33 Showdown

"Join me, Dad!"

 I did my best to sound passionate and heartfelt as I was lying through my teeth.

No fucking way was I going to let a loose cannon like Soldier Boy run loose plus I had already promised Noir I would end Soldier Boy.

If he accepted then I hoped to knock him out with a surprise attack but that was a small chance. Still, for optics purposes I had to give the offer.

Can't have people saying I didn't try peace first.

"Don't listen to him!" Butcher replied. "He's lying." He then turned his gaze to Ryan. "Ryan you have to leave, leave the building."

I just snorted at him.

"See Ryan, this is what William does, he pitches father and son against each other, hoping we kill one another. He'll pretend to be your friend just so he can turn you against me. That's how deep his hate runs for us."

"Ryan don't listen to him, you need to get out of here now!"

I ignored him Butcher and turned back to Soldier Boy.

"Soldier Boy…Dad…choose peace and surrender for the sake of your Son and Grandson."

The attention was now back on him.

His head tilted to his right and his left eye twitched while his gaze stayed locked on me.

"No" He said and took a step forward. "You're lying, Noir isn't dead."

I let out the breath that I was holding. Violence it is.

'Kill him!' We will Echo we will.

"I see." I replied and paused for a split second, my hearing picking up Annie and her crew coming up. Huh, they made excellent timing and somehow avoided the police perimeter, then again she probably pulled the Starlight car.

Smart.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and turned to Deep who had been silent and pale the whole time.

"Deep" I say bringing his attention to me. "Take Ryan and evacuate the building. I will not have my son in danger."

To my surprise the boy pushed my arm away in anger "No! I'm staying here with you!"

Dam son! Now is not the time to be a hero.

"No son, remember our discussion about situations you shouldn't be in? This is one of those. I need you to go with Deep and…"

I didn't manage to finish my sentence as a vice like grip suddenly grabbed me by the throat.

'FUCK!'

"No let go of him!" Ryan shouted.

"Where is he? Where's Noir?" Soldier Boy shouted as his vice like grip was holding me by the upper neck and jaw.

One moment of distraction that's all it took and he was on me.

Butcher and Hughie didn't waste one moment and they grabbed my hands.

"Ryan, you need to leave, get out of the building." Butcher yelled at him.

"Where is he?" Soldier Boy shouted and started to glow.

"Ryan leave now!"

"No leave him alone!" the little boy yelled and pulled furiously at Butcher's arms.

Deep you fucking useless shit do something! The moron was frozen in shock. I could feel the radiation permeating weakening me.

"AHHHH!" A large red beam hit Soldier Boy's abdomen knocking him to the side and stopping his beam of death.

Luckily his radiation was affecting Butcher and Hughie as well. I instantly threw both Hughie and Butcher off me.

They were Supes but they weren't close to my level, not without the element of surprise.

I knew what was coming and in slow motions I saw Soldier Boy rush shield first towards Ryan.

'Protect him!'

My mind went into overdrive and my body acted on its own. In an instant I disappeared from my stop and appeared in front of Ryan taking the brunt of the shield.

Normally Soldier Boy's momentum would have toppled me launching me into Ryan crashing us into a mess of limbs, tables, chairs and walls but there was nothing normal about me.

I can fly and create my own momentum without actually moving a physical muscle.

BANG!

The shield hit me with a loud echoing bang, my body tensed absorbing the energy and my invisible flight muscle instinctually created the opposite force required to stop him and not crash into Ryan.

My feet buckled and indented the cement floor and Soldier Boy's shield bent under the immovable pressure of my body.

"AHHHH!" I used his moment of surprise to overpower him and push him backward again.

"DEEP! TAKE RYAN NOW!"

The discount Aquaman regained his senses and forcibly hoisted Ryan by the waist. The boy made to protest but Deep was too strong and with a few lunges he was halfway down the stairs.

I didn't waste any time as Soldier Boy was getting himself unstuck from a pile of cubicle walls and desks.

I flew straight into Hughie to his surprise and buried my left in his gut.

Rule #1 when fighting multiple opponents knock out the weak ones first to prevent them from hitting you from behind and even the numbers.

I felt my fist crushing his sternum and ribs the force lifting him off the ground then used my powerful right hook to knock him on the side of the head.

The same combo that took out Maeve, though probably not as powerful. He'll probably survive thanks to the V but he won't be getting up anytime soon.

I raise my guard up just in time so Butcher's beam hits my forearms knocking me back a bit.

"Hughie!" he yells but doesn't have time to check on the surrogate of his little brother as a Flying kick hits him in the back knocking him down.

"NOIR!" a recovered Soldier Boy yells.

God damn, he has impeccable timing. He's just so bloody competent that I need to have him on my side. With the Hughie out of the way it was safe for Noir to come out of his hiding spot and even the odds.

You see as a teleporter Hughie presents a unique danger to anyone that can't fly. At any point in time he could have teleported Noir right outside the building and considering we are over sixty floors up I doubt even Noir would get back up after that kind of fall.

That would leave me in a position which is not great, so regardless of how I played this Hughie was always the first one that had to go.

"Noir!" I yell back at him. "You take care of Butcher I'll take Soldier Boy!"