Chapter 5

At the docks. Midnight.

A man was lurking in the shadows. He's been here since three hours ago. He didn't get tired of waiting. He had done this probably a hundred times. Staking out targets that the leader of their gang has given a go signal to steal from. This time, it's a target for the police.

"You still there, Alfred?" He said as if he's whispering into the air.

But the man he was talking to heard him clearly.

-I am. I always make tea on nights like this. It helps keep me up.

-I miss your tea and coffee, Alfred. The coffee here in the station sucks.

A man and a woman responded in his earpiece in his mask.

"You both better still be there because I think this is them."

Two vehicles stopped near the warehouse and ten men armed with assault rifles came out.

Alfred, in the batcave, looked at the computer and saw what Terry was seeing.

"The suit you're wearing has a zoom function. Can you please touch your temple with a finger and make a circular motion." Alfred said.

"Okay." Terry followed instructions and enhanced what he was seeing like he had binoculars.

"Wow." He remarked.

-Alfred. I've already sent you pictures of Maroni's men. Can you match it with the people there?

"Already ahead of you." Alfred replied to Barbara as he made the computer focus on the people's faces and matched them according to the data that Barbara gave. The pictures rolled out like a slot machine as it was matching the faces of the people moving in real time.

What Alfred sees on the computer, Terry sees as well in his mask.

"Right. It matched." Alfred said as soon as the computer successfully matched them.

-Get on it, Terry.

"Already on it."

Terry activated the invisible function of the suit and leisurely ran through.

If terry had this kind of equipment before, he would have been more bold with his targets like what he's doing now.

He matched the mafiosos' movements and went in with them in the warehouse. Terry immediately occupied the a space where he could observe their every move. The top of one of the empty container vans.

Soon, the mafiosos pulled some wooden crates.

"I think this is it." He said eagerly waiting to know what's inside.

But he was later disappointed. They just used the crates as makeshift tables and chairs.

About fifteen minutes later, he finally got bored. He got tired of watching them eat and play cards.

Then finally one of the armed men spoke something of valuable information.

"How long will they get here."

"Relax. They'll get here." One of his companions replied.

Terry sharpened his ears.

"They're taking too long. Plus, I don't trust that guy who has our back."

"Where is that guy anyway?"

"I don't know but he said he'll be close by."

Terry narrowed his eyes.

"Are you hearing this, Alfred, Barabara? They seem to be waiting for someone. And they said they're not alone."

Terry's instincts are blowing up. Something is telling him that he should leave now but he convinced himself that his suit will be able to protect him from whatever.

"I think it's some kind of secret meeti-"

Before he got to finish his sentence, a sword stopped by his neck. It sent shivers down his spine.

"Stand up." The man holding the sword said.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing there!"

"You scared the shit out of us!"

The armed men pointed their guns at the man because they were startled.

"I said stand up!" Ignoring their complaints, the man shouted at Terry who he should not have seen once more. Even his heat signature should have been properly masked.

Terry followed him and stood up. He shouldn't be scared because of his suit being impervious to weapons but his instincts that were right earlier made him think that he'd be surely cut.

"What the hell? Have you gone crazy?"

"I knew we couldn't trust this guy."

They voiced out their complaints once again. Because to them, it seemed like the man holding a sword was threatening the air.

"No use in masking yourself. I can sense you."

-Terry! What are you doing? Get out of there!

-I'm on my way, Terry!

Barbara and Alfred were shouting in Terry's ears. He couldn't do anything he was scared. He can't even turn around and take a look at the man holding a sword to his neck.

What he could do was to follow him until Barbara and the police arrive. And so he shut off the cloaking function of the suit.

"Woah!"

"The hell?"

The armed men were shocked. A man appeared out of thin air before their eyes.

The man holding a sword towards Terry's neck kicked him off the container.

Terry fell off the container and landed on the ground laying down on his side. The kick to his back hurt more than him falling on the floor.

"Urgh!" He grunted.

"That's probably the man you're waiting for." The man above the container said as he sheathed back his sword.

"We were waiting for one guy?"

"Is he someone like you?" One man asked the man above the container who was overseeing everything.

"Probably. They hired him to prevent them from losing numbers."

"Do those punks even have that kind of money?"

"Hey. Are you with the police or the mutants?" One of them crouched down next to Terry and tried to intimidate and interrogate him.

-Terry. Are you listening? Follow every word I say.

Alfred said in the comms.

"Hey! Are you deaf or something?"

"Take off his mask first." The man with the sword said.

The armed men nodded but before they could take off his mask, fire shot out of his soles. They immediately grabbed hold of their weapons.

Terry's suit propelled him to move like a rocket hovering over the ground. He pushed his whole body with his arms to help him stand up.

The armed men shot at him but he wasn't wounded. It still hurt a little bit but it felt like weak punches. It was something Terry can handle.

He's relieved now that he gained enough distance to escape. But at that moment when he finally saw the man who discovered him, rage replaced his fear. He was furious.

He didn't care anymore about the ten armed men shooting at him. He lunged at the man closest to him like a wild animal and front kicked him. The man flew a step back and got the wind knocked out of him.

Next, he grabbed the tip of a man's gun and kicked him on the head.

Another man chose to swing at him because he noticed that bullet's weren't working but he easily dodged it and countered with a punch of his own.

"Kahk!"

"Huk!"

"Gurk!"

He took them down one by one until there was no one left except the man that was still standing above the container. He was unstoppable.

-What are you doing, Terry? You should have escaped earlier when you got the chance! You didn't need to do that, Barbara was about to arrive!

"I can't.

Alfred, in the batcave, was frustrated and slamming his fist on the table shouting at Terry.

"Bloody hell, you can't!"

-I don't want to.

"Why?"

-He's the man who killed my father.

Alfred widened his eyes.

"No! Don't do it, Terry! You're no match for him! You'll die!"

-I don't care. I'll just have to take him to the grave with me.

He shut off his comms.

It was too late. Terry was blinded with rage.

Alfred has no choice but to leave everything to Barbara.

"Barbara! Did you hear everything?"

-...I did.

"Why didn't you tell me that the man who killed Terry's father was deathstroke?!"

The Police Commissioner, Barbara Gordon, was deep in thought. He trained herself to be calm in situations like this. He learned it from Bruce. To save her anger for later. It seemed cold but it is the best action you can do in situations like this.

She looked ahead as the vehicle she was in was passing stoplights like a heartbeat.

She had no choice but to be patient and have faith that she will make it there before Terry gets killed.

Whatever happens now is on her.

Deathstroke leisurely went down the container. Him and Terry had masks on but he knew he was looking him in the eye.

"Did you say that I killed your father?"

"Shut up!"

Deathstroke was already used to situations like this with his almost five decades of experience being a mercenary.

"I don't know who you are, kid, but it never ends well when someone goes after me. That's just how it is in this business. It's nothing personal. You'll get used to it too."

Deathstroke thought that he was talking to someone who's his junior in being a mercenary. To him, Terry looks just like a cute puppy.

What he just said just made Terry's rage burn more.

"I'll let you go just this once. Think of it as a favor. Nice suit, by the way-"

"AAAAAAAA-"

Terry kicked the ground with all his strength and launched a kick aimed at the side of deathstroke's head.

He was easily read by Deathstroke and got blocked. Deathstroke even held his leg and didn't let go to restrain him.

"Karate? Your form looks like you've been in competitions."

"Guh!" Terry struggled to free his leg.

"That won't work in this business. If you want to be successful in this field, you have to learn every form of martial arts that you can. Then you polish it and make it your own form most effective to you. Gurrrgh!"

"Arrrgh!"

He dropped a nugget of wisdom about the world of being a mercenary before punching his leg and breaking his bones.

"I'll leave you with just that. You better think on it. If you were hired by the mutants, the police are still coming so you best crawl away from here. Okay?"

Terry clutched his battered leg in pain as he watched deathstroke flee.

He can't be found by the police even if Barbara is with them. He used all his strength to crawl towards the exit. He pulled his body using one arm and dragged himself on his sides to protect his injury.

When he was just two meters away from the door Barbara ran to him and turned on the cloaking ability of the suit.

She whispered "Wrap your arms around me and stand up. We have to make it look like I'm not supporting anyone to walk."

"Commissioner! Why did you just rush in like that?" A detective ran and chased after her.

Barbara ran immediately to the warehouse before any of the police could to save Terry.

"There's no problem here. As you can see." She pointed out to the men laying down on the floor.

"What happened here?"

"A fight broke out. The bullets on the ground mean they were shooting at SOMEONE." She put emphasis on the someone for Terry.

"O-okay." Her subordinate just thought she was weird.

"Anyways, make someone clean this up and get me a vehicle. I have personal business. I'm going alone."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Barbara got Terry in a car. She let him have the backseat so he could lie down.

She then drove off towards Wayne Manor.