38. Prelude Of Showdown

Somewhere in the wilderness, Ontario. T-Minus Ainz is imminent.

"There is no way this is going to work."

"Shhh, this is going to work perfectly. Just remain quiet and let me work my magic."

Night had already taken hold, a full moon hanging overheard, its soft shine lightly illuminating the land below. The image of a richly forested area, the soft greens of the summer, the gleaming dew and the quiet sound of nature was thoroughly ruined by two beings slowly crawling on the ground.

"My dear comrade, I really don't see how this is a good way to infiltrate the compound." said the bigger being, his avian yet humanoid features expressing his doubt in an unmistakable yet alien way.

"Shhh, just trust me. When you've raided one of these secret hideouts you've raided all of them. These idiots always leave a 'secret exit' or some such useless feature." Answered the other, more diminutive one. Whereas the first was a giant this one was not very different from a fantasy novel's idea of a dwarf. His low height and stout body effortlessly crawled through the undergrowth.

These two beings were Steel Talon and Puck, members of Alpha Flight and Canada's heros.

"I understand that there is an entrance and I trust you to find it but won't they see us coming? We aren't being particularly stealthy…" his words were punctuated by the sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs, further lending credence to his words.

"That's the best part! These hosers will see us coming and they'll have the 'genius' idea to lay a trap for us, probably stay there to monologue too. It'll save us the effort to chase them later." Even under the low light one could see the manic gleam in Puck's eyes at the prospect of a confrontation.

Steel Talon said nothing nor did his expression change but even then Puck knew he was smiling too.

As in on cue, Puck's hand finally felt a hard metallic surface. They had found the 'secret' entrance.

Puck's fist had no trouble punching through the hardened metal hatch, the high military grade steel offering only a slight resistance to the Alphan's superhuman physique as he ripped it off its hinges before jumping in.

The fall was relatively short, landing him square in the middle of a rather large hallway and in front of an as of yet unready machine gun nest. The two men attempting to get the large weapon into place barely had any time to be surprised before Puck sent them on an unscheduled meeting with Morpheus.

"Let justice be served!" proclaimed Steel Talon as he rose to his full height and charged the other guards.

"Now," smiled Puck evilly, "let the fun begin!"

---​

Three hours before. Montreal

Steel Talon looked down at Puck and then at back at the small device in his hands, comprehension dawning upon his inhuman features.

"So I assume you let him go so we could follow him to their base of operations?" He asked, already sure of the answer.

"Right on point," nodded Puck, "These theatrical types are fairly consistent in their actions. The more elaborate their plans the bigger the chance they have some kind of underground base in the middle of nowhere, so it's easier to let them guide you to it. Pretty smart of me, eh?"

Steel Talon nodded, his features showing some elusive emotion that his fellow Alphan could not identify.

"So what's the plan then?" Continued the younger alphan, "do we call the others and go after them?"

Puck didn't answer, two powerful not-quite-jumps taking him to the place where the unconscious mafioso slash cultist, Anatoly Rasputin had been dropped a few minutes earlier. The russian's breathing was steady and there were no visible wounds upon his body but for a small cut on his forehead that had thankfully already stopped bleeding.

Puck grabbed the man, with a care almost uncharacteristic of the small Alphan, and softly moved him to the overgrown grass and away from the damaged building.

"First," said the older Alphan, holding up a finger," we'll take care of evacuating that building. While I'm pretty sure we didn't hit anything important on our way out. It shouldn't take long and I don't want to leave it to chance, not when it is full of innocent people."

"After that," Puck continued, holding up another finger as he walked to the entrance of the apartment building, where a number of worried-looking tenants were already gathering, "We'll make sure to call our friends. I'm pretty sure they already got the alarm but I want the Flight to take care of these people, I wouldn't trust the local cops any further than I could throw you."

Puck smiled at the junior Alphan and even through his inhuman features it was obvious that Steel Talon was also smiling.

"And finally," said Puck as he turned to look at Steel Talon, a predatory grin adorning his rugged features," it's time we find these bastards."

"Shouldn't we wait for them? The rest of the Flight I mean," asked Steel Talon.

"No, they'll get here but it could be too late. I trust the big man and the others to catch up to us," explained Puck.

"No, we'll catch these bastards wherever they are hiding and we will run them down."

---​

In the five minutes they had been inside the complex, Puck and Steel Talon had run into no less than twenty men. They had all been armed with heavy or crew served weapons and had fired to kill and Puck couldn't help but worry that resistance had been so light.

"Die Alpha pi-!" The battle cry of the mook was cut short as Puck's right fist connected with his jaw while his left hand threw his combat shotgun away.

"Sorry, no time for your threats, got a schedule to keep," answered the Alphan as he evaded a backstab by another enemy by side stepping before delivering a -literally- breathtaking high kick to the man's stomach.

With both men down Puck turned to check on his new protege just in time to see him charge the two-man HMG crew as they opened fire.

Their current location was one of the many secondary tunnels growing from what Puck assumed was the center of the complex. They were small affairs barely six meters wide, which meant that nothing but a pair of well disciplined men with a good enough weapon could hold many times their number at bay. Of course everything changed when you threw superhumans, or aliens in this case, into the equation.

Steel Talon did not falter nor did he dive for cover, instead his raven black blade rose at impossible speeds and parried away the heavy bullets. The machine gunners fought with a surprising level of competence, with two short but on point bursts fired one after another to no avail. The newest Alphan parrying away each and every bullet and filling the hallway with sparks from the ricochets as he ran towards their position. It would be a matter of seconds before the Alphan was on them so, desperation growing, the machine gunner fired a third and much longer burst.

They never had a chance to fire the fourth.

Steel Talon was upon them, one swing of his dark blade slicing off the front half of the HMG while backhanding the man with bone breaking force. Before his companion could react, the flat of the Alphan's sword met his face, breaking his nose and knocking him down for good.

All in all the battle had taken no more than forty seconds, a minute at most.

But it was a minute lost and another chance for whoever ran the base to prepare another of their traps, or worse, escape. So without another word the two alphans pushed on, Steel Talon with his inhumanly fast strides that seemed to devour the ground and Puck with his not-quite-jumps.

"Damn, this is too easy," complained Puck as they turned on a bend, punching an unsuspecting guard in the face without stopping.

"Agreed, I do not have much experience raiding underground fortresses but I know a thing or two about them and this is less than pathetic but an insult," agreed Steel Talon, his sword slicing through a reinforced blast door before punching the two halves aside. "I must accept your theory regarding a trap, it is the only thing that makes sense.

They were now outside of the service (escape?) tunnels and into what they assumed was the facility proper. Grey featureless concrete walls replaced with gunmetal and red alloy passageways marked by coloured strips meant to lead one through the base.

These tunnels were not empty like the others, almost twice as wide they were filled with a variety of things, from machinery to regular office supplies. Many crystal and regular doors were visible on each side but the two Alphans pushed by without stopping, what they were looking for would not be found there.

In a blur of motion they sped past dozens of doors before coming across another bend. Following the coloured proper stripe that would lead them to their destination.

Four more guards carrying much better gear stood in their way, a complete fireteam prepared to fill them with lead and laser fire.

Puck didn't even pretend they were a threat, bouncing head first into their formation and sending the men sprawling to the floor. A moment later Steel Talon went past, smashing the ones who tried to rise against the walls. They never stopped nor did they diminish their speed.

"Soo yes, easy," continued Puck,"I recommend you prepare for something big and a monologue, they always monologue."

A lone guard tried to fire at Puck using her sidearm, but he slapped the gun away before drop-kicking the woman, using the force of the kick to push himself even faster.

"Should we be worried?" Asked Steel Talon, as a swing from his sword hand absentmindedly cleaved a turret that had suddenly appeared from a hidden panel before throwing half the resulting wreckage at another further down the hall.

"Not particularly. Whoever these people are, whoever they have I'm fairly sure there is nothing I can't take, much less you." Puck ducked under an energy blade swing before springing back up and driving his head against the armoured mook's exposed lower jaw with enough force to break it.

"But nevertheless, that's no reason not to be careful. If the bad guys have something going for them, it is that they will always surprise you in one way or another." Steel Talon nodded at Puck's words, clearly accepting the older Alphan's words, as he pushed his way through another blast door.

"Indeed, this is also my father's wisdom so I know you speak the truth." There was clear admiration and warmth in the alien's voice and Puck couldn't help but smile, he really had to meet the younger Alphan's father one day, for all he had heard the man was an outstanding individual.

"Good, because we are almost there. Be prepared for anything." Puck didn't even try to slow, deciding instead to attempt what he liked to call a 'dynamic entrance'. The flimsy wooden door separating them from their target could no more stop the speeding, rubber-like and incredibly dense Alphan than a piece of tissue paper could stop a bullet.

With that the hallway they had been running through had now ended and the two Alphans found themselves inside what could be best called a well appointed lobby, with a big lacquered oak double door behind a counter where a secretary must have usually sat. The area was expansive, with a ceiling more than 5 meters high and enough width to comfortably hold two dozen people as they relaxed on one of the three big dark blue sofas. The brutal din of the alarms, by then an ever present companion ever since they entered the underground base, was completely absent. Instead a relaxing tune played from hidden speakers. All in all it was an image completely at odds with everything they had seen before.

Except that is, for the twenty power armoured soldiers and the combat walker with a gun almost as big as Puck on its back.

Puck almost instantly recognised the gear, a Roxxon Armaments quadruped combat walker and Hammer Industries Mk 2 Warhammer powered exoskeletons carrying what would normally be considered heavy Anti-materiel rifles. Both were Canadian Armed forces gear and very restricted ones at that. Something was very wrong, but right now Puck had no time to think about it.

They entered the lobby and surprisingly none of the waiting soldiers opened fire, though Puck was still sure both him and Steel Talon were being painted with an uncomfortable number of extremely powerful sensors from their smart weapons.

Of course their hesitation was Puck's gain.

"Talon, Alpha two" the command was simple, and one of the first Puck had taught the younger Alphan 'cover while I take them out!' was as simple as tactics got.

"That won't be necessary" Before either could do anything a new figure appeared.

He was a middle aged man, the balding head, thick circle beard and classic suit giving him the appearance of a stereotypical professor or psychiatrist. His voice was calm and assertive even while surrounded by fighting men and facing what he must have known were extremely dangerous enemies.

"Really?" Puck asked, letting some disbelief bleed into his voice. While it would not be impossible that the man before them was planning on giving up without requiring violence it was still highly improbable and by then even the most slow minded of criminals should have known that Puck couldn't be bought. So with both possibilities discarded what was left?

"Indeed," continued the man," while I assume you won't take my word for granted I assure you this is no ploy or other such stratagem. I simply have nothing to gain from a confrontation with you."

"So you will hand in yourself, villain?" asked Steel Talon but the other man shook his head, amusement clear in his features.

"Hardly the case. Not fighting against you does not require for me to surrender either. I simply come with a more… palatable proposition for both of us." While so far thair raid could be aptly described as a milk run, the mysterious man's calm demeanor and unshakable assurance worried Puck. There was obviously something he was missing.

"Now, I would invite you to pass into my office but something tells me you won't accept," he gave Puck and Steel Talon a small mocking smile, "so I will go directly to the matter at hand if you don't mind."

"Say your piece." Puck did not know what he was planning but there was no point in denying him the chance to speak.

"Excellent, I will, as you so aptly expressed it, 'get to the point'." the man clasped his hands in a well practiced and executed gesture, but it rang hollow to Puck, like a puppet pretending to be human.

"My employer, or ally of convenience if things proceed as I assume they will, has tasked me with taking care of you as you have probably summarized already. The plan was simple, to lure you deep inside this fortress and eliminate you before you could escape."

The man stopped for a moment, making a show of cleaning his glasses with a handkerchief he took from his pocket. The move was once again completely artificial without any life to it and Puck worried at how… inhuman it all was.

"Of course I did not find this a reasonable command. The value of this edification aside, I have many people and resources of high value here, resources I can't afford to lose, something my former employer knew very well."

Now Puck could see where this conversation was going. Not exactly a common development as far as he was concerned but an understandable one nonetheless.

"So, as I am sure you have just guessed, I have decided that my employer is not to remain as such anymore.Instead I will continue with the evacuation of this base, something which you will allow, and instead I will give you the real coordinates of my would-be-betrayer's lair." The bespectacled man finished.

For a moment Puck remained silent, as if thinking over the offer from the bespectacled criminal. It was very straightforward and, if one were to trust his reasons, also highly likely that he would deliver. All in all a highly enticing possible new development, at least as long as one ignored quite the basic issue.

"And what stops me from simply obtaining the knowledge out of you and your goons?" The one who spoke first was not Puck but Steel Talon as he took one step forward, bringing himself face-to-face (or chest) with the much smaller human. There was no anger nor anything different from his tone, but Puck still felt a chill down his spine. There was something… dangerous about the other Alphan's words.

If he was intimidated the man did not show it, instead smiling at the alien's threat. This time there was no feigned politeness but a very clear cruelty and unfeeling cold in the man's eyes.

"Why but quite a lot!" he said, raising three fingers.

"First is the issue that no one here, nor my subordinates nor the computers, have any idea where your target is." He locked eyes with Puck as he spoke, as if inviting the senior Alphan to doubt his words but Puck remained silent.

"Then there is the issue of the two megaton thermonuclear warhead buried deep inside the compound, it would take no more than a button press to initiate it and I'm fairly sure even two vaunted heros like you could not survive that, nevermind the collateral damage to the nearby civilians." Both Steel Talon and Puck stiffened, it was possible he was lying, that he was bluffing and trying to keep them off balance but it made little sense for that to be the case. They were now deep inside the underground base, too deep to escape before the nuke went off and took them and everyone there to a fiery grave.

If they survived after the next few minutes Puck swore he would make sure someone paid for letting such a weapon fall into the hands of lowlifes such as the man standing before them.

From his peripheral sight Puck looked at Steel Talon, the birdman had remained quiet so far but was now softly holding the side of his head. Puck wanted to ask what was wrong but the criminal did not give him the chance to.

"And finally," continued the man before being cut off by a sudden burst of movement.

In a movement so fast that Puck couldn't follow, Steel Talon's arm snapped out. A blur striking the bespectacled man directly in the face and pushing through.

For a fraction of a second Puck was speechless, his brain trying to comprehend why Steel Talon had just killed the man and whether that meant they were about to meet their fiery, radioactive deaths by virtue of a deadman's switch.

"...is the fact that I left the area ten minutes ago and you have been speaking to a holographic transmission all this time." the 'man' spoke, his face shimmering in the blue band as Steel Talon's fist retreated from inside his head.

"So, are you ready to compromise?"

Puck cursed his luck.

---​

The Omnijet could break the sound barrier in less than ten seconds and reach mach three in a minute. Even assuming their target saw them coming, which was an uncomfortably probable possibility, there wouldn't be much they could do before Steel Talon and Puck dropped on top of them. Even then the two heroes were silent, their minds focused on the task at hand.

Normally Puck would have flown the plane himself but he didn't trust his ability to carry out a hot landing and he was annoyingly sure that they would need to do just that. That is assuming they weren't shot down before.

Puck somehow doubted the likelihood of his plane making it out in one piece.

Surprisingly it was Steel Talon who broke the silence first

"So, my dear senior, what is the plan?" The newbie Alphan didn't seem to be worried but Puck knew better. Even if there was no outward showing of it, anyone would feel pressure when marching to such an ominous encounter.

"Same as before, we break in and rush past before they know what hit them. Try to avoid senseless deaths but don't hold anything back, our priority is stopping that hoser."

Steel Talon nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. Puck of course knew better and while he wasn't one to coddle his colleagues -or protegees- this was not the best time to test the younger Alphan.

"But that is not all you have in that big head of yours isn't it?" Continued Puck.

"Indeed, while I am not particularly worried regarding our chances of success, the words from our 'friend' were rather worrying after all."

Puck cringed at being reminded of their still-too-fresh failure to catch their main objective's subordinate and the words that had followed their parting.

---​

"He is hiding in a mansion a hundred and fifty kilometers northwest from here, you can't miss it because it is the only man made structure in the area. The building is a fortress but nothing that should give you trouble." The man spoke slowly, confident of his position and Puck couldn't help but agree with him. There was nothing neither he nor Steel Talon could do to stop him.

"There are no more than a hundred guards but they are uniformly composed of his New Men. They should offer no greater resistance than what mine did, but it is worth keeping in mind that they won't surrender nor break. They are thoroughly loyal to their master."

Puck grunted in response, his mind swirling with possibilities as he kept trying -and failing- to outsmart the man before him.

"It is his pet enforcer, the one you already met and however many others of his kind there are that you should worry about, you may think you defeated it but I assure you it was no more than theatrics," he paused, as if to emphasize the point. "They will be waiting for you and you must be ready to utterly destroy this being, a feat I am afraid I could not accomplish on my own. But if you are planning on catching him then you should depart now, otherwise he will realise something is wrong and make good of his escape"

"And what if we don't do that? What if instead of trusting the word of murderous scum like you we wait for our team, eh?" Puck was clear with the criminal, there was no point in mincing words with the man standing before him.

"Happen? Well, to me it will be of little difference. I already have what I wanted from my former employer and I plan not to cross paths with him again independently of what you do to him." He smiled thinly at Puck, his pearl white teeth barely visible.

"But for you? Well, I assume you have already realised things aren't what they seem and I am quite sure you are not one to leave people with access to such weapons" he nodded to where his heavily armoured and armed soldiers had previously stood and then raised what he had told them was the detonator for the nuclear weapon hidden inside the base, "to remain at large. Who knows what manner of ill action they could be part of?"

Puck grunted but said nothing else.

The mysterious criminal sighed, the expression carrying enough emotion to show Puck it wasn't part of his carefully maintained persona.

"As it is I have no quarrel with your people so I will try to give you as many chances of winning as possible," he paused for a moment, as if listening to something, "you must understand that you truly know nothing of what you are facing, my former employer has more power than you can imagine, his reach extends further than you would ever believe possible and whoever his current backers are, they command resources that are simply beyond me. You did meet some of his pet creatures didn't you?"

The two Alphans nodded, remembering the demon that had possessed the small time criminal Adahm and Citadel some time after.

"Well, I don't quite understand what or who they are yet," there was an emphasis in that word that made it clear to all present that he would learn the truth,"but whatever they are, their power is incredible. I recommend you hold nothing back if you expect to prevail."

"I will keep it in mind." Was all Puck said.

"See that you do and also, as a parting present and as thanks for your cooperation, please look into the tablet on the counter. I'm sure its contents will be… enlightening."

The criminal paused and checked his watch. Whatever timetable he was following seemed to have cut his time for chatting short.

"Alas I must leave you now. Be sure to tell my former employer that I send my regards and that while I am grateful for the resources he put at my disposal, no one deceives Bartol Utler." There was a flash of blue static and he was gone.

Puck Cursed all the way out.

---​

"It really doesn't change much, we already knew he was working with something supernatural in one way or another and we also know that we can take whatever they throw at us." Puck looked at Steel Talon square in the eyes, the older Alphan's brown eyes meeting birdman's dark orbs "There is nothing to question, nothing to fear, when you find evil you fight it until it runs and then you hunt it back to whatever hole it crawled into and drag it back into the light before putting it down for good."

If Puck could have done it before he would have killed Bartol, just like he planned to kill whoever was his boss. What he had seen in that tablet, the things they had done… Someone was going to pay.

"Well, that's what I would call a great attitude!" said Steel Talon. "My father has always said that Justice is important so I'm sure he will approve of what we are to do. Maybe we could-"

The alarms cut him off, the Omnijet automatically diving to avoid the ascending missiles as flares and ECM flared as a physical and electronic wall of noise and heat.

A total of eight missiles had launched, two missed due to their sudden dive, their forward momentum too strong for them to retarget. Three more died due to the Omnijet's countermeasures, bright flares from the close misses illuminating the night. But of course that left the rest, which were speeding after them and quickly gaining ground. There was no way they could evade those.

Puck considered the possibility of taking manual control but he wasn't that much of a pilot, at least not with such modern craft. He had met the fascists in the skies above Spain so many years ago but he knew that trying to deal with state-of-the-art smart weapons was beyond him.

It wouldn't take more than a few seconds for the weapons to reach them, they were running out of time and unless they wanted to test if they could survive a direct hit by an anti-air missile they had to do it now.

Below, the ground went past in a blur of red tinted green, the big mansion that was their target already visible at a few hundred meters distance and Puck had an idea.

With a few quick keystrokes a pre-prepared command was activated and the Omnijet prepared to raise quickly. Without bothering with parachutes Puck opened the emergency exit, grabbed Steel Talon by the arm, and jumped.

Below them, the darkened building awaited.

---

AN :

Hello there!

I know I know "Deatstroke, the last few chapters were trash and then you had the gall to take so fucking long to write the next one?!" It is true, I won't deny it. It wasn't that I didn't want to write but that I really couldn't find the will to, nevermind how my new job basically took all of my writing time. But that's all over (no, I wasn't fired), I found my fire, inner warrior will or whatever and I'm jumping head first back into writing. To those who stuck with me so far know that I won't let you down (at least as far as pumping out content, can't promise anything more).

So anyway, new stuff:

First of all the most important bits: I'm back to posting regularly, I pinky swear! Though no more weekly chapters as in the good old times, as I simply can't sustain that effort and then have time to my other fics (which I plan to go back to soon'ish™), and also have time to enjoy my own free time (mind you, I love writing but it can be a tedious and long process). But even then I should still average at least one chapter per month, maybe more if I get a flash of inspiration or enter what I like to call a "writing frenzy".

Second bit of news: After some acquaintances and friends insisted I do, I decided to open a Patreon (link on my sig). I don't particularly expect anyone to leave anything there (and it is kind of a half-baked page as of the time of this post) because this is first and foremost a hobby of mine that I like to share with others and nothing else. But nonetheless I felt that I could always appeal to your pity try and see if any one you want to support my hobby (aka writing). I explain/plan to explain some more of my new plans when it comes to my writing there (and no, that part it isn't locked behind a paywall).

Of course you don't have to worry, as I still plan to post everything here on SB (and elsewhere whenever I get to doing that) but I won't say no to extra money no matter how little. The next chapter is actually halfway done and I'm planning on posting it there sometime tomorrow if all goes well.

Well, see you soon!