed! It took some finagaling and connections and some help from Rick's not so legal connections, but she was in. When she was able to take a bodyguard who could turn into a demon down and use her Canary Cry to knock him into a wall, she was in! She saw Ted once or twice and kept ignoring her or telling her to go home. So he left her no choice. Fight her way to meet him in a fight. and being as stubborn as her mother and nearly as stubborn as Ted himself, she was slowly working her way there. It was amazing to see Ted and some of these other guys in action. their strength and speed was giving her a good lesson on how far she still had to go and learn. -e-
Slade closed the computer in front of him, lifting a cup of coffee up to his lips as the fight in the ring raged on. He had seen the blond before on television. They called her Black Canary but it seemed a bit too sweet of a name for one that had the ferocious skill that she had. Trained by a woman, he would never doubt what they could do and she was putting the boots to the thug they shoved here into the ring with. "Hey Slade!" A voice he recognized as a one time, and never again, partner in a contract called out to him. The Terminator only responded by pressing his lips together, giving the slightest of nods before pulling his mask back down over his lips. "Not going to say hey? C'mon man. We had a good job together." "Of course. Taking half the police force of San Juan on a joy ride through a city is incredibly entertaining." The sarcasm dripped from his voice and while the memory brought back the same bitter taste in his mouth from that time. "Oohhh look at this. Big bad Terminator thinks he's too good for me." The man, Riggs, lifted his arms up and spun around, trying to draw attention. "You'll soon learn how much," Slade responded, lifting up his free hand and jerking his thumb to the line up of contestants. They were next."
Black Canary was finding her series of the jabs were impacting the behemoth of a man like striking a rubber mat, and were just about as effective. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye she dove to the side and rolled away from the stretching limbs which tried to coil about her. She then danced about him, with her arms up definsevily. She noted he relied more on his powers than actual fighting skill, which gave her some advantage. as his elongated arms punched at her blocking forearms, she realized something! they hardly had any impact! The more he stretched out, the less strength carried down them! Grinning, she let her guard down enough to bait him. when he struck to get her exposed body, she grabbed his limbs and tugged hard. he grunted as he was spread too thin to pull back and found himself yanked into a powerful sidekick! No matter how he tried to scramble away she was able to pull him back like a yoyo and soon was pinning him all strung out on the mat. she grinned victorious as she was announced the winner. she walked past the masked competitors giving a little wave as she went to get some water and refreshments at the victor's box.
The crowd began to boo as a known heroine had overcome one of the regular participants of the brawl. While he was no popular in general and never made it very far, the fact that a hero had overcome him had the crowd against both. Slade smirked and stood up from where he sat and started down the path towards the arena, passing by Canary. Riggs came rushing up and pushed past him, "Hell no Slade. You get in after me. His announcement came and was greeting by a reasonable welcome. "And now... who you've been waiting for. All of you know him! Some of you have hired him! It's Deathstroke... The Teeerrrrrminatorrrr!!!" The crowd erupted as he stepped out from the tunnel, giving a shake of his head. Roullette was never one for modesty when it came to her little brawls. Still, Riggs was clearly annoyed and the look on his face was that of poison. "What are all these people gonna think when I put you into the ground?!" "Hmph... You know what? I'll give you three moments to take me down." He held up the first three fingers on his left hand to emphasize his point, "Three. If you put my back on the ground, I'll call the fight. You don't... then, after it's over, you'll be looking up at the sole of my boot."
Black Canary sat in the Victor's box, drinking gatorade and dabbing at her her brow and neck with a towel which had been handed to her as she walked into the little lounge with the large glass wall looking towards the ring. Behind it was a screen which showed the rankings and potential pairings. Due to his recent slough of matches, Ted was pretty high up there. it would take a few more matches to see Ted in the ring. Which seemed to be the only way to see him. Well if that's what it needed, she would do it! She didn't mind the booing, for winning. Which was quite the switch from her regular matches. Guess they liked to see the toughs and thugs win here. And then she heard some cheering and looked towards the ring to see a man get in the ring. Deathstroke. She had heard of him, but like so many in this kind of work, both those who were in it to help others, or just help themselves, she thought he was just a rumor, an urban legend. A mercenary who didn't mind killing or destroying a city to carry out his mission. She saw him squaring off against some tough named Riggs. He could hear the mics on the ring pick up the guy's challenge and obvious old grudge. Three moves, that would be impressive. She sat back and picked up one of the finger sandwiches which were offered in the box and ate one as she watched the match unfold.
Slade could see that Riggs was getting fed up with his attitude. Good. That would make him angry which would lead to mistakes. The man was more of a walking car that was out of control over a fighter. He got by on being bigger than anyone he met and overbearingly stronger... That worked until today. As the man came rushing at him, Slade smirked and turned his body towards him, angling the left side to lead. The Terminator might have been confident, but that was no reason to open himself up to undue attacks. The first attempt was a wild haymaker. It came fast which explained why some boasted about this man's punching power, but the problem was that such an attack was effectively pointless next to someone that knew how to fight. Deathstroke ducked underneath the blow, side stepped, and then strolled forward, smirking behind his mask while Riggs was forced to plant his feet before turning around. "That's one," he stated, perking his ears up to listen. He charged and Slade turned, ducking from the straight punch, leaning away from the jab, bobbing around and weaving through the next series. Then, when Riggs kicked towards his side, Slade's arms turned, catching the limb as he stepped in, right leg sweeping behind and through Riggs' left while his arms dumped him backwards into the ground. The crowd erupted as Deathstroke continued to attack by following his opponent down to the ground by lifting and dropping his foot onto the man's testicles. He felt two, simultaneous pops, causing him to smirk as Riggs bellowed in pain. Standing at the side of his head, Slade placed the sole of his boot on the man's face, "You see that? My boot. And after ten." Dragging the tread down the skin, the Terminator turned and left the arena, making his way up to the winner's area.
Canary watched the match between Deathstroke and Riggs. Sure Riggs was strong and quite large, but like so many of the metas here, he relied on what made him standout too much, his strength. He also didn't have any decent fight training. She wasn't really all that surprised as Deathstroke easily dodged the clumsy attacks. She did note that his speed and reflexes were incredible, and he made it all seem so casual and easy, as if Riggs was moving in slow motion! "Yeah!" she shouted with a mouthful of sandwich as she saw Slade caught the kick and executed a great foot sweep and slam on Riggs. He was good, and he knew his audience! It was the next part that left Canary's jaw slack and she nearly dropped her bite of sandwich into her lap... Deathstroke did a groin stomp! she frowned at this. She knew there wasn't much honor among these people in these fights. But that was a low blow. Followed by a boot drag on the man's face giving him a rubber burn down his cheek! It did not sit well with the bird. As Deathstroke entered the Victory Box, she gave him a cool look and ate her sandwich quietly as she refocused on the inbetween match antics on the stage.
Rolling his neck as he stepped into the room, he spotted the blond sitting. Slade smirked behind his mask, as he moved over to the table, giving it a few glances and then settling down into a seat next to it. Even as he took a somewhat relaxed position, lifting his right leg up and setting the ankle on top of his left knee, the military he had lived for so many years showed through. Both of his shoulders were held back, back straight, and posture as perfect as one could maintain without having one of those etiquette courses. People were pulling Riggs out of the ring, having a somewhat difficult time with it due to his size. It made him let out a brief gush of air from his nose in an amused way. “You’ve got some of it on your chin,” he called over to Canary, not bothering to turn his face towards her. Within the first few moments of walking in, Slade had assessed her. She was a looker, but not one to flaunt it. Her make-up was there, but in small amounts. She carried herself well enough, a bit looser than what other women who had her looks did, but he attributed that to the fact she was a fighter and cape.
She could almost sense him before she could see him. Deathstroke had quite the presence and the other winners in the room looked and shifted about as he entered. Canary gave a slow glance at Deathstroke. He sat a lot like Ted, Even while relaxed he had a proud and firm posture, like one who had been in the service. She refocused on the ring. They needed 3 big guys to get Riggs out of the ring! she didn't respond to Slade's comment for a moment, then slowly wiped off her chin. She sat relaxed, but had a bit of swagger to her posture. "He wasn't getting up easy after that take down." she said simply.
"Wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be," he responded, not sparing a glance towards the woman, "But I supposed that's what comes with some easy wins. Still, he wasn't much of a man to start with." And Slade had not done anything more than ensure he stayed a boy. His gaze shifted back to the arena as the next match began, although it wasn't much of an interest. The Terminator had his own reasons for even bothering with something like this but he wasn't going to reveal his purpose to anyone. They would all learn when the time came. "So what brings a cape to one of Roulette's parties? Taking a walk on the wild side or have you had enough with dreams of peace and unity and finally decided to join the rest of the world; taking advantage of your abilities while you're at it?" But then he remembered something and it caused his lips to curl into a smirk. Yes, there was talk of that once upon a time hero that was fighting in these brawls. Some kind of World War II hero that was managing to still be alive while, in the meantime, fighting his way up to the top of the chain here. "Or are you here for the champ?" A clear tone of mirth leaking through his otherwise unreadable features.
The blonde didn't glance back at the masked man as they had their talk. She knew about enjoying a fight, about the thrill one gets from it. But to hear wanting to go so far after an 'easy win' did not set right with her. She continued to watch the next match, as Deathstroke still sat at her table. Part of her wondering why a man who seemed to find these fights to be too easy, and who had a lucrative career as an assassin would be here. Unless the two mixed... she knew better than to jump to conclusions though. She was brought back to the moment as Deathstroke started speaking to her again. Apparently musing her own motives as well. Her hands balled into fists as he started to get under her skin, the crack about joining the rest of the world with not having lofty goals, making peace and unity sound on par with with unicorns and rainbows, was definitely rising her temper. and then he figured it out. Hearing his obvious amusement at the thought. "I need to talk to Ted. He won't talk to me when he is like this. The only way I can get face to face with him is in the ring. to knock some sense into him, even if it is literally." she said grimly in a quiet voice.
Ted huh?" he questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. That had to be the first name of that hero. The thing was... why was she going to so much trouble? The two of them had a connection, but the ways she seemed to be hinted that it was more than just a cape to cape relationship. In the end, he wasn't very concerned about it. Slade hadn't come here to get involved with heroes and their troubles. It was never a good idea and the prices that came along with it weren't something he was looking to pay again. The rounds continued as the victors cycled in to the room while the losers were carried or stumbled out on their own accord. A few did enter that were not as worse for the ware as the other victors, but then there was only a pair that came looking near as fresh as Deathstroke and Canary. The both of them had seen it: these fighters threw their weight around with their powers over skill. It was the kind of thing that served well on the street when working as muscle and dealing with little more than street punks, junkies, pimps, and the beat cops. Their coming to fight here was multiple steps up for most of them.
Black Canary didn't really respond to Deathstroke's question. He could take it as a hero's personal name, or that she was referring to another fighter. She had no reason to tell him her reasons, he knew the main one and that was enough. Wildcat would always be Ted to her. He was like a father to her after her Dad had passed away and had helped train her in both her ability and her fighting. As he always said, you are only as strong as your biggest weakness. And for Ted, that was his Pride. That is waht drove him here to these fights, letting his business fall behind, putting him in the way of some of these psychopaths. with her comments showing things were personal with another fighter which brought her here, Deathstroke seemed to be less interested in her or at least teasing her. The fights were a good show if you liked WWE style fights, lots of splash and show. But with very little skill and training. Some of them made her cringe seeing how poor the fighting technique was. And for many here, this was an actual challenge, since they didn't get this kind of powered fight or even a hint of fighting skill. The room was filling up with victors and most of the good food was gone now. Wildcat never showed, Canary looked annoyed. Canary sipped a coffee as the next rounds of fighting in the tournament. The room emptied as fighters got ready for their next match. She looked at Deathstroke he was the biggest challenge for her to overcome to get to Wildcat. And with his enhanced reflexes and speed, she knew she would have trouble in a fight with him. He was actually skilled. They would be well matched for skill, but with his abilities, she would have a lot of trouble. "Have a good fight. I hope it's not with me." she teased as she passed him.
Slade remained in his seat as the others left. Some were leaving because of the matches, but his gut was telling him something else was going on. As Canary's fight began, Slade rose from his seat and headed out of the room, closing the door behind him, but stopped just as it shut. His ears perked up and listened carefully. The movement came shortly after and Wilson immediately burst through the door. The cause of the movement was registered the moment Slade's eye fell on him: male, about six foot one, one hundred eighty pounds, lanky build, black suit without a tie, and right side jacket bulging just slightly so it was likely a smaller handgun kept in a shoulder holster. His right hand went to his belt, drawing out a thin, throwing knife and hurling it through the air and into the man's left shoulder. He screamed out and a loud thud came as the Terminator crossed the distance between them, hopping over seats in a single bound and flip, reaching the other just as his body turned to face who had caused him pain. As their eyes locked, whatever bravery the man had faltered as he was shoved back into the wall. Deathstroke's left hand was closed around the fabric of his jacket at the shoulder with his forearm across the upper chest, towards the neck, of the man, easily able to push upwards and start choking him as needed. His right fingers were on the knife which was sticking out of the side of the shoulder, ready to twist. "Roulette sent you. That's clear," his eye watched the man's which gave a flash that clued Slade in that his assumption was correct, "What I want to know, for sure, is why. Tell me." "I c-canaarrrgh!" The moment he started to say that word, Slade twisted the knife, the blade carving away at skin and opening the wound wider. "She'll kill me man!" The knife was twisted farther, the crowd's shouts outside totally masking the man. "She'll put a bullet in your head for failure. That's far better than I do to those that try and take my life. Talk." The knife was twisted more, "Ahhhh! Okay! Okay! Look man... She didn't count on you and that babe being here. She's milking Wildcat. People are getting ready for him to loose and she's making more money keeping him on top. Tonight was supposed to be a mask. Put the odds against him but all the guys here were supposed to be superpowerd chumps. But you two showed up and threw the betting off. That's all I know." So that was it. Well, it was simple, but made sense. Roulette was out for money. A simple conflict of interests. He had seen that plenty of times in the service; however, Slade did not like it when people got in his way and tried to kill him then and he didn't like it now. Yanking the knife free, he slashed his hand to the side and the blade sliced open the man's throat. Before the blood could pour, Slade had backed away and turned to leave the room, slipping the knife back into place. Two could play at the game of subterfuge.
Outside of the Victor's box, the usual rowdy crowd and bravado of the announcer masked the attempted attack inside it where Deathstroke stood with the body of the would be assassin. Nothing to tip off the blonde fighting in the ring with a woman who had blows like a speeding truck! She hadn't broken anything yet... but she was sure gonna have some gnarly bruises! Dinah decided to give the crowd a show fit for televised wrestling and lept off the ropes to slam down on top of the woman! crap! she winced, the woman was indestructible too, it was like landing onto a truck! But the woman was down! Dinah grabbed an arm for the pin and as she twisted it, she felt it move in ways it shouldn't! she gave a quick twist to stop the odd sensation to make the woman hold still and gasped as the arm came off! showing twisting hydraulics and wires. She was fighting an Android?! what kind of meta human match was this?! The android was already starting to lift up with Canary on her back. Dinah lept off the woman's back as she swung the mechanical arm like a baseball bat. The android went down hard, leaving a panting and rather disturbed Black Canary. She set the arm down next to the android, hoping she didn't do any real damage. She had gotten lucky finding a weak joint on that thing! she walked down the hall toward the locker room, leaning against the wall, catching her breath, figuring out just how crazy this whole arena was! Meanwhile in a box with Roulette, the champ looked unhappy. "Damnit Roulette! I thought this was honest meta fighting here! You had a damn robot fighter in there with her?!" Wildcat had been avoiding his student and friend. But was always there watching every match she was in. She had continued her training, and he couldn't help feel some pride for her. Despite her putting her nose in his business. And seeing an android nearly take her out, was the last straw. "Look, I'm pulling out. I didn't join these fights to see a machine tear apart one of my students." he got up to get ready to leave.
As Dinah walked down the hall, Slade was there to meet her. "Nice going kid," he complimented, lifted his head up a bit to rest his eye on her. Arms crossed over his chest, leaning his upper-back against the wall, one would not think he had just ended a man's life. Death had been a part of his life since he was sixteen years old. He had seen it on the front lines of battle, behind the enemy lines on secret missions, and set up traps that would end a man's life in the most painful ways possible. It was how he made his living for the last few decades and he had long since become desensitized to the violence. "I'd start watching your back if I were you. It seems that you and I are a couple of variables that weren't meant to be here." He stood up, crossing the remaining distance between himself and her before stopping with his shoulder to hers, "Listen. It's going to start after my match. I can guess what, but you're going to need to be ready. I have a plan to pull this whole damn thing down around Roulette's head and we both get what we want." With that, Slade started for the ring. ---
Roulette grinned at Ted, pushing her glasses up higher along her nose, "You won't do anything. See... things are about to heat up around here and you won't want to miss it. You back out now.. you leave with the brawl not having a champion. Without that, well we'll have to make some adjustments to the matches. Like..." She tapped the ipad she held in her hands, on the screen behind her, a new image popped up, showing Deathstroke and Black Canary. Beneath it read: No holds barred. "I think all you capes know about the Terminator and what he's capable off. You wouldn't want your little friend in on that."
The bell for the next match began. Slade wouldn't let it last beyond a few seconds. Running forward, his fingers drew the small knife out again and flung it forward, catching the man in the center of the throat. He gagged and Deathstroke leapt into the air, flying through it and coming down hard, crashing his right fist clean into the blade and punching down into the man's jugular. As he fell to the ground, writhing and choking, Slade's boots touched the ground and he turned his eye up towards the announcer box. Though his face was impossible to see due to the mask, Deathstroke's stance dared her to speak up. Dared her to try and make another attempt on his life. The crowd was silent as medics came running in, dragging the body away while the writhing became shivers. Moments after it disappeared, he turned and made his way out.
Dinah walked down the hall towards the locker rooms, she ached all over from that last fight. She saw Slade waiting for her. Great, she had a fan. As he complimented her fight, she gave a small smirk. "Thanks, it's not everyday I get to dance with a trash compactor." She started to pass him, counting down to herself, waiting for him to tell her what he wanted. She had almost made it to the locker room, before he spoke. She gave him a look at his warning. "We have both played this game. We know how risk underground fights are. They are dangerous because that's packs the house. And they are usually stacked against people who are trying to win for the right reasons." she gestured to the ring she had just walked from. "Look." she said tiredly."But if we were such a risk, they wouldn't let us in here, they like to see what trouble we can make and what publicity we can stir. So you keep your plans. I don't want this place coming apart, until I see my friend. To be honest, I know you think I'm no match for you, and that may be right. But get in my way from rescuing the only person I care about in this dump, and we will be having another conversation. Since you write me off as a goody goody cape, do so. But you know I will help out when I'm needed, if it's for the right reason. Don't destroy this guy, just because you can. Stick to what you were hired for, just win your match." she said and went into the locker room to freshen up a little and see how bad her bruises were going to be.
Meanwhile in Roulette's office Ted slammed his hands down on her desk. "Screw you Roulette! How dare you threaten me and the kid! Canary can hold her own, even against a killer like him. Besides, I think I know something you don't. Slade doesn't kill just for kicks. He doesn't even come to these things for the prize. He comes for a job, and he sticks to it. You really think he would kill a member of the Justice League and risk getting big blue and the bat coming after him?" he said shrewdly. "He's smarter than that. I'm gonna stay, just because I wanna show what I can do to some of these overpowered punks. But stop sending the kids in for me to pick off. I know what yer doin' and I'm not here to play patty cake. Just lay off the kid. Or my next fight is with you. And none of your goons will be able to stop me. Gonna be hard to count your money with broken hands." and with that he turned and walked out. Roulette would notice that he had cracked her solid oak desk.
Canary came out of the locker room looking a bit more refreshed. And frowned as the fight was already over. She rushed up to see what was going on. To see medics trying to stabilize a guy. She cursed under her breath, and waited to see what was going down. She couldn't even look at Slade. She hoped he got his mark and wasn't just trying to collect a set of matching corpses. She waited to see if Slade's hunch was right. Looking at the line-up screen waiting for the next pairing.
Slade had no care if the blond did not approve of his methods. He was not out to prove anything to her. There was a job to do and a point to prove, but to Roulette. She had her love for gambling but the dice she had thrown were not going to land on the number that she wanted. He made his way down the hall after his match, coming up behind Canary and passing between both her and the screen without sparing a glance. With the crowd like this, he was certain that Roulette was going to be pushed into bringing this whole bout to an end. With the medical team there, he bet that she was attempting to remove the evidence of her foul play as quickly as possible. If word reached the betters that she had dared to even rig one match then her credibility would be damaged and, in this sort of business, one's word was more than gold... but less than conflict diamonds. ---
Roulette kept her calm as the man shouted at her, threatening with words, but she still held the power here. Gripping the handle of her fan as she held it closed, the woman simply let her cocky, full of herself smirk grow on her dark painted lips. Her eyes flicked down to the crack in her desk after Ted had left, leaning forward to run a finger along the cracks and letting out a hiss of displeasure. "You're just like the Terminator, Grant. You're forgetting who's in charge around here," and a long finger pressed a button at her desk.
Canary wondered if killing a guy to get attention from Roulette was Slade's big plan. She frowned as he walked towards her, and tried to look about him as he blocked her view of the screen. She glanced around, she still hadn't seen Ted. He was avoiding her. Right now she wanted to knock some sense into him. And then finally, the screen updated and she heard the announcement. Wildcat vs Deathstroke.
Oh she had it, this was it! She stormed down to the ring and waited for Ted to show up. He was frowning when he did. "Get outta the way kid, it's not your fight."
"Like hell it is! He just put a guy into critical condition! I came here to talk to you! And I'll fight you before I let you fight against him! What are you trying to prove? You were always great, and still are. You taught a bunch of confused kids scared of what they can do, on how to be strong people who can help others. not just themselves. You go in there and get killed, you might as well throw away all those friendships and all those kids that still need your help. You want to feel a thrill of fighting, join me on patrol, we will clean up the streets together."
The old man looked conflicted. Trying hard to get past the blonde who kept blocking him.
The round of applause was audible even down the hallway that Slade was heading down. His lips pressed together in a bit of frustration. Despite all of his planning, Deathstroke was not omniscient and could not account for the act of everyone and least of all someone that he knew. His best assumption was that Wildcat had done something to anger Roulette and so she was now going to have him pay for such a thing. Well, he would have to adapt, there was no doubt about that. Rounding on his heel, he quickly made his way back towards the entrance to the arena.
When he arrived, Wildcat was still trying to force his way past Canary. "Eager aren't you?" he remarked, strolling past them but stopping outside of arm's reach to look back over his shoulder at the pair. "Let him fight. You can see it in his eyes... he wants this." If he had sized Ted up correctly, he was one of those old fighters that had a tough time letting go. Past his prime, but not yet over the hill, he kept digging deeper to prove that he had everything it took and more to hang with those younger than him. The man had all of the pride of a fighter at his peak, but that sort of emotion broke against the Terminator. "I'll be waiting; that is if you can get past her." His mask hid the grin on his lips, but there wasn't a doubt that the two heard it in his voice.
"Hey kid, I would love to chit chat with you and catch up on things but Ted is in a lot of trouble and I need your help. I can't talk any sense into him...." and so that is how Dinah found herself fighting a 12 foot tall behemoth of a man whose body took every blow like he was rubber. Dinah always loved being in the ring, and often took part in competitions as a prize fighter. But, this... this was something else. Underground meta human fights. Ted had gotten into them to prove himself again, and he couldn't seem to get enough of them, his gym was falling apart. And Rick hadn't seen him in months. and these fights were known death matches... he was gonna get himself killed! It took some finagaling and connections and some help from Rick's not so legal connections, but she was in. When she was able to take a bodyguard who could turn into a demon down and use her Canary Cry to knock him into a wall, she was in! She saw Ted once or twice and kept ignoring her or telling her to go home. So he left her no choice. Fight her way to meet him in a fight. and being as stubborn as her mother and nearly as stubborn as Ted himself, she was slowly working her way there. It was amazing to see Ted and some of these other guys in action. their strength and speed was giving her a good lesson on how far she still had to go and learn. -e-
Slade closed the computer in front of him, lifting a cup of coffee up to his lips as the fight in the ring raged on. He had seen the blond before on television. They called her Black Canary but it seemed a bit too sweet of a name for one that had the ferocious skill that she had. Trained by a woman, he would never doubt what they could do and she was putting the boots to the thug they shoved here into the ring with. "Hey Slade!" A voice he recognized as a one time, and never again, partner in a contract called out to him. The Terminator only responded by pressing his lips together, giving the slightest of nods before pulling his mask back down over his lips. "Not going to say hey? C'mon man. We had a good job together." "Of course. Taking half the police force of San Juan on a joy ride through a city is incredibly entertaining." The sarcasm dripped from his voice and while the memory brought back the same bitter taste in his mouth from that time. "Oohhh look at this. Big bad Terminator thinks he's too good for me." The man, Riggs, lifted his arms up and spun around, trying to draw attention. "You'll soon learn how much," Slade responded, lifting up his free hand and jerking his thumb to the line up of contestants. They were next."
Black Canary was finding her series of the jabs were impacting the behemoth of a man like striking a rubber mat, and were just about as effective. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye she dove to the side and rolled away from the stretching limbs which tried to coil about her. She then danced about him, with her arms up definsevily. She noted he relied more on his powers than actual fighting skill, which gave her some advantage. as his elongated arms punched at her blocking forearms, she realized something! they hardly had any impact! The more he stretched out, the less strength carried down them! Grinning, she let her guard down enough to bait him. when he struck to get her exposed body, she grabbed his limbs and tugged hard. he grunted as he was spread too thin to pull back and found himself yanked into a powerful sidekick! No matter how he tried to scramble away she was able to pull him back like a yoyo and soon was pinning him all strung out on the mat. she grinned victorious as she was announced the winner. she walked past the masked competitors giving a little wave as she went to get some water and refreshments at the victor's box.
The crowd began to boo as a known heroine had overcome one of the regular participants of the brawl. While he was no popular in general and never made it very far, the fact that a hero had overcome him had the crowd against both. Slade smirked and stood up from where he sat and started down the path towards the arena, passing by Canary. Riggs came rushing up and pushed past him, "Hell no Slade. You get in after me. His announcement came and was greeting by a reasonable welcome. "And now... who you've been waiting for. All of you know him! Some of you have hired him! It's Deathstroke... The Teeerrrrrminatorrrr!!!" The crowd erupted as he stepped out from the tunnel, giving a shake of his head. Roullette was never one for modesty when it came to her little brawls. Still, Riggs was clearly annoyed and the look on his face was that of poison. "What are all these people gonna think when I put you into the ground?!" "Hmph... You know what? I'll give you three moments to take me down." He held up the first three fingers on his left hand to emphasize his point, "Three. If you put my back on the ground, I'll call the fight. You don't... then, after it's over, you'll be looking up at the sole of my boot."
Black Canary sat in the Victor's box, drinking gatorade and dabbing at her her brow and neck with a towel which had been handed to her as she walked into the little lounge with the large glass wall looking towards the ring. Behind it was a screen which showed the rankings and potential pairings. Due to his recent slough of matches, Ted was pretty high up there. it would take a few more matches to see Ted in the ring. Which seemed to be the only way to see him. Well if that's what it needed, she would do it! She didn't mind the booing, for winning. Which was quite the switch from her regular matches. Guess they liked to see the toughs and thugs win here. And then she heard some cheering and looked towards the ring to see a man get in the ring. Deathstroke. She had heard of him, but like so many in this kind of work, both those who were in it to help others, or just help themselves, she thought he was just a rumor, an urban legend. A mercenary who didn't mind killing or destroying a city to carry out his mission. She saw him squaring off against some tough named Riggs. He could hear the mics on the ring pick up the guy's challenge and obvious old grudge. Three moves, that would be impressive. She sat back and picked up one of the finger sandwiches which were offered in the box and ate one as she watched the match unfold.
Slade could see that Riggs was getting fed up with his attitude. Good. That would make him angry which would lead to mistakes. The man was more of a walking car that was out of control over a fighter. He got by on being bigger than anyone he met and overbearingly stronger... That worked until today. As the man came rushing at him, Slade smirked and turned his body towards him, angling the left side to lead. The Terminator might have been confident, but that was no reason to open himself up to undue attacks. The first attempt was a wild haymaker. It came fast which explained why some boasted about this man's punching power, but the problem was that such an attack was effectively pointless next to someone that knew how to fight. Deathstroke ducked underneath the blow, side stepped, and then strolled forward, smirking behind his mask while Riggs was forced to plant his feet before turning around. "That's one," he stated, perking his ears up to listen. He charged and Slade turned, ducking from the straight punch, leaning away from the jab, bobbing around and weaving through the next series. Then, when Riggs kicked towards his side, Slade's arms turned, catching the limb as he stepped in, right leg sweeping behind and through Riggs' left while his arms dumped him backwards into the ground. The crowd erupted as Deathstroke continued to attack by following his opponent down to the ground by lifting and dropping his foot onto the man's testicles. He felt two, simultaneous pops, causing him to smirk as Riggs bellowed in pain. Standing at the side of his head, Slade placed the sole of his boot on the man's face, "You see that? My boot. And after ten." Dragging the tread down the skin, the Terminator turned and left the arena, making his way up to the winner's area.
Canary watched the match between Deathstroke and Riggs. Sure Riggs was strong and quite large, but like so many of the metas here, he relied on what made him standout too much, his strength. He also didn't have any decent fight training. She wasn't really all that surprised as Deathstroke easily dodged the clumsy attacks. She did note that his speed and reflexes were incredible, and he made it all seem so casual and easy, as if Riggs was moving in slow motion! "Yeah!" she shouted with a mouthful of sandwich as she saw Slade caught the kick and executed a great foot sweep and slam on Riggs. He was good, and he knew his audience! It was the next part that left Canary's jaw slack and she nearly dropped her bite of sandwich into her lap... Deathstroke did a groin stomp! she frowned at this. She knew there wasn't much honor among these people in these fights. But that was a low blow. Followed by a boot drag on the man's face giving him a rubber burn down his cheek! It did not sit well with the bird. As Deathstroke entered the Victory Box, she gave him a cool look and ate her sandwich quietly as she refocused on the inbetween match antics on the stage.
Rolling his neck as he stepped into the room, he spotted the blond sitting. Slade smirked behind his mask, as he moved over to the table, giving it a few glances and then settling down into a seat next to it. Even as he took a somewhat relaxed position, lifting his right leg up and setting the ankle on top of his left knee, the military he had lived for so many years showed through. Both of his shoulders were held back, back straight, and posture as perfect as one could maintain without having one of those etiquette courses. People were pulling Riggs out of the ring, having a somewhat difficult time with it due to his size. It made him let out a brief gush of air from his nose in an amused way. “You’ve got some of it on your chin,” he called over to Canary, not bothering to turn his face towards her. Within the first few moments of walking in, Slade had assessed her. She was a looker, but not one to flaunt it. Her make-up was there, but in small amounts. She carried herself well enough, a bit looser than what other women who had her looks did, but he attributed that to the fact she was a fighter and cape.
She could almost sense him before she could see him. Deathstroke had quite the presence and the other winners in the room looked and shifted about as he entered. Canary gave a slow glance at Deathstroke. He sat a lot like Ted, Even while relaxed he had a proud and firm posture, like one who had been in the service. She refocused on the ring. They needed 3 big guys to get Riggs out of the ring! she didn't respond to Slade's comment for a moment, then slowly wiped off her chin. She sat relaxed, but had a bit of swagger to her posture. "He wasn't getting up easy after that take down." she said simply.
"Wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be," he responded, not sparing a glance towards the woman, "But I supposed that's what comes with some easy wins. Still, he wasn't much of a man to start with." And Slade had not done anything more than ensure he stayed a boy. His gaze shifted back to the arena as the next match began, although it wasn't much of an interest. The Terminator had his own reasons for even bothering with something like this but he wasn't going to reveal his purpose to anyone. They would all learn when the time came. "So what brings a cape to one of Roulette's parties? Taking a walk on the wild side or have you had enough with dreams of peace and unity and finally decided to join the rest of the world; taking advantage of your abilities while you're at it?" But then he remembered something and it caused his lips to curl into a smirk. Yes, there was talk of that once upon a time hero that was fighting in these brawls. Some kind of World War II hero that was managing to still be alive while, in the meantime, fighting his way up to the top of the chain here. "Or are you here for the champ?" A clear tone of mirth leaking through his otherwise unreadable features.
The blonde didn't glance back at the masked man as they had their talk. She knew about enjoying a fight, about the thrill one gets from it. But to hear wanting to go so far after an 'easy win' did not set right with her. She continued to watch the next match, as Deathstroke still sat at her table. Part of her wondering why a man who seemed to find these fights to be too easy, and who had a lucrative career as an assassin would be here. Unless the two mixed... she knew better than to jump to conclusions though. She was brought back to the moment as Deathstroke started speaking to her again. Apparently musing her own motives as well. Her hands balled into fists as he started to get under her skin, the crack about joining the rest of the world with not having lofty goals, making peace and unity sound on par with with unicorns and rainbows, was definitely rising her temper. and then he figured it out. Hearing his obvious amusement at the thought. "I need to talk to Ted. He won't talk to me when he is like this. The only way I can get face to face with him is in the ring. to knock some sense into him, even if it is literally." she said grimly in a quiet voice.
Ted huh?" he questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. That had to be the first name of that hero. The thing was... why was she going to so much trouble? The two of them had a connection, but the ways she seemed to be hinted that it was more than just a cape to cape relationship. In the end, he wasn't very concerned about it. Slade hadn't come here to get involved with heroes and their troubles. It was never a good idea and the prices that came along with it weren't something he was looking to pay again. The rounds continued as the victors cycled in to the room while the losers were carried or stumbled out on their own accord. A few did enter that were not as worse for the ware as the other victors, but then there was only a pair that came looking near as fresh as Deathstroke and Canary. The both of them had seen it: these fighters threw their weight around with their powers over skill. It was the kind of thing that served well on the street when working as muscle and dealing with little more than street punks, junkies, pimps, and the beat cops. Their coming to fight here was multiple steps up for most of them.
Black Canary didn't really respond to Deathstroke's question. He could take it as a hero's personal name, or that she was referring to another fighter. She had no reason to tell him her reasons, he knew the main one and that was enough. Wildcat would always be Ted to her. He was like a father to her after her Dad had passed away and had helped train her in both her ability and her fighting. As he always said, you are only as strong as your biggest weakness. And for Ted, that was his Pride. That is waht drove him here to these fights, letting his business fall behind, putting him in the way of some of these psychopaths. with her comments showing things were personal with another fighter which brought her here, Deathstroke seemed to be less interested in her or at least teasing her. The fights were a good show if you liked WWE style fights, lots of splash and show. But with very little skill and training. Some of them made her cringe seeing how poor the fighting technique was. And for many here, this was an actual challenge, since they didn't get this kind of powered fight or even a hint of fighting skill. The room was filling up with victors and most of the good food was gone now. Wildcat never showed, Canary looked annoyed. Canary sipped a coffee as the next rounds of fighting in the tournament. The room emptied as fighters got ready for their next match. She looked at Deathstroke he was the biggest challenge for her to overcome to get to Wildcat. And with his enhanced reflexes and speed, she knew she would have trouble in a fight with him. He was actually skilled. They would be well matched for skill, but with his abilities, she would have a lot of trouble. "Have a good fight. I hope it's not with me." she teased as she passed him.
Slade remained in his seat as the others left. Some were leaving because of the matches, but his gut was telling him something else was going on. As Canary's fight began, Slade rose from his seat and headed out of the room, closing the door behind him, but stopped just as it shut. His ears perked up and listened carefully. The movement came shortly after and Wilson immediately burst through the door. The cause of the movement was registered the moment Slade's eye fell on him: male, about six foot one, one hundred eighty pounds, lanky build, black suit without a tie, and right side jacket bulging just slightly so it was likely a smaller handgun kept in a shoulder holster. His right hand went to his belt, drawing out a thin, throwing knife and hurling it through the air and into the man's left shoulder. He screamed out and a loud thud came as the Terminator crossed the distance between them, hopping over seats in a single bound and flip, reaching the other just as his body turned to face who had caused him pain. As their eyes locked, whatever bravery the man had faltered as he was shoved back into the wall. Deathstroke's left hand was closed around the fabric of his jacket at the shoulder with his forearm across the upper chest, towards the neck, of the man, easily able to push upwards and start choking him as needed. His right fingers were on the knife which was sticking out of the side of the shoulder, ready to twist. "Roulette sent you. That's clear," his eye watched the man's which gave a flash that clued Slade in that his assumption was correct, "What I want to know, for sure, is why. Tell me." "I c-canaarrrgh!" The moment he started to say that word, Slade twisted the knife, the blade carving away at skin and opening the wound wider. "She'll kill me man!" The knife was twisted farther, the crowd's shouts outside totally masking the man. "She'll put a bullet in your head for failure. That's far better than I do to those that try and take my life. Talk." The knife was twisted more, "Ahhhh! Okay! Okay! Look man... She didn't count on you and that babe being here. She's milking Wildcat. People are getting ready for him to loose and she's making more money keeping him on top. Tonight was supposed to be a mask. Put the odds against him but all the guys here were supposed to be superpowerd chumps. But you two showed up and threw the betting off. That's all I know." So that was it. Well, it was simple, but made sense. Roulette was out for money. A simple conflict of interests. He had seen that plenty of times in the service; however, Slade did not like it when people got in his way and tried to kill him then and he didn't like it now. Yanking the knife free, he slashed his hand to the side and the blade sliced open the man's throat. Before the blood could pour, Slade had backed away and turned to leave the room, slipping the knife back into place. Two could play at the game of subterfuge.
Outside of the Victor's box, the usual rowdy crowd and bravado of the announcer masked the attempted attack inside it where Deathstroke stood with the body of the would be assassin. Nothing to tip off the blonde fighting in the ring with a woman who had blows like a speeding truck! She hadn't broken anything yet... but she was sure gonna have some gnarly bruises! Dinah decided to give the crowd a show fit for televised wrestling and lept off the ropes to slam down on top of the woman! crap! she winced, the woman was indestructible too, it was like landing onto a truck! But the woman was down! Dinah grabbed an arm for the pin and as she twisted it, she felt it move in ways it shouldn't! she gave a quick twist to stop the odd sensation to make the woman hold still and gasped as the arm came off! showing twisting hydraulics and wires. She was fighting an Android?! what kind of meta human match was this?! The android was already starting to lift up with Canary on her back. Dinah lept off the woman's back as she swung the mechanical arm like a baseball bat. The android went down hard, leaving a panting and rather disturbed Black Canary. She set the arm down next to the android, hoping she didn't do any real damage. She had gotten lucky finding a weak joint on that thing! she walked down the hall toward the locker room, leaning against the wall, catching her breath, figuring out just how crazy this whole arena was! Meanwhile in a box with Roulette, the champ looked unhappy. "Damnit Roulette! I thought this was honest meta fighting here! You had a damn robot fighter in there with her?!" Wildcat had been avoiding his student and friend. But was always there watching every match she was in. She had continued her training, and he couldn't help feel some pride for her. Despite her putting her nose in his business. And seeing an android nearly take her out, was the last straw. "Look, I'm pulling out. I didn't join these fights to see a machine tear apart one of my students." he got up to get ready to leave.
As Dinah walked down the hall, Slade was there to meet her. "Nice going kid," he complimented, lifted his head up a bit to rest his eye on her. Arms crossed over his chest, leaning his upper-back against the wall, one would not think he had just ended a man's life. Death had been a part of his life since he was sixteen years old. He had seen it on the front lines of battle, behind the enemy lines on secret missions, and set up traps that would end a man's life in the most painful ways possible. It was how he made his living for the last few decades and he had long since become desensitized to the violence. "I'd start watching your back if I were you. It seems that you and I are a couple of variables that weren't meant to be here." He stood up, crossing the remaining distance between himself and her before stopping with his shoulder to hers, "Listen. It's going to start after my match. I can guess what, but you're going to need to be ready. I have a plan to pull this whole damn thing down around Roulette's head and we both get what we want." With that, Slade started for the ring. ---
Roulette grinned at Ted, pushing her glasses up higher along her nose, "You won't do anything. See... things are about to heat up around here and you won't want to miss it. You back out now.. you leave with the brawl not having a champion. Without that, well we'll have to make some adjustments to the matches. Like..." She tapped the ipad she held in her hands, on the screen behind her, a new image popped up, showing Deathstroke and Black Canary. Beneath it read: No holds barred. "I think all you capes know about the Terminator and what he's capable off. You wouldn't want your little friend in on that."
The bell for the next match began. Slade wouldn't let it last beyond a few seconds. Running forward, his fingers drew the small knife out again and flung it forward, catching the man in the center of the throat. He gagged and Deathstroke leapt into the air, flying through it and coming down hard, crashing his right fist clean into the blade and punching down into the man's jugular. As he fell to the ground, writhing and choking, Slade's boots touched the ground and he turned his eye up towards the announcer box. Though his face was impossible to see due to the mask, Deathstroke's stance dared her to speak up. Dared her to try and make another attempt on his life. The crowd was silent as medics came running in, dragging the body away while the writhing became shivers. Moments after it disappeared, he turned and made his way out.
Dinah walked down the hall towards the locker rooms, she ached all over from that last fight. She saw Slade waiting for her. Great, she had a fan. As he complimented her fight, she gave a small smirk. "Thanks, it's not everyday I get to dance with a trash compactor." She started to pass him, counting down to herself, waiting for him to tell her what he wanted. She had almost made it to the locker room, before he spoke. She gave him a look at his warning. "We have both played this game. We know how risk underground fights are. They are dangerous because that's packs the house. And they are usually stacked against people who are trying to win for the right reasons." she gestured to the ring she had just walked from. "Look." she said tiredly."But if we were such a risk, they wouldn't let us in here, they like to see what trouble we can make and what publicity we can stir. So you keep your plans. I don't want this place coming apart, until I see my friend. To be honest, I know you think I'm no match for you, and that may be right. But get in my way from rescuing the only person I care about in this dump, and we will be having another conversation. Since you write me off as a goody goody cape, do so. But you know I will help out when I'm needed, if it's for the right reason. Don't destroy this guy, just because you can. Stick to what you were hired for, just win your match." she said and went into the locker room to freshen up a little and see how bad her bruises were going to be.
Meanwhile in Roulette's office Ted slammed his hands down on her desk. "Screw you Roulette! How dare you threaten me and the kid! Canary can hold her own, even against a killer like him. Besides, I think I know something you don't. Slade doesn't kill just for kicks. He doesn't even come to these things for the prize. He comes for a job, and he sticks to it. You really think he would kill a member of the Justice League and risk getting big blue and the bat coming after him?" he said shrewdly. "He's smarter than that. I'm gonna stay, just because I wanna show what I can do to some of these overpowered punks. But stop sending the kids in for me to pick off. I know what yer doin' and I'm not here to play patty cake. Just lay off the kid. Or my next fight is with you. And none of your goons will be able to stop me. Gonna be hard to count your money with broken hands." and with that he turned and walked out. Roulette would notice that he had cracked her solid oak desk.
Canary came out of the locker room looking a bit more refreshed. And frowned as the fight was already over. She rushed up to see what was going on. To see medics trying to stabilize a guy. She cursed under her breath, and waited to see what was going down. She couldn't even look at Slade. She hoped he got his mark and wasn't just trying to collect a set of matching corpses. She waited to see if Slade's hunch was right. Looking at the line-up screen waiting for the next pairing.
Slade had no care if the blond did not approve of his methods. He was not out to prove anything to her. There was a job to do and a point to prove, but to Roulette. She had her love for gambling but the dice she had thrown were not going to land on the number that she wanted. He made his way down the hall after his match, coming up behind Canary and passing between both her and the screen without sparing a glance. With the crowd like this, he was certain that Roulette was going to be pushed into bringing this whole bout to an end. With the medical team there, he bet that she was attempting to remove the evidence of her foul play as quickly as possible. If word reached the betters that she had dared to even rig one match then her credibility would be damaged and, in this sort of business, one's word was more than gold... but less than conflict diamonds. ---
Roulette kept her calm as the man shouted at her, threatening with words, but she still held the power here. Gripping the handle of her fan as she held it closed, the woman simply let her cocky, full of herself smirk grow on her dark painted lips. Her eyes flicked down to the crack in her desk after Ted had left, leaning forward to run a finger along the cracks and letting out a hiss of displeasure. "You're just like the Terminator, Grant. You're forgetting who's in charge around here," and a long finger pressed a button at her desk.
Canary wondered if killing a guy to get attention from Roulette was Slade's big plan. She frowned as he walked towards her, and tried to look about him as he blocked her view of the screen. She glanced around, she still hadn't seen Ted. He was avoiding her. Right now she wanted to knock some sense into him. And then finally, the screen updated and she heard the announcement. Wildcat vs Deathstroke.
Oh she had it, this was it! She stormed down to the ring and waited for Ted to show up. He was frowning when he did. "Get outta the way kid, it's not your fight."
"Like hell it is! He just put a guy into critical condition! I came here to talk to you! And I'll fight you before I let you fight against him! What are you trying to prove? You were always great, and still are. You taught a bunch of confused kids scared of what they can do, on how to be strong people who can help others. not just themselves. You go in there and get killed, you might as well throw away all those friendships and all those kids that still need your help. You want to feel a thrill of fighting, join me on patrol, we will clean up the streets together."
The old man looked conflicted. Trying hard to get past the blonde who kept blocking him.
The round of applause was audible even down the hallway that Slade was heading down. His lips pressed together in a bit of frustration. Despite all of his planning, Deathstroke was not omniscient and could not account for the act of everyone and least of all someone that he knew. His best assumption was that Wildcat had done something to anger Roulette and so she was now going to have him pay for such a thing. Well, he would have to adapt, there was no doubt about that. Rounding on his heel, he quickly made his way back towards the entrance to the arena.
When he arrived, Wildcat was still trying to force his way past Canary. "Eager aren't you?" he remarked, strolling past them but stopping outside of arm's reach to look back over his shoulder at the pair. "Let him fight. You can see it in his eyes... he wants this." If he had sized Ted up correctly, he was one of those old fighters that had a tough time letting go. Past his prime, but not yet over the hill, he kept digging deeper to prove that he had everything it took and more to hang with those younger than him. The man had all of the pride of a fighter at his peak, but that sort of emotion broke against the Terminator. "I'll be waiting; that is if you can get past her." His mask hid the grin on his lips, but there wasn't a doubt that the two heard it in his voice.
