Deadshot

Floyd Lawton pulled the rental car into the parking garage near Thomas Blake’s apartment. It felt good to have a nice place to come home to after a successful mission. The group had just made a cool $1.5 million and that money was sorely needed, as Lawton hadn’t had a successful job since Hong Kong a few months ago.

Lawton elbowed Abe Tarrant and said, “Why don’t we head down to the corner and grab some smokes and booze? We need to celebrate.”

Abe smiled, he liked beer almost as much as he liked a fight. “Alright; Blake you want anything?”

As Blake walked inside the building he was carrying all four of his bags from the two-day trip. “No thanks guys, I think I’ll just head on up to the apartment, unpack, and see if any of my girls called while I was away.” As Blake finished his sentence both Lawton and Tarrant started to laugh hysterically at him. “WHAT?” yelled Blake, “I have women you know! In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them was upstairs waiting for me, just dying to get her hands on me.” Lawton and Abel kept laughing as they walked away.

Meanwhile upstairs at Blake’s penthouse apartment, Pantha and Wildebeest waited in the dark. Pantha ripped her claws across Blake’s built in bar; “It won’t be long now, Baby.”

Blake walked out of the elevator carrying his four bags, Lawton’s bag, and Abe’s duffel bag. “Home sweet home,” he said as he unlocked the front door. He hit the light switch and a concerned look crossed his face as the apartment stayed dark. “That’s weird, I put in a new light bulb just a month ago.”

Blake set down the bags in the doorway and looked around the darkened living room, “What the hell is going on here?” he said to himself. The room was a shamble, the couch was overturned and shredded so that the stuffing was strewn all over the floor. The walls were scratched up and all his paintings and pictures were either knocked down or were hanging crooked.

Blake started to get mad; whoever did this to his property would pay. Then he heard a noise in the kitchen, and Blake started to get scared, it seemed that the violators of his privacy were still here. He reached inside one of his bags and pulled out his cowl, cape, and gloves. Thomas Blake wouldn’t meet these intruders, but Catman would!

As Lawton and Abe walked to the store all they could talk about was the New York City Mafia. “I don’t think we’ll have any problem at all, Floyd,” said Abe. “Like Topper said, they were going to replace Turtle soon anyway. But I don’t think we should take any jobs from a mob contact for awhile, just in case.”

“I guess,” Lawton said as opened the door to the Quick E Mart. “You know what to do right?” he asked. Abe nodded, there was only one employee working the counter and Abe headed straight for him as Lawton walked to the back.

“I’ll take a carton of Marlboro regulars,” said Abe. As the salesman turned around to get Abe’s cigarettes, Abe grabbed a bag of beef jerky and threw it on the counter. Lawton walked up with a case of Bud Light, a bag of Ruffles potato chips, and a can of 9 Lives cat food. “Put it all on one tab,” said Abe.

Catman stalked around the apartment in the dark, knocking his feet and knees against various objects as he went, although his name was Catman he couldn’t see in the dark very well at all. It worried him that the unknown intruder or intruders could.

Pantha sat atop Blake’s dresser in his bedroom, watching as he entered through the busted doorway. She had been waiting here for the last day, waiting for revenge against those that hurt Red Star.

Blake walked into his bedroom and smacked his face into something big and fuzzy, “What the Hell is this?’ he said aloud. His answer was in the form of a growl that caused Blake to fall over trying to get out of the room.

Catman scrambled for the bedroom door, only to be grabbed by the leg by Wildebeest. The huge creature picked him up in the air and tossed him with ease against the closet door. The wood splintered on contact with Catman’s body. Blake made it to his feet and hit the light switch to the closet giving him some illumination. That’s when he saw the site that would haunt him the rest of his days.

“Ha! Blake’s gonna be pissed when he sees what we bought him,” said Abe. He held the small can of cat food in his hand, throwing it up in the air and catching it again. “So what’s up next, Floyd? What do you want to do?”

“Don’t know,” Floyd said as he lit his cigarette, “I’m sure Topper has got a job or two for me waiting, but I kinda like hanging out with you and Blake right now. We’ll see how it goes. I just hope we aren’t putting a crimp in Blake’s sex life.”

Abe chuckled again, “Are you kidding me? That guy is as queer as a three-dollar bill. He just wishes he could get some guy to tear off his clothes.”

“You destroyed all of my costumes!?” screamed Catman. There hanging in the closet were all that remained of his uniforms, tatters. He dropped to his knees and put his hands over his face, he felt like crying.

“What’s the matter, kitty?” Pantha said from her perch on the dresser. “Your pretty yellow and orange outfits look a lot better this way to me.”

Catman let out a growl and turned and jumped at Pantha. Just before he connected, Pantha jumped from the dresser allowing Catman to smash into it sternum first. As he tried to catch his breath Catman was grabbed by Baby Wildebeest again, this time in a bear hug. Blake felt his breath leave his body, Pantha could be heard behind him laughing. “Squeeze Baby, squeeze him like a bottle of toothpaste.”

Blake unleashed the claws in his gloves and raked Wildebeest across the eyes. The creature let out a hideous howl of pain, as blood rolled down his face. Catman freed himself from the beast and made for the door. He was about fifteen feet from the elevator when Pantha jumped on his back. The two fighters rolled into the wall, scratching at each other as they went.

Pantha was the first to her feet, as she sprang again at Catman, “You stinking piece of meat! I’m gonna kill you for what you did to Red Star!” she hissed as she came at him claws outstretched.

Blake ducked her attack, and swept her legs out from under her, he drove his right hand down to her face, feeling her nose break. He turned and hit the button to the elevator…he had to get out of here before…

Wildebeest came racing at him, howling from as much pain as rage. The creature busted through the door jamb as his form was too big to fit through it normally. Blake tensed himself for the collision as he waited for Wildebeest in front of the elevator door. Wildebeest’s face was coming closer, the blood from his eye injuries covering his face. Wildebeest leapt at Catman, just as the ding of the elevator door opening was made. As the creature was about to make contact, Blake jumped away, causing Wildebeest to crash face first into the empty elevator. He stood in a daze, more blood rushed down his face, Catman stood in the doorway, his utility belt in his hand.

“This is what I call a Cat Toy,” he said and threw a small black ball at the feet of Wildebeest in the elevator.

Wildebeest stared at the round object, “Ball?” he said in his childlike voice. Then the ball exploded, causing the elevator car to start crashing it’s way five floors down.

“What the Hell is taking this elevator so long?” asked Abe. He had been pressing the button for nearly thirty seconds, and in that time he had already finished a can of beer, plus the two he had on the way back from the store.

“Must be somebody else is using it,” said Lawton.

Suddenly a loud BOOM could be heard, and the small building shook a little. Then there was the loud screeching of cables running through pulleys and the sound of something very heavy dropping. Abe and Lawton wasted no time and dove for cover in the lobby. The huge SMASH sound echoed form the elevator shaft and then a small ding came from the doors as they opened to show the carnage of the elevator car crushed in the shaft, on top of the prone form of Wildebeest.

“Damn,” said Lawton.

Blake turned back inside his apartment; he would need to leave from the outside of the apartment, as the stairs would most likely be littered with police and firefighters now. Luckily his grenade left no fire burning in the building, but people would still be shook up.

As he headed for the terrace Pantha again tackled him from behind. “Not so fast, meat! That’s two I owe you for! You killed Baby!” she hissed.

“You call that thing a baby?” Catman said as he kicked Pantha in the mouth. “Lady, I ought to get a medal for taking out that monstrosity!” He punched Pantha in the stomach and gave her a right cross to the mouth. Pantha rolled with the punch and used her tail to wrap around Catman’s leg; she rolled to the right and tripped Catman up so that he fell on his back. She was on top of him again, slashing with her claws, looking to maim him in any way possible.

As Lawton and Abe ran outside they ducked down a side street where Abe called up giant eagle that lifted them to the penthouse floor. The hit the ground running, as Lawton kicked in the glass door to the apartment. On the floor in the living room they could see Catman being strangled to death by Pantha.

“Help him out,” said Lawton as he ran to the front door and grabbed his bag.

Abe touched the tattoo of a lion on his arm and let the big cat loose. “Sic em boy,” he said with a smirk on his face. Pantha saw the lion coming and disengaged herself from Catman long enough to leap on the lion’s back and spring off of it towards the Tattooed Man. A look of shock overcame Abe’s face as he saw Pantha bearing down on him with her claws outstretched.

Lawton was pulling out the Magnum wrist cannon from his bag, and attaching the gloved gun to his right hand when he saw Abe being torn at by the crazed she-cat. “Hollow,” he said and the Magnum wrist gun whirred into motion following his command. He was about to fire when Abe rolled to the left, obstructing Deadshot’s view of Pantha, “Damn it, Abe, stay still or..” He stopped talking and an idea came to him. He aimed again and fired, the hollow point bullet shot through the air piercing Tattooed Man’s shoulder and impacting again into Pantha’s right arm. They both screamed in agony, and Deadshot moved closer for a killing shot.

“Damn it, Floyd! You’re gonna kill me!” screamed Tattooed Man as he clutched his shoulder.

“Then get out of the way,” said Deadshot.

Pantha meanwhile wasn’t fairing much better, as the bullet had torn through her bicep. That, along with all the wounds from Catman’s claws, was causing her to lose an enormous amount of blood. She looked up into Floyd’s eyes, “You better kill me now, or I promise you I will come back and hunt you down. None of you will be safe, I’ll make you all beg me before I tear out your throats.” As she spoke blood came from her mouth.

“I know,” said Deadshot, just as he fired a final bullet into her chest. “I know.”

“You Son of a Bitch,” yelled Abe from the hotel the three villains had rented, “that hurt! I thought you never missed?”

“Shut up, it’s a clean shot, in and out. You’ll be fine in a few days.” Deadshot sat on a recliner and smoked a cigarette. “And I hit exactly what I was aiming for.”

Blake was still sorting through the luggage he had brought with him from his former apartment, now the scene of a major police investigation. “I can’t believe she destroyed every single costume!” he yelled from his bedroom. “I only have the one from Chicago left now! What am I supposed to do if it gets ripped?”

Floyd threw his hands up in the air in a mocking jester that he really didn’t care. He opened up the laptop computer and signed online. His mail was the usual stuff, jobs that bored him, people he didn’t care about sending him pointless chain letters, and one piece of mail from Topper.

D,

Just heard about the situation in New York, I am guessing this was somehow the handiwork of you three. Word is hitting the underground sites as we speak.

Zod has just tripled his offer for you to go to Metropolis and kill Superman, Girl, or Boy.

Blockbuster has pulled everything he has off the net, something big must be ready to go down in Bludhaven.

A nice little bounty for Wonder Girl is being offered. She has had two attempts on her so far, but Superboy is protecting her.

Blue Beetle has been moved to the ICU after surgery today on his knee. You really messed him up. Great Job. J

Best offer for you came from a guy named Jordan James. He has already hired two other guys as bodyguards/hunters. Seems someone is trying to kill him and he is looking to pay big bucks to have you watch over him and take out his attacker. Sounds like a vacation after what you guys have been doing.

T.

P.S. Tell Blake that I have all of his WILL & GRACE episodes on DVD, I will bill his account and ship them as soon as he gives me a new address.

Deadshot shut down the computer and grabbed his one and only bag, “Well boys, looks like this is it, I got another job waiting for me already.”

Blake looked astonished, “What do you mean? You’re leaving us? But we’re a team! The Three Musketeers!”

“More like Two Men and a Little Lady when you’re around,” Abe said jokingly. “You sure you don’t want any back up on this, Floyd?”

“Yeah, this is a solo thing. I’ll be back when I’m done, whenever that is.” He looked at his wrist cannon, then at both of his friends. These two guys had stuck by him through a lot these past few weeks and that meant something to him.

“I just wanted to say that I thought about killing both of you in this hotel room to cover my trail in case the cops come looking.” Blake started shaking, Abe made a move for his dragon tattoo. “But I decided I needed guys like you around me. I decided I needed some friends.” Deadshot smiled and closed the door behind him as he left. Abe chuckled as Blake tried to quit shaking.

Jordan James sat in a huge overstuffed leather chair, the lights were low in his office, just the way he liked it, and everything was always the way he liked it. Before him stood three super mercenaries, all of them now under his employ.

First there was Mark Wilson, the second man to take the name of Matter Master. His Matter Wand gave him the ability to confer temporary life like abilities to inanimate objects. The chair you were sitting in could spring to life and crush you with it’s wooden arms, the tree you were standing under could suffocate you with it’s leafy branches clasped over you mouth. Without the wand he was nothing, with it, he was a lethal bastard.

Then there was The Weeper, a former S.W.A.T. specialist from Boise, ID who specialized in non-lethal pacification. He was an expert with all forms of tear gas, smoke bombs, and basically anything that smelled bad, made you gag and cry, and was in a bottle. He even had some stuff that the U.S. Government was still trying to identify. His only drawback was that in all his experimentation he had fallen victim to his own gases so many times that he was constantly crying, not real tears, but his eyes would not stop watering, thus giving him the image of always weeping.

Finally there was Deadshot. He shot things and he didn’t miss. That was all he told Jordan when he took the job. Given his reputation, Jordan believed him.

“Gentlemen, there is a man that is intent on ending my life. I, however, wish to prolong it. I am paying you to make certain that he fails, and to eliminate him in return. Bring me his body or head, it doesn’t matter how you do it, I just want this unseen enemy brought to an end. Do I make myself clear?”

Weeper and Matter Master both voiced their acknowledgement, underneath his mask Deadshot smiled.

Next Issue: Deadshot has a new job! The guy who has circumvented so many bodyguards to get his target is now a bodyguard himself! Who wants Jordan James dead? And better yet, why? And don’t think we have seen the last of Tattooed Man and Catman, they are here too, they will just wish they were some place else. A much nicer place than DEADSHOT #4!

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