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Rated M for Mature
Appropriate for readers 18 and over. May contain extreme violence, sexual themes, nudity, or profanity.
New Crisis, Chapter 3- Survival of the Fittest
Starfish Island
His name was Oliver Queen. The five years on an island have turned him into something else. That was something entirely different far from any millionaire playboy living in Star City. He viewed it quite far away from his boat, the Queen’s Gambit. Memories were flushing though his mind, the time when he got stranded on the deserted place, alone and quite helpless. But he survived through all those years, training hard, day and night and never giving up. He hoped one day that he would come back home and reunite with his friends and family. That day came, when he met a man named Slade Wilson.
Slade Wilson was also known as Deathstroke, a dangerous bounty hunter who kills people for money. He cared less what happens to them. Oliver and Slade were used to be buddies at the time, when they worked together to fight the crime lords of the underworld. But Slade wanted to kill them. Someone hired him to do the dirty job. Oliver knew that killing wasn’t the right step for him. He turned away from his partner, never to be seen again. Oliver had met Slade time and again; they crossed paths fighting each other.
Oliver moved his boat away closely to the beach of the island. Returning to his place was something that Oliver has to deal with. He didn’t come here to retrain himself. He only came to find Slade or Deathstroke. Batman contacted him, and told Oliver that the information, which he was given by a mysterious man, revealed that Deathstroke had some information regarding Lex Luthor’s death. Batman would have come and do the job. But he had other plans to find out the real killer. So, he decided to give Oliver his own job.
A dirty job, Oliver thought. He couldn’t help recalling, when Slade accidentally killed an innocent civilian during the drug raid. That actually stopped Oliver from teaming up with Slade. He wasn’t satisfied or happy of the fact that Slade killed someone and didn’t give a damn about it.
Oliver went to his quarters, opening the cabinet full of clothes. Below, a box was laid on the floor. He knelt down, opened the box. He stared at the green costume. It’s been five years that he had trained himself without it. Now, it’s time to test it on the training ground.
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Somewhere in the jungle, Deathstroke blew a smoke through his lips. He was taking a break after his boss told him to kill several VIPs in Tokyo. Most of them were European, rich and powerful. Money always comes to his mind. A lot of money and much better than what Floyd Lawton is getting. He wondered how was doing his job with the Suicide Squad. Slade shares the military background with Floyd, even though they haven’t met each other at war. Slade thought of himself as a general, who likes to give orders. He might as well give Floyd some orders. But Floyd may not listen to him, since he’s focusing too much in supporting his daughter.
You’re really stupid, Slade thought, saying it to Floyd somewhere far in the city. You have all the money in the world, and you’re giving it to your pretty girl. Slade threw the cigarette away, without stepping it on the dirty ground. He put his mask on, and then walked through the crowd of bushes. He raised his sharp sword from his back, slicing all the way through. He came to this island once when he met Oliver Queen. He was disappointed that Oliver turned his back on him.
You’ll deserve what you get, Slade thought. He wondered if anyone knows what he had just gotten. A man called him, without revealing his name. The voice was too deep that Slade couldn’t make sure of whom it was. Every boss in town and cities, revealed their names. But this one in particular intended not to. There was something fishy about his voice. He let it go aside, and went forward through the crowded bushes.
A waterfall is being heard nearby; Slade came out from the crowded, sliced bushes. He looked around, feeling the air around him. He removed his mask, knelt down beside the water, drinking it. He stared at his face, the right eye patch covering his scarred eye. He thought the healing factor could fix the damage, ever since he drank the super-serum. But the serum proved to have limitations, which Slade couldn’t expect more. He closed his left eye, breathing smoothly. Then a twig of a tree got twitched. Someone was here and Deathstroke could hear it. He opened his left eye, looked around the place, even the waterfall.
“Come out...Oliver,” Deathstroke said. Oliver knew that Slade was smarter than him, one step ahead. He had to train himself harder in order to beat Slade. That was the time after he got beaten badly during their last battle in Star City.
“Long time, no see,” Oliver said. He raised his bow towards the deadly bounty hunter. He shot the arrow, which Slade caught it by surprise. The arrow was meant not to kill him. The arrow was supposed to hit his leg. Deathstroke looked at the arrow, realizing it was covered with some liquid, the chloroform. He can even smell it.
“You’re pathetic,” Slade said. He broke the arrow into two pieces, throwing them away. He raised his sharp sword, ready to attack the Green Arrow.
Oliver had to think of something, getting the information from Slade. It wasn’t easy dealing with the bounty hunter. He had skills far more than any hero or villain out there. Not even Deadshot can beat him.
“I’ve come here for the information, Slade,” Oliver said. He took out another arrow from his back, the quiver.
Deathstroke laughed a bit. He looked at the waterfall, thinking of the time he and Oliver trained to become fighters. The waterfall was in China.
“When are you going to learn, Ollie?” Slade said. “That you can’t beat the Terminator.”
“Don’t get so cocky, Slade,” Oliver said as he pointed the arrow at him with the bow. “I’ve beaten you before.”
“Yeah,” Slade said. “That was one time only. But can you beat me again? Do you have the guts to kill me?”
“I don’t terminate people,” Oliver said almost jokingly. “I’m not like you, Slade.”
“Of course,” Slade said. “You’re the Green Arrow, the hero of Star City, the member of the Justice League, the great f***ing Robin Hood...” He rushed towards Oliver with his sharp sword. Oliver shot the arrow, hoping it could strike him. But the arrow got sliced by Slade’s sword. Oliver ducked down as the sword swished away. Slade made sure that he could kill Oliver anytime soon. He didn’t have time to deal with the millionaire playboy.
Oliver used his fighting skills to hit Slade at the back. Slade didn’t feel a thing as if though he didn’t feel pain. He swings his sword again, tearing a bit of the Oliver’s costume. The hero looked at it, feeling a bit of relief. There were times that Slade could lace his sword with the poison. There’s no telling of what the bounty hunter could do next.
Slade jumped on him, raising his sword. Oliver tried to kick the sword away from Slade’s hand. But the strength of the bounty hunter proved too great for the green-costumed hero to handle. Maybe, Oliver could have asked his fellow teammates, the Black Canary, Arsenal, and Katana to help him and fight the bounty hunter. But they were on their own, fighting crime wherever they are. Oliver had to do this mission on his own. If anyone can do it, he can.
Slade swings his sword again. This time, Olive used his all strength to kick the sword away from him. Slade looked at the dropped sword. He took out a dagger from the side of his belt. Oliver defended himself from the dagger. He took out an arrow from his quiver, stabbing it on Slade’s left side of the shoulder. The bounty hunter screamed a bit loud. He knocked Oliver on the face. Oliver fell down on the dirty ground. He got up immediately after recovering his senses. The bounty hunter’s brutal strength almost weakened the hero.
Oliver looked at Slade, staggering a bit. It was working. He had to plan all this out, just to bring the bounty hunter down to his knees. But Slade wouldn’t let the chloroform take the effect. He pulled the arrow away from his shoulder. He then rushed through Oliver again, beating him up. Oliver kicked his groin hardly. He rolled over to the other side of the ground, taking out the other arrow from the back of his quiver. He threw the arrow straight at Slade’s left leg.
Bingo! Oliver thought. He may have taken two hits on Slade, but the effects could take some time. He needed to be careful, not to put too much arrow hits. The long-term effects of the chloroform could render Slade Wilson useless. It could even mean his death. There was only one thing to do. Oliver backed off a bit, waiting for the effects to drain Slade’s stamina.
Slade Wilson tried to attack Oliver, who was staying away from him. He thought Oliver was afraid. But no, it wasn’t like that. Oliver wanted him alive, more than ever. He tried to resist the affects of the chloroform. It even proved too much for him to handle.
Come on, Oliver thought. Don’t make me shoot another arrow. Don’t...But Slade rushed towards him again, screaming like a wild animal in the jungle. Oliver felt a sigh, taking out another arrow from the back of his quiver and this time, stabbed on the side of his gut. Slade stopped, looking at the arrow on his gut. Oliver backed away again until Slade fell down, unconsciously. Oliver sat down on the tree log, feeling relieved that the mission was partly successful. Now, all he had to do was tying him up and wait for him to wake up. Only time will tell.
Oliver got up from the log, looking for leaf branches to be used as a rope. His training on the island taught him so many things, which he later applied them in Star City. While he was looking for the possible rope, an explosion erupted from the other side of the island. Oliver quickly stepped up to the top the rock, looking ahead of the explosion.
Oh no...
Watchtower
Mister Terrific was drinking coffee, staring at the widescreen, which showcases the scenes of every part of the world. He watched them as time goes by. It’s not something that he would like to be part of. He wanted to join the team, helping in action. Action may speak louder than words, but Mister Terrific had terrific ideas to overcome the enemies of the Justice League, even if it was something to do with words. He drank the rest of the coffee, put it aside the controls. A call came though the private line.
“Mister Terrific here,” Mister Terrific answered the call. The split screens automatically shifted into one whole screen, showing Batman.
“Batman!” Mister Terrific said, almost surprisingly. He wondered why Batman would call at this time.
“Mister Terrific,” Batman said. “I have some information that would tell us what really happened to Lex Luthor. We have to act fast before...”
Then a static interrupted the whole screen. The screen became blurry. Mister Terrific tried to contact Batman several times. There was no reply.
The door opened from the other side of the main control room. It was the Martian Manhunter arriving and witnessing the static interference of the screen.
“Batman! Batman!” Mister Terrific said aloud again. “Can you hear me? Can...” He stopped. The static screen shifted into a black one. The screen revealed to be a large, red eye.
“Oh no,” Mister Terrific said. He knew what this red eye really meant. Martian Manhunter stood beside him. Mister Terrific barely noticed the green Martian. He was usually quiet all the time, even quieter in his quarters, probably meditating who knows what.
“We have a problem,” Mister Terrific said, this time he looked at the green Martian.
“I can see that,” Martian Manhunter said. “It seems our enemy has returned.”
“Yeah,” Mister Terrific said. He was afraid that something like this would happen. Ever since the death of Lex Luthor, it’s possible that the organization, Checkmate was responsible for sending the OMACs to hunt down superheroes and villains. But this time, it could be different. For all they know, they were being hunted by Checkmate for killing Lex Luthor.
A red light was blinking at the side of the controls. Then the computer called Gideon, who was created by Barry Allen a few years back came through the communication line.
“Warning! I’m detecting a squad of OMACs arriving at this area.”
Mister Terrific didn’t know what to say. He thought Gideon could give them the right information concerning the exact location of the OMACs before they arrived to Watchtower. Gideon was supposed to detect them earlier. The problem was the OMACs must have tampered with Gideon’s system, which is why she had just noticed them.
“This is bad,” Mister Terrific said, thinking of what Barry would think of this situation. He wished all the heroes were here to combat the OMACs. He could have gotten the information straight out of Batman. The OMACs beat him to it. But there was something strange here. Amanda Waller, who was the head of Checkmate, would want to find out the information, which was about to be given by Batman. So there had to be someone else, who caused the static interference in the first place.
“What do we do now?” Mister Terrific said, facing towards the green Martian.
“We fight,” the Martian Manhunter said.
“Is that all you have to say?” Mister Terrific said. For a fact, he couldn’t use his T-Spheres to counterattack the OMACs. The OMACs were designed to block any attack that also includes superhuman powers. Mister Terrific needed some terrific idea to finish off this threat. He waited for the green Martian’s response.
“We need to move, Michael,” the Marian Manhunter said, walking away from Mister Terrific. The OMACs were approaching their destination. Mister Terrific needed to buy some time. For that to happen, he told Gideon to shut down all power of the Watchtower.
“Are you coming?” Martian Manhunter said, waiting for Mister Terrific to arrive. Mister Terrific commanded his T-Spheres to turn on the lights.
“Yeah...” Mister Terrific said. He looked over the main control room of the Watchtower. Then he followed the Martian Manhunter into the dark abyss.
To be continued in New Crisis, Chapter 4- Game of Thrones.
Wow! Oliver just got Slade beaten almost to death. And the explosion? Where did that come from? I know what you’re thinking. Anyways, the Martian Manhunter and Mister Terrific must do battle with the OMACs. But how they will survive? You’ll find out in the later chapter of New Crisis.
Next, Wonder Woman is given the task of becoming the next queen of Themyscira. What does Wonder Woman think about this idea? Will she able to rule over Paradise Island? But someone else doesn’t like the fact that she would become the new queen. Who would that be? Speaking of throneship, Arthur Curry also known as Aquaman, struggles to face the fact that a dangerous prisoner is being locked up inside the deepest prison of the ocean. Who would that prisoner be? How could that affect his reign over Atlantis? Find out in the next chapter of New Crisis.
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