74 CHAPTER 73
[Slade Wilson POV]
I sat in my base as I went over what has happened over the course of the past few days. That kid gave me a huge surprise the other night. I never would have thought a kid as pale and level headed as he was would be so powerful. I underestimated him and it led to me taking in a lot of damage.
I don't know the true nature of his powers but his skin was so dense that I could not make a dent on him, and when I shot at him the bullet deflected back. It was like he was in full-self defense mode, he was fast, strong and way more durable than I could possibly have imagined.
If not he had already been scooped up by Ghost, I would have loved to take him up under my wing and groom him to be the perfect sidekick(weapon). I would have trained him in ways that he would be a formidable foe to even the likes of the Justice League.
If I knew the exact nature of his powers, I could help him refine it to its finest form and he would be the most powerful tool in my arsenal. No one would be able to stand in our way, I'd have made him completely loyal and submissive to me but that's all a fantasy right now. He's beyond my reach already and is currently in Ghost's clutches.
As a man who's as discreet, secretive and as powerful as he is, It wouldn't be wise to steal from him. It'll be the doom of anyone who tries it because it's difficult to guess how much power and connections he really had.
My train of thoughts was interrupted by an email notification, it was from Tom and my meeting with Ghost had been scheduled.
The offer he extended to me was one I could not simply pass on, rejecting it was like rejecting a life changing deal. Especially from someone who possessed a dream beyond the expectations of most people in Gotham and he was already building up the power and resources to accomplish that feat.
The appointed date came and I went over to the location sent to me, to have my meeting with Ghost. He decided to meet at the warehouse where Tom and I had our fight, strange but seemed reasonable. He wouldn't want to expose his base of operation to someone he could barely trust, and he wouldn't want a public meeting where he could easily get assassinated from a distance.
I arrived at the destination five minutes before the time I was asked to meet, so I could scout the area and evade whatever kind of trap might have been prepared. I believed it's safe to assume he might ambush me, after all I was on a mission to assassinate him a few days back.
"All clear." I muttered to myself, an old habit of mine from my days in the military.
On getting inside I was surprised to see Tom standing on the ground floor while I looked up at a section above and saw a man who wore a black suit with a black tie, a checkered black and white shirt inside with the first two buttons undone, and on top of it all he was wearing a white mask with a smiley face. I didn't need anyone to tell me that it was Ghost.
From the suit it was evident that he was a bodybuilder, a muscular one at that. "Hello Deathstroke, right on time." He said with his arms spread wide open. Ghost had a British accent and a relaxed body language.
"You are here early." Averting my gaze from the man above and turning on to Tom.
"He's a very punctual man who works with time, so you arriving on time might have increased his liking for you." Tom said as he gestured for me to take a step further while Ghost took a seat in a chair behind him.
"You can leave, boy." Ghost said to Tom as he gestured for him to leave.
Before taking his leave he replied to Ghost, "I'll be outside if you need me." He gave me one last look before heading out.
"I thought he was your right hand man or something."
"Who,Tom?" He chuckled for a while before he continued. "He's more like an errand boy of mine, he's valuable to me but at the same time he holds no relevance and could be disposable if called for. I keep him close because he is useful, if not for his powers and his competence, there are a lot more others who could fill in his place if he slipped up."
Turns out I had it all wrong, Tom wasn't his right hand man but one of his pawns, apart from his powers and ability to get the job done. He's just using the kid, not that I was surprised by it though, it's exactly what I would have done.
"Tom said you had a proposition for me."
"Yes I absolutely do, I'm sure he must have already told you but I'll brief you on it again." He relaxed into his chair and occupied his space before he continued with the conversation. "I'm putting together a team with unique specialties, my personal team."
"Um, I see. But what do you need a team for, you already have pawns?"
"The force already has the police, what does it need a S.W.A.T team for? I believe you are a smart man so put the pieces together yourself. I'm going to change crime as you know it here in Gotham, then branch out to other cities."
"You should know I don't work well with others."
"That's fine, you just have to play your role and they'll play theirs." He answered with a convincing tone.
"I get the picture of what you are trying to do but this is Gotham, what assurance can you give me that you would be able to pull it off even though you are a new player in this city?"
"Questions upon questions, don't worry about all that stuff. Just devote yourself to me and my cause and I promise you a world where heroes won't be able to stand in our way like they do others."
"I see… Does that mean I have to work for you alone, like one of your lackies?"
"No, not at all. I don't keep a leash on my pawns, you are free to do whatever you want so long as it doesn't have a negative recoil on me. That's the fun of it. You are free to take on other jobs and continue your life as a mercenary but when I call for you, I need you to make yourself available." He averted his gaze to his wrist watch then turned back to me, signifying that was all he had to say.
"Do we have an agreement or not?" Ghost asked.
"One last question."
"Feel free to ask." He responded
"How about my pay?" He laughed a little before he responded. "Trust me, your pay would be according to the worth of the job required of you. It's you continuing your normal job but as a private mercenary of mine and I'll double your usual pay, I know you only work for the highest bidder."
"That's all I needed to hear, we have a deal."
"That's good." He stood up from his chair. "Oh and one more thing… I heard you were paid to assassinate me."
"Yes, that's true."
"Okay, here's your first assignment for me. I need you to eliminate the men who wanted me dead and I'll pay you double the amount they paid for my head."
"Consider it done." I replied to what he requested of me.
"Look over to your left and you'll see a pen and a paper, it's our contract and I need you to sign it then fill in the account you use for receiving payments." I turned to my left and saw the small table with the contract on it and with a pen beside it."
I walked over to the table and was about signing when he continued talking. "Would you look at that, it's almost tea time. Tell Tom I already left and I won't be needing him any time soon he'll understand." Immediately he was done, he suddenly disappeared. I didn't know Ghost had the ability to teleport, he kept giving a literal meaning to his name.
I signed the contract and went outside to find Tom sipping on a soda by the side of the warehouse.
"He's gone, right?" Tom asked me as he took the last sip of soda and nonchalantly threw the empty can on the ground.
"Yes, he said he wouldn't need you for a while." I said to him as I handed over the contract to him.
"Oh, that's perfect." Tom replied with a sigh of relief.
"What exactly do you do for him anyway?"
"Nothing too important. He ask me to run reckon on areas he couldn't get access to, like this warehouse where the ways of scouting the region are very limited. That only happens once in a blue moon though, so I just go back to what I might call my normal life."
"I see, well later kid." I waved him off and headed straight for my next destination.
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