TM Prompt 219
Feb. 22nd, 2008 03:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sylph_ficsHeadlines, huh? What an appropriate topic, given my current mood.
When haven't I been in them? First as a war hero, those few times the government decided they needed a little more press support, then a few mainly quiet years of work... and then, my sons met the Titans, and ever since, it's been almost impossible to stay out of the press.
Wintergreen has a collection of the clippings somewhere--it's a good thing he keeps all of that away from the houses, as many times as we've had them blown up around us.
Some headlines stick out more than others, though.
"Mercenary Stages Murder Spree in Germany." Typical reporter hysteria. It was hardly a spree, and give than they were trying to kill Adeline and Wintergreen both, as well as tie me to that damned disaster in Qurac, I gave them precisely what they deserved.
"Gotham Underground Reels from Barker Confession" I suppose that isn't really my headline... but in a way it is. If I hadn't gotten annoyed enough to go back into that corrupt cesspool of a city to keep Barker alive long enough to testify, the Gotham mob would have had more of a stranglehold than it still does. Huh. Maybe I should have pushed Pat harder to kill him.
Speaking of... Patricia, where are you? Other than likely still furious with me.
"Superman captures Deathstroke in Metropolis!!"
That? Was a bad day. I hate being falsely accused, and yet it's happened so often. Then, the President, now.... Though the Boy Scout did do me a good turn, leaving me so lightly guarded... Which all led to the next major headline, "Deathstroke Cleared of All Charges For Assistance in Quraci Affair." Thank you, Kent.
Good for business as being cleared was, I'll admit that I nearly had myself back on charges before the day was over. That damned warhead never should have been active, and there were a few people in Checkmate and the CIA I'd have liked to send along with their victims.
Then the headlines from Berlin, Versailles, Hong Kong, Beijing, Varanasi, Paris, Dallas... plenty of chaos there for them to call me a menace and a danger for, but not a word in any paper from Egypt, where the real story of why I'd been hunted around the world all came out. And you called me dishonest, Addie?
"Deathstroke Attempts to Assassinate President!!" That one made the front page of every paper, and Hell. I might not have liked his politics, and yes, I was still pissed off over Qurac, but taking that job would have been all kinds of stupid. I tried to warn them before it started that he was in danger--is that the behavior of a man intent on a contract? But the word of a mercenary, even mine, backed by a badly-wounded prostitute, just wasn't enough for them to challenge a respected US Senator.
What ifs will kill you, but I wonder, some days, what would have happened if I hadn't been running from that when Wade went after Maurice, Squirrel, Frannie, Lili... my daughter. While my bastard half-brother (Sorry Frannie) murdered my family one by one, there I was, off fighting the Titans again, for no damned good reason. The Allen boy my daughter became so fond of, Harper, Troy, Tara's thankfully sane copy, Delgado, Emerson--damn brave kid, if a little short on brains--and that damn rookie Lantern, Rayner.
Again, the headlines were full of "Deathstroke Captured", or so I found once I was finally released and cleared, and working with Checkmate to figure out who the hell had set me up--not as though they wanted to, having tried so hard to pin that assassination attempt on me left them in a sorry state with the press themselves.
Our lives really are unbelievable sometimes. That Logan's father, a man I'd worked with and trusted for years, was behind framing me, torturing Pat... Still hard to believe, but this business does make you crazy.
I managed to stay out of the press for a while after that disaster, taking mostly industry jobs and some work in the south, up until Jade went on trial again and they dragged my name back out...
I mentioned insanity... that's what the headlines I've found on my return are. From tabloids to the Daily Planet to the Guardian, my name rides alongside Luthor's, Black Adam's, Psycho... It's linked with Savage, Grodd, Cheshire, in a host of events that disgust me nearly beyond words.
"Deathstroke vs. The Justice League!"
Good Lord. I've been there, and while I might enjoy taking the credit for that handy a defeat of that many of the League, Rayner knows how to take me down. West certainly does, and Dinah knows that Cry of hers is murder on my ears. Let alone Carter--Katar, really, but god only knows what happened with that--we've fought and fought alongside each other too many times for me to take him as easily as it sounds. Arrow would have been easy, I'll admit, and I've never run up against the mage to know her capabilities. But overall, I'd have had to be having the best day of my life to manage that. ((Wintergreen, if you say one word about me finally learning humility...))
"The Freedom Fighters Dead!", some supposedly at my hand? I grew up on broadcasts of their actions, and when the damned CIA can remember that I'm loyal to my country, you'd think people that named themselves my allies and friends could.
Speaking of which. "Deathstroke Involved in Bombing of Bludhaven!"
...How many times do I have to make it real damn clear what I think of nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, and the like, before someone remembers that I hate the damned things? And on American soil? In the Kid's new hometown? I'm tempted to resort to a great deal of very explicit profanity. I wasn't a soldier for over a decade without learning it.
I think this is where I'm leaving this one, the keyboard is making some interesting noises, and Wintergreen will have my hide if I break another one.
When haven't I been in them? First as a war hero, those few times the government decided they needed a little more press support, then a few mainly quiet years of work... and then, my sons met the Titans, and ever since, it's been almost impossible to stay out of the press.
Wintergreen has a collection of the clippings somewhere--it's a good thing he keeps all of that away from the houses, as many times as we've had them blown up around us.
Some headlines stick out more than others, though.
"Mercenary Stages Murder Spree in Germany." Typical reporter hysteria. It was hardly a spree, and give than they were trying to kill Adeline and Wintergreen both, as well as tie me to that damned disaster in Qurac, I gave them precisely what they deserved.
"Gotham Underground Reels from Barker Confession" I suppose that isn't really my headline... but in a way it is. If I hadn't gotten annoyed enough to go back into that corrupt cesspool of a city to keep Barker alive long enough to testify, the Gotham mob would have had more of a stranglehold than it still does. Huh. Maybe I should have pushed Pat harder to kill him.
Speaking of... Patricia, where are you? Other than likely still furious with me.
"Superman captures Deathstroke in Metropolis!!"
That? Was a bad day. I hate being falsely accused, and yet it's happened so often. Then, the President, now.... Though the Boy Scout did do me a good turn, leaving me so lightly guarded... Which all led to the next major headline, "Deathstroke Cleared of All Charges For Assistance in Quraci Affair." Thank you, Kent.
Good for business as being cleared was, I'll admit that I nearly had myself back on charges before the day was over. That damned warhead never should have been active, and there were a few people in Checkmate and the CIA I'd have liked to send along with their victims.
Then the headlines from Berlin, Versailles, Hong Kong, Beijing, Varanasi, Paris, Dallas... plenty of chaos there for them to call me a menace and a danger for, but not a word in any paper from Egypt, where the real story of why I'd been hunted around the world all came out. And you called me dishonest, Addie?
"Deathstroke Attempts to Assassinate President!!" That one made the front page of every paper, and Hell. I might not have liked his politics, and yes, I was still pissed off over Qurac, but taking that job would have been all kinds of stupid. I tried to warn them before it started that he was in danger--is that the behavior of a man intent on a contract? But the word of a mercenary, even mine, backed by a badly-wounded prostitute, just wasn't enough for them to challenge a respected US Senator.
What ifs will kill you, but I wonder, some days, what would have happened if I hadn't been running from that when Wade went after Maurice, Squirrel, Frannie, Lili... my daughter. While my bastard half-brother (Sorry Frannie) murdered my family one by one, there I was, off fighting the Titans again, for no damned good reason. The Allen boy my daughter became so fond of, Harper, Troy, Tara's thankfully sane copy, Delgado, Emerson--damn brave kid, if a little short on brains--and that damn rookie Lantern, Rayner.
Again, the headlines were full of "Deathstroke Captured", or so I found once I was finally released and cleared, and working with Checkmate to figure out who the hell had set me up--not as though they wanted to, having tried so hard to pin that assassination attempt on me left them in a sorry state with the press themselves.
Our lives really are unbelievable sometimes. That Logan's father, a man I'd worked with and trusted for years, was behind framing me, torturing Pat... Still hard to believe, but this business does make you crazy.
I managed to stay out of the press for a while after that disaster, taking mostly industry jobs and some work in the south, up until Jade went on trial again and they dragged my name back out...
I mentioned insanity... that's what the headlines I've found on my return are. From tabloids to the Daily Planet to the Guardian, my name rides alongside Luthor's, Black Adam's, Psycho... It's linked with Savage, Grodd, Cheshire, in a host of events that disgust me nearly beyond words.
"Deathstroke vs. The Justice League!"
Good Lord. I've been there, and while I might enjoy taking the credit for that handy a defeat of that many of the League, Rayner knows how to take me down. West certainly does, and Dinah knows that Cry of hers is murder on my ears. Let alone Carter--Katar, really, but god only knows what happened with that--we've fought and fought alongside each other too many times for me to take him as easily as it sounds. Arrow would have been easy, I'll admit, and I've never run up against the mage to know her capabilities. But overall, I'd have had to be having the best day of my life to manage that. ((Wintergreen, if you say one word about me finally learning humility...))
"The Freedom Fighters Dead!", some supposedly at my hand? I grew up on broadcasts of their actions, and when the damned CIA can remember that I'm loyal to my country, you'd think people that named themselves my allies and friends could.
Speaking of which. "Deathstroke Involved in Bombing of Bludhaven!"
...How many times do I have to make it real damn clear what I think of nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, and the like, before someone remembers that I hate the damned things? And on American soil? In the Kid's new hometown? I'm tempted to resort to a great deal of very explicit profanity. I wasn't a soldier for over a decade without learning it.
I think this is where I'm leaving this one, the keyboard is making some interesting noises, and Wintergreen will have my hide if I break another one.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-02-22 10:49 pm (UTC)You being you, though, my friend, would have eventually become embroiled in caped affairs...you're not happy unless the world is stirred up around you.
Of course...I believe it is the adrenaline you constantly subject me to for these madcap adventures keeping me young enough to bother.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-22 10:58 pm (UTC)I am perfectly ha--oh, I can't even say that with a straight face. Of course, witty repartee is more your ability than mine.
And at least you admit this time that you're as much an 'adrenaline junkie,' as the kids say, as I am.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-22 11:01 pm (UTC)And, m'boy, it's not your wit that keeps us all comfortably supplied with the finer things of life.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-22 11:06 pm (UTC)No, but it has made more than a few jobs more entertaining...
no subject
Date: 2008-02-22 11:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-22 11:10 pm (UTC)As though you have room to talk!
How many times has it been you I've had to pull away from some woman? Damn near in the middle of a firefight no less?
And keep that look for the girls, I know you better than that.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-23 03:50 am (UTC)I have no idea just what incident you might be referring to, but my mind is growing feeble with age...
snort
no subject
Date: 2008-02-23 04:12 am (UTC)Feeble with age, HA!
Should I tell those twins you're so fond of that you don't remember them, then?
no subject
Date: 2008-02-23 04:15 am (UTC)You keep your self away from those beauties, m'boy...you have plenty of other skirts to chase.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-23 05:01 am (UTC)Low, amused chuckle, Yes, Wintergreen. They're not exactly my type, in any case.