Issue 4: "The Killing Game, Pt. 2: One by One"

Nightwing was poised atop the roof, his mouth curled into a snarl and his communicator gripped into his hand.

“Titans! The hospital has been destroyed! Raven and Speedy are incapacitated, and the assassin is after us this time! Meet back at the rendezvous point!”

“Understood,” Wonder Girl obliged, as the others echoed her response.

Nightwing nodded. “And…be careful. Look out for any - -”

“Argh!” One of the three faces on Dick’s communicator screen, that of Kid Flash, creased with agony, and a mere moment later, static replaced him.

“Wally…?” Starfire mumbled, her magnificent emerald eyes widening.

“Get to the rendezvous!” Nightwing cut the transmission and tucked it into his belt. He had to get to Kid Flash’s side! He retrieved his grappling hook and plunged from the rooftop, a grim determination setting in.

Kid Flash stepped back as Deathstroke dropped to the pavement, his masked face impacting on a puddle and spraying muddy water across the alley. Blood was flowing from his head, building in his mask and threatening to drown him in the scarlet liquid. He slowly reached up and took hold of it, loosening its grip on his face and allowing the blood to run free, seeping into the cracks and gaps in his battered armour. His entire body seemed to ache terribly, and he could barely move.

Kid Flash flexed his hand and gazed down upon his handiwork. He swallowed hard as a sickening guilt seeped in, and he found himself wondering if such a vicious attack had been necessary. With an exhausted sigh, he told himself he had been, and knelt beside his victim to check the damage. This was his first mistake.

Deathstroke brought his fist up, hard. It slammed into Kid Flash’s chin and forced his mouth closed violently with a crack as several teeth shattered from the impact. His second move was to secure the teen speedster’s head in his hands and muster his strength to yank it down onto his rising knee. His nose almost exploded with blood, hurling it in any and all directions. His third and final act was the deadliest. He retrieved his pistol, positioned its barrel against Kid Flash’s knee, and pulled the trigger.

“Can we finish this as quickly as possible, please? I still have to deal with a few others, and my time is running out.”

Wonder Girl growled and gripped her lasso as the mercenary threw taunts at her.

They were positioned in the middle of the road, darkness surrounding them. Each of them was wallowing in the own pool of light, the yellow energy from the streetlamps dappling their bodies and glinting off Donna’s bracelets and Deathstroke’s blade.

Donna shifted into an offensive position, taking the lasso in her left hand and extending her right arm forward. With a competitive grin, she beckoned him onwards with her right hand. “I’m afraid you won’t get past me.”

“I beg to differ,” Deathstroke returned, and bounded forward, bringing his sword down at his opponent in a sudden chop. Donna brought her bracelets up to meet the blow, the two metals clashing with a fierce clang. She forced the sword aside with one hand and brought her other fist up to impact on Deathstroke’s jaw. He grunted as the blow connected and sent him sprawling backwards. He clipped a lamppost and was spun sideward…straight into Donna’s booted foot. He cursed under his breath, latching onto the pole and spinning himself around it, twisting upwards into a standing position.

He reached for his belt and brandished a knife at his opponent. “You move well for such a young girl. But not well enough to - - ARGH!” A lance of crimson energy struck him in the back, forcing him to his knees, and was quickly joined by a second that tore into his armoured neck.

Donna glanced up at the source of the energy. “Starfire!”

“Wonder Girl!” Starfire greeted, and dropped down beside her friend. Her blazing red hair was mussed and out of place; she had obviously reached top speeds to get to her friend. The night breeze attempted to dissipate the energy encompassed in her hands, causing scarlet wisps to dance through the air. “After Kid Flash’s communication cut off, I had to check on you.”

“A noble gesture,” Deathstroke commended mockingly. “But a useless one. This just allows me to kill two birds with one stone.”

Starfire’s eyes throbbed with fury. “Your arrogance will not save you from me!” She launched herself forward in an aggressive lunge, more energy striking outwards from her palms. Deathstroke slipped to the side and slammed his leg into the Tamaranian’s chest. There was a rush of air as it was expelled suddenly from her lungs, and her eyes glazed momentarily. A second strike aimed for her legs sent her to the concrete.

Donna growled and leapt at him, hurling her lasso and accelerating forward at almost superhuman speed.

Deathstroke takes in the movement, and begins to sprint forward, sidestepping the lasso and then grabbing the young Amazon with his other hand, slamming her face down hard on the concrete below. Without missing a beat he leaps up and grabs the alien princess, then punches her hard in the jaw, bringing her down to earth with an almighty crunch. He somersaults back, and lands gracefully away from the fallen heroines.

“That the best you have to offer? Clumsy, shoddy movements, allowing me to bring you down without much effort…” The mercenary smiles beneath his bloody mask, his body already near fully healed from the beating he took from the speedster. “It seems I’m wasting my time, does it not?”

Donna snarls with anger, as does Kory, and they fly towards the man in unison, Starfire blasting him with so much power his armour begins to melt, and Wonder Girl ensnaring him with her lasso, and knocking him back with a powerful uppercut to the jaw. Donna raises her fist once more, preparing to finish the dangerous criminal, but hesitates, remembering that this would be a sweet release from the punishment he’ll suffer at the hands of the court. She smiles and crouches down, looking at the assassin with dark eyes.

“Why are you here, assassin?” She smiles and holds onto the lasso, the magic of the rope compelling him to speak the truth as Wonder Woman’s own.

“I am here to fulfil a contract, Titans.” He smiles again, and flicks open a small canister in his belt, invisible, tasteless gas flowing out from under him. “And I intend to complete it. Two silly little school girls are not going to stop me from completing my mission.”

“Who hired you?” Before Deathstroke can be compelled to answer, he presses another button on his belt, and lightning streaks through the golden lasso, shocking Donna back, and allowing him to get free.

“You won’t know till they want you to know!” He pushes his palm into the Amazon’s face, breaking her nose and sending her flying back. Starfire raises her palms and release a massive star bolt, but the force of it sends her flying into a building behind her, to Donna’s shock and amazement.

“Kory!”

Deathstroke smiles.

“Poor little princess doesn’t know how prepared I was.” He presses the attack on Donna; sending her crashing into a parked car, blood pouring from her nose and mouth. “Simple little bit of chemistry…” He raises his sword and slams it down onto Donna’s right hand, cutting straight through her flesh. She holds in a scream, and grits her teeth, head butting her attacker, fracturing his jaw.

He twists the sword, the wound widening, and then places his fingers around his mouth, cracking his jaw back into place.

“Anyway, as I was saying… Simple bit of chemistry to supercharge her cells with an undetectable gas…” He smiles and punches the Amazon into the concrete once more, again and again until she stops moving, and he finally gets up.

“DONNA!” Starfire is up, her hands burnt and blistered, and charges for her enemy, not trusting her powers to take him out.

He throws a C4 charge at the alien princess, and it sends her flying back, and allows him to get back to Wonder Girl.

“Now… I’m a fan of ancient text, and I was once in Greece, and I heard the most peculiar of legends…” he takes out a small welding iron and grabs the unconscious Amazon’s hands together, welding them together and then letting them fall limply to her chest. “…And that should take care of you, should it not?” He punches her again, breaking her healed nose and chipping her teeth, and ensuring she won’t get up for a while.

Kory is already up, her costume broken in places, her hair bright and fizzing, a high level of energy building up.

“Alright, alright, bring it on!” Deathstroke motions for her to attack and she complies, releasing another starblast that heads for the mercenary at lightning speeds. Slade smiles and simply lifts up Donna’s bracelets, the Amazonian metal sending the power right back at the unaware princess, causing her powers to go haywire, and shocking her to the ground.

“Simple enough tactic …” He rolls his eye, and smiles again. “Women…”

He leaves the fallen Amazon and takes out his sword again, and a small satchel from his back. Starfire moans quietly in pain, her skin smoking as energy crackles along her.

“That looks painful, let me…” He takes out a small device from the bag and places it around Kory’s neck and activates it with his sword, Starfire’s powers suddenly extinguishing.

“Help.” Kory’s eyes snap open and she screams, trying to get the collar off, screaming an alien language, not knowing what to do.

“I heard you didn’t like imprisonment.” He raises his gloved fist and smiles. “I’m doing you a favour, honestly.” He slams his fist down, knocking out the terrified Princess. He looks over to the other fallen hero and smiles. This was going quite well. He flings Kory over his shoulder, and grabs the Amazon by the hair, dragging them into a parked van in an alley.

Raven sits next to the unconscious Roy Harper, herself now bruised and beaten in the EMT, but not hurt enough to stop her leaving her team mate and friend. She takes in his being and slowly tries to awaken him, but her head pounds as her body heals itself. She doesn’t dare push too hard on her powers, not knowing what would happen if she fully pushed them to their highest levels, her dread father Trigon taking hold and… She shakes her head, and places her pale hands on her friend’s forehead, sensing a presence that shouldn’t have been there… This is not… What is that?

Someone else had had their claws in Roy’s mind…?

Deathstroke calmly waits in the old warehouse he has adopted as his home away from home. The Titans are strung up to his left, each imprisoned in a way to counteract their powers. Kid Flash has been pumped full with an accelerated neurotoxin, enough to keep him immobile for at least another hour or so… Then he’d have to administer another shot of the stuff… He carefully analysed his blood to ensure that he wouldn’t overdose on the stuff… No matter what happens, his employer wanted the young heroes alive. Starfire is chained to the wall, the power dampener still clasped around her neck, tears streaming down her face… Deathstroke almost felt sorry for her, almost… But not entirely. Wonder Girl has her gauntlets still soldered together, so she wasn’t getting out of this situation anytime soon…

Slade Wilson removed his mask and took a long drag on a cigarette, then looked at his monitors, noting the arrival of another vigilante, a certain masked sidekick who’s attempt to remove himself from papa bear’s shadow has resulted in… Something new. Slade felt excited at the idea, an enemy trained by Batman himself, a true challenge in this god forsaken city…

He replaced his mask, dropped the cigarette and stepped on it with his large boot, then vanished into the shadows.

Dick clicks on his night vision lenses and creeps towards a large computer, many monitors and one keyboard connected to them all. He hears shallow breathing, and without thinking, spins around and somersaults to the source, batons ready, fighting spirit welling up inside him. He reaches a red curtain, a massive piece of cloth covering the source of the noise. Dick feels the dread of before creeping up on him, and whips off the red material to reveal his fallen friends, all chained down to a wall, blood covering their costumes. He doesn’t know who looks the worse off… Donna’s face is swollen and bloodied beyond all recognition, Wally is covered in blood and his costume torn, but no visible wounds… His metabolism dealing with the physical injuries, but what about his mental state? Dick puts his hand against Kory’s cheek, and looks at her, tears streaming down her face, her perfect, tanned skin smouldering in places, burns on her hands. Dick feels the wet red feeling inside him tense, and turns to confront the man who did this to those who he holds dear.

“Nightwing, I assume?” The man is clad in reinforced armour, red and black and blue, his face covered by an orange and black mask with only one eye hole. Dick notes this, and feels his grip tighten on his weapon. “The last of the Titans to fall…”

“There are more of us than you think, mercenary…”

“Bravado!” Deathstroke smiles. “Oh I know of your Raven and Speedy, both at the hospital if I do recall? I have plans, do not worry…”

“Why are you doing this?” Dick notices his enemy slowly walk around him, trying to take in some weakness.

“Why not? Some snivelling sidekicks trying to strike out on their own, falling to the greatest assassin on Earth… It all seems quite straightforward to me… Not to mention the chance to take down the protégé of a dear friend of mine…”

Dick feels his eyes widen. What did this man have to do with Batman?

“Hmm. I think as soon as I kill you, I’ll have some fun with those ladies over there. Should be fun, don’t you think?”

That’s it, Dick has had enough. He springs himself at his enemy, leaping onto him and taking him down into a mound of boxes, then springs back off, grimacing.

“Impressive…” Deathstroke reaches down for his grenade belt, but finds that it isn’t there. “What the-?!”

Dick smiles slightly, holding the belt in his hand. “Keep aware of your enemy!”

He throws it away and leaps at Deathstroke again, slamming both of his hands down on the assassins shoulders, bringing him down to his knees, but Slade is ready, upper cutting the young vigilante and sending him flying up, and before Dick can even land, the mercenary has leapt up himself, and kicks him hard in the head, and into the torture rack that holds his comrades. “You can’t even hope to take me down, boy… You might as well throw yourself onto my-” Slade looks at his back and reaches for his blade, but finds it’s not there.

Dick stands up, wiping blood from his mouth and holding the weapon.

“Sword? I have no intention of committing seppuku, assassin. This is not feudal Japan, either!”

Dick throws the sword upward, and then swing kicks it at the torture table, impaling the metal between Donna Troy’s bonds, separating her hands and allowing her to fall to the floor. Dick catches her falling body and props her up against the rack. “Your plans seem to be falling apart!”

Dick picks himself up and sprints at his enemy, and kicks for his chest, only to be blocked by his enemy. He goes for the other side but Deathstroke just puts up his hand, allowing his armour to take the impact.

“I like you, kid…” Slade then punches Dick up, and takes out something from his belt, a small cord that explodes from its casing and wraps itself around Nightwing’s neck, and Deathstroke then proceeds to leap up into the rafters above, dragging the choking vigilante up with him. “This could actually be a real challenge!”

Dick takes out a batarang from his utility belt and cuts himself loose, and then grabs onto the wooden rafters to steady himself, his neck red and raw.

Deathstroke balances on the wooden beams, smiling beneath his mask. “Come on then, Robin!”

Dick looks up and grimaces at the words.

He back flips onto the rafters, just like he used to when his parents where still alive, and smiles. Dick sprints forward, one foot in front of the other, and runs up Deathstroke’s chest, kicking him in the head as he goes, then somersaults back.

Deathstroke places his hand on his ammunition belt and looks up, only to see Nightwing flick the ammo off his foot and into his grasp.

“This is getting tedious, young man.” Slade clicks something on his glove and the belt fizzles as something goes off inside. Dick throws it to his side and watches as it erupts with liquid fire that pours down onto the warehouse floor below, an inferno instantly spreading along the floor.

Nightwing gasps and takes out another three batarangs, and throws them at the mercenary’s arm, sending the limb flying back, blood pouring from the wounds. He presses the advantage, kicking either side of his head with lightning speed and then landing in front of him, impaling a batarang into the assassin’s leg, causing him to loose his balance and stumble back. As he stumbles, Dick grabs his mask and wrenches it off, seeing the man’s face beneath it. He doesn’t strike Dick as familiar, as it’s a face you’d rarely forget. He sees white hair, a white beard and a black eye patch against his right eye, and as he nearly regains his balance Dick kicks him straight in the chest, and watches as he falls into the fiery floor below.

Dick awakens in bed to see his team mates surrounding him, his wounds tended to. Kory smiles, her burns all healed, and kisses Nightwing firmly on the lips. Wally blushes, smiles and turns away, as does Donna whose face is still quite bruised from the attack, but given time, it’s more than likely that Raven’s power will deal with them properly. Wally walks with a limp, his knee healed up but still suffering some muscle damage that would correct itself with time. They had just gone through one of their most traumatic battles, and made it out by a hair’s breadth. When Donna and Kory returned to the Themysciran Embassy, Wally tells his roommate of how he shook off the effects of the sedative, and was only able to rescue Dick when he got up…

“I tried to go back in, but my knee…” Wally looks down, anguished at his lack of ability to save the villain.

Dick smiles and looks up. “He got out, Wally… Unfortunately…”

Wally looks up lighnting fast, his face a blur, and then frowns. “How do you know?”

“I know villains. This kind of man… I know them like I know myself. He got out. He’ll be back…”

Wally nods slowly.

“Hmm. I’m really only used to the colourful rogues I’m afraid. The ones who hit banks and then go out for a drink together afterwards… Did I tell you about the time Captain Cold and Mirror Master evaded police, and were only arrested when they got rowdy at Davies’ Bar?”

“Yeah, you did Wally.” Dick smiles. “But you can sure as hell tell me again. Anything with Mirror Master spins a fantastic yarn…”

“Hah… Well… Uh… What’s the time?”

Dick’s eyes widen. “I’ve just been unconscious for a day or two! How am I supposed to know the time?!”

Wally smiles and slaps the ex-boy wonder round the head. “I’ve got to go. Rachel is at a different hospital with Roy, and I said I’d meet her to make sure she was ok.”

“Sure, sure… I’ll just watch TV. Have a good time…” Dick turns on the television and starts to flick on and off channels. Before he can blink Wally has vanished, on his way at superspeed to the hospital.

“Heh…Whipped…”

Kory sits in her chamber, and reads the letter out loud, confused at the content.

“’The Titans will die if you do not follow these words to the letter. You will meet me in Miami, I will send word of the exact location when I know you are there, and I will know. If you tell anyone of this letter, your friends will die.”

Kory doesn’t know what to do… Could this be connected to the events of the past two days? She scribbles something down on some paper at her desk, and then flies out of the window, the guardswomen taking note of her exit and then continuing about their duties.