Renegade, Another Bat?

Chapter 37 - Death Returns

Chapter 37 – Death Returns

Bruce closed the door to Dick's room after making sure him and his friends were actually going to sleep. The five kids had pulled out camping mattresses, sleeping bags and a mountain of pillows. After the second movie of the night and several pillow fights, they had finally exhausted themselves enough to sleep.

Finally.

But Bruce didn't notice death lurking in the shadows of night. Waiting. Just waiting for the right time to take what he came for. Waiting to disappear; never seen, never heard, and never found.

As a window was opened and a scream was silenced, Death made his leave, silent as the endless night, a life was lost, a future forever stolen.

~~~~~~~~THIS~IS~A~LINE~BREAK~~~~~~~~

"Hello Skylaina ," Skye snapped her eyes open to the sound of a door closing. This was not the same place that she went to sleep in. "Nice of you to finally join the land of the living."

Skye shook her head, trying to wake herself up. Where was she?

"The League lied to you kid," the man said, coming closer to Skye. "They all did."

She knew that voice... this place; it was all too familiar. Skye's breath hitched in dread as she sat up, looking the masked figure in the eye. 

"Deathstroke." 

Her voice came out in barley more than a whisper. But that small, fearful, whisper, was the first time he had ever heard his apprentice talk.

"Welcome back, Alex," he said as he come to a halt in front of her bed, "though, you go by Skyee now, don't you?" Slade asked, although it wasn't really a question. Skye's breathing started becoming jagged as fear rose up inside of her. And Slade, seeing a panic-attack coming on, closed the gap between the two, placing a hand on her knee briefly to gain her attention.

"Skylaina , close your eyes," he commanded. "Close your eyes and focus on your breathing before you pass out." And Skye obeyed, out of fear or habit, Slade couldn't be sure.

"Your family has made you weak, apprentice," said Slade, making Skye open her eyes. "You have allowed them to suppress your skills, little one. Your technique has, no doubt, improved; but the Bat's training has made you soft." Slade placed a heavy hand on his apprentice's shoulder to gain her attention.

"You have even become afraid to kill," he whispered. His voice so soft and coaxing. Impossible to ignore. Skye sat, frozen and unsure. This was Slade, what could she hope to do against him?

"Come Renegade, let's see how much you remember of what I taught you." Slade kept his grip on Skye's shoulder as he guided her to the training room that they had once spent many days in. 

"Fight to win Skye, fight to kill," Slade instructed. So, Skye – still in her pyjamas – pushed all thoughts of freedom from her mind and began sparring with her old master.

Ten minutes, countless punches and kicks and a number of bruises later, Slade had Skyla pinned down under his arm, in what – in a real fight – would kill her.

"You're a bit rusty," started Slade, as he hauled the girl up off the ground, "but your skills still are impressive."

"As I understand it, Wayne never found the men responsible for the death of your parents..." said Slade. He handed the girl a bottle of water and motioned for her to sit down on a bench around the edge of the room.