<div class="floatleft">(http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/14/147508/4593900-1.jpg)</div><hr/><strong>Name:</strong>? ? ?<br/><strong>Nom de Guerre:</strong>Deathstroke "The Terminator."<br/><strong>Affiliation:</strong>The Highest Bidder.<br/><strong>Time:</strong>Saturday the 17th of October 2015, 20:25 - 20:26<br/><strong>Location:</strong>S.T.A.R Labs, Gotham East.<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Superboy, Nightwing, Batwoman, Spoiler.<br/><strong>Theme Music:</strong>The Wild Card by Really Slow Motion (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4o94jEXUmA)<br/><hr/><hr/><strong>Summary:</strong>Deathstroke manages to handspring back to a vertical base and advances carefully on Batwoman. He unleashes two attacks designed to both probe her defences and - if he's lucky - knock her aside so he can pursue The Cube.<br/><hr/><hr/><br/>Alas, his attack didn't have quite the effect he was hoping; whilst springing into the air certainly gave him more momentum, the split in his focus and the lack of manoeuvrability it inevitably burdened him with ended up being a rather large problem. He hadn't engaged Fem-Bat very much over the course of the melee, so he wasn't exactly clued up in just what she was capable of...though evidently a "Normal" human, she was obviously well trained if the criminals of Gotham were so worried about her, not to mention the fact that she willingly wore that cowl and managed to survive the attention it inevitably would have brought down on her head. With that in mind, perhaps he shouldn't have underestimated her reactions, or her skills...but, in his defence, he had seen many an experienced fighter attempt to halt his advance head-on, confident that they could absorb the shock of impact only to be given a nasty surprise by both his strength and the nature of his Promethium staff; even without his immense strength, a staff made of Promethium increased the energy it was being swung with by factors of tens whenever it struck. If Deathstroke swung it? It was enough to send most grown men flying in a similar way as SuperMasks TK punch did to him earlier on in the fight. Of course, that only happened if you outright blocked it; it appeared that FemBat was at least more intelligent than that, opting to move with his strike rather than against it, utilising one of the most basic concepts of fighting somebody who was superior in both weight, strength and speed...use their momentum and their strength against them. In a straight up duel, Deathstroke should definitely have the advantage; no matter how highly trained she was, he could almost guarantee that he had been fighting for longer, so he had the experience edge. He was obviously faster than her, so he had the speed edge. He was obviously stronger, so he had the strength edge as well. So...her only real chance was to attempt to use his momentum and his strength against him in a way that gave her the advantage...which is exactly what she did. Deathstroke might even have been impressed, if he had had the time to spare in the split seconds that he had to react to those newest turns of events.<br/><br/>Even as he arced through the air, he could see that he wasn't going to connect; she started bending at precisely the right time, using her own staff to tip his weapon forwards, her feet connecting solidly with his flanks as she sent him past her easily. She wisely didn't try to meet or stop his advance, instead simply encouraging it to continue unabated...a tactic which left him at a decent disadvantage. At least, it would have if he weren't Deathstroke. Oh, he was still on the back foot, but he wagered that she didn't count on just quickly he could turn it around. He'd been fighting for 64 years at that point, give or take a few, and it wasn't the first time an attack had backfired or gone differently to the way he planned it. It certainly wasn't the first time his opening attack had been countered, either; he had intended to land directly on the spot that she was occupying, but thanks to her hefty boot, he found himself with some extra momentum even before he landed...and instead of making the mistake that many rookies would have made - that was, flailing in an attempt to slow down and stick to the original plan - his course of action was more fluid than that. No plan survived first contact, and anybody who didn't adjust their fighting strategy on the fly was a fool and destined to lose. Instead of attempting to straighten up, as soon as he felt her feet on his flanks he threw his body forwards and down, curling himself even as he twisted to meet the ground. Had it been most other people, they would have faceplanted rather spectacularly, but he was<em>Deathstroke.</em>Agility, speed, reflexes and thinking time far faster than even a peak human specimen, and a 99.99% perfect sense of timing. He hit the floor, but not chest first; his hands and arms connected with the floor, his fingers spreading out to catch his weight - thankfully, his hardened body and healing factor would negate any damage such a sharp impact would have on his hands and wrists - as the rest of his body arced on forwards with the extra momentum gained from Fembats counter.<br/><br/>He launched off the ground at the perfect angle, using the momentum more than his own upper body strength to handspring onwards, corkscrewing in the air to come to a bent-leg, wide-based defensive stance facing FemBat and the rest of her little gang. Yes, he said earlier that acrobatics were rarely necessary and that there were easier and better ways of doing things. The difference between what he just did and Tightpants tactics? His handspring was the easiest and fastest way to reduce his momentum, converting it into upwards<em>and</em>forward momentum, thereby reducing the distance travelled and therefore his travel time. Tightpants used his acrobatics when a different, more grounded attack likely would have been more effective. At least, Deathstroke thought so. If they ever fought one on one, they would find out who was right and who was unconscious. Regardless, he tightened his grip on his staff - which he had managed to retain throughout the manoeuvre - as he moved it forwards into the basic defensive stance for a staff; two handed grip, wide based stance, one end pointed to the floor and one pointed behind him. He could shift position easily from this stance, and for a skilled combatant, it was a well-tested, versatile starting position. He kept an eye on the combatants he could see - The Kid, from where he was standing, looked to be relatively out of the fight, leaning against a wall and nursing her arm, even as the box that Fembat had had previously went skittering towards her; he almost felt bad for her...but then he remembered how she managed to sneak up on him, and his sympathy shrank a little. Sneak up on a professional, and you had better be certain that you could match the inevitable counter attack - and the only other exit in sight. He was in front of the main exit...the only other way they could go was through the delivery bay. He could handle that when they tried to escape that way; Right at that moment, he had to focus on the enemy in front of him. Namely, FemBat. Instead of the inane banter that Tightpants insisted on utilising, Fembat was quiet. Silent, in fact. Was she always this terse? Well. Evidently, taunting wouldn't work, so there was no sense in engaging in it, and obviously quick, hasty attacks weren't going to work, so...a standoff, then. He took a slow step forwards, closing the gap a little, his eye tracking her every movement in slow motion. His protective lens clicked down, just in case of another flashbang...she was evidently skilled, so he couldn't afford to be blinded for even a moment. He closed the distance a little more, carefully. He didn't get where he was through rushing in...though he had to make an attack soon, lest Tightpants and SuperMask join the fray. Well...he had the reach advantage, so he decided to use it.<br/><br/>Shifting positions ever so slightly, he pulled the staff back upwards, switching the direction of his top hands grip - as if to prepare for a wide-arced sweep - before, as quickly as he could, suddenly dipping his staffs top end down and thrusting out towards the center of her body mass as quickly as he could, utilising as much of his lightning speed and crushing strength as he could. If he could maybe shatter a rib, she'd be open to follow up attacks and then she'd be down for the count; it didn't matter how much training you had, a cracked rib was a cracked rib. Even as he finished the jab, he pulled the staff back towards his hands, switched the direction of his grip even as it travelled back towards him and<em>then</em>swung in an arc, his body twisting in order to give it as much speed as possible, his back leg stepping forwards to become his front leg, the end whistling towards Fembats side...he doubted that she'd be able to dodge that swing so easily. Block it? Given her skill level, probably. But if she did...she'd have to bear the full force of his strength amplified by the staffs own Kinetic multiplier. With any luck, it would send her flying out of the way so he could run down The Kid and take back his prize. That was his main objective, now; escape with his target. "Winning" the fight didn't matter; if he successfully retreated with his prize, that would be the real victory. Even if he lost and still managed to escape with the Cube, it would be a victory since his objectives going in would have been met. So...secure the box and retreat. And step one? Get FemBat out of the way as quickly as possible. Even if he only knocked her over...it would be enough to get a head start large enough to escape. If nothing else, he had to subdue or neutralise Fembat before Tightpants and SuperMask joined the fray. He could take them all on at once with the right positioning - you used different tactics when fighting groups, after all - but he would really rather not have to. He had a job to do, and that came before his own pride. He just wished that he'd remembered that before he started the fight, is all.