stark_international | [Snart & Murdock] If you ask me to change

Entry tags:

universe: cold justice

[Snart & Murdock] If you ask me to change

"I'm a wanted man,
I got blood on my hands,
Do you understand?
I'm a wanted man"

Characters: Leonard Snart & Matt Murdock

Murdock would've heard that the criminal escaped the hospital before he could be relocated to his prison cell. No one was harmed in his escape. He'd also hear that the evidence, his Cold Gun, also went missing that same night. Again, no one was hurt. After that, Murdock wouldn't hear a peep about Cold or his weapon in his streets for months.

Until a gathering of criminals--low-life murderers and thugs--working for the Kingpin were spotted causing a raucous in an unusually bad part of town. Telltale signs of Snart's Cold Gun were reported. Several criminals were found and apprehended after being locked in an iced-over dumpster with a note attached: Cold, hard killers inside. You're welcome. No fatalities were reported.

Unfortunately for Leonard, his next scuffle didn't go so well. Kingpin was expecting his attack this time, and it ended with Snart pinned down in a warehouse that was up in flames. He hated the heat. He was on a mission. Kingpin was working with Vandal Savage, and Savage was intent on causing an uprising in this city to get the Legends killed. They had that idiot Palmer and as much as he hated to admit it, he needed to rescue the shrinking nerd. But when these guys started using Palmer's tech against him, he lost his advantage.

A gash along his cheekbone wept blood down his cheek and a cut on his temple added to the display. These guys had already killed two cops that came to investigate the scene. Snart defended a third and got him out of the building, but in doing so, lost his only chance to escape and gave away his position.

What he wouldn't give for Flash to show up right about now.

"Oh, come on!" Snart yelled in exasperation at the thugs firing relentlessly at him as he hunkered down for cover.

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"I think that's what we've all done, isn't it? Either you're successful or you're dead." It's a rather easy assessment for him to make, given that he's one of the non-powered members of their team.

"No." He shot back dryly. Looking down at that drop, yes, yes he does want to take a cab. But he doesn't want to be shown up by the blind guy, so he steps back for a running start and jumps. Adrenaline spikes and he only breathes again when his feet hit the solid surface. Can you hear his heartbeat, Matt? It should be just about racing now. The adrenaline left him with a light-headed sort of euphoric feeling with the triumph of not falling to his death.

"You do this often?"

Not bad for a beginner. Not to worry, he would have caught him if he did fall.

"As often as I can." Every night that he can. He's determined to break up organized crime in this city.

He takes off again, jumping and flipping his way across the rooftops. It's not apparent to anyone watching, but he is taking the easier route for the man following him. No huge jumps and plenty of things to grab onto or climb on the way.

They should be at Fisk tower pretty soon...here's hoping nobody is waiting for them.

Leonard is not fond of this method of travel, despite the adrenaline. There was a vast difference between the rush of adrenaline when he successfully completed a heist with no casualties, and the adrenaline from not dying.

When Murdock replied, Cold snorted and shook his head. He wondered if that was a normal super-hero thing, not that it mattered. Snart followed after Daredevil, lagging behind at times, but they still made pretty decent time. Even he could spot the building they were headed for.

One last jump was left between them. Daredevil was already over, and Snart was on his way when the staticy whine of an energy weapon being discharged filled the night air. The bright blue beam caught Snart in the side, knocking him off his path. Instead, he was thrown into a fire escape ladder that, with the new weight, began sliding down its track to the ground. He latched on and held tight enough that he didn't fall off when it caught at the end of its track. That was more of Palmer's suit.

"Goons have Raymond's suit." He muttered, hoping Matt could hear him. If they hadn't seen Daredevil, then maybe they still had the element of surprise while said goon was preparing for a second shot at Snart.

He heard the beam well enough but couldn't stop them from hitting Cold in time. Leaping headfirst off the roof, he dropped down on a line as the goon was lining up for another shot. One that went wild when Daredevil's boot hit his face.

The goon went down and Snart climbed down to the ground, making his way over to the felled man and Murdock. He removed the gutted weapon from Palmer's suit from the goon's possession and stuffed it into his jacket.

"Thank you again." He lifted the Cold Gun from its holster and froze over the security camera before he picked the keycard off the unconscious guy. "We could always try the front door approach." He suggested, holding up the card to look it over. He doubted it had enough clearance to get them to Palmer, but it'd get them in the door. "Unless you think he'd fall for the fake double-cross and capture routine." Yeah, he knew pretending to keep Daredevil prisoner as they just walked right into the hornet's nest was a pretty risky ploy.

Hm, not a bad idea. If they could pull it off.

"True, there is a price on my head in the underground," Matt said thoughtfully. "But if they already know you're with the one they captured, that wouldn't work."

"Wrong." Snart drew out the word with a bit of arrogance to his tone. "That's exactly why it would work. If this Kingpin is any kind of clever, he'd do his homework on the people he's hunting down for Savage. Do your homework on me and I'm the least likely to play hero of my team. --next to Mick. Point being, it wouldn't be too surprising for me to pawn off some poor guy I didn't even know to save one I did. Most people would even tell you I wouldn't lose a minute of sleep over it, either." But that was because most people didn't know Snart as well as they thought they did. Half his team might even believe the rouse, where someone like Sara would spot it for what it was. He'd let them all believe he'd killed someone very important to him, once upon a time, and none of them doubted it.

"But, this is your city and you seem to have a score to settle with this guy, so I'll leave the method up to you."

One could almost hear the eyebrow being raised. He would have hoped at least some of that spiel was a lie. Nope. Not a bit.

"Anyone ever tell you you're entirely too confident in your abilities?" he asks. Pot meet kettle.

He's already running a line out of his baton. "So long as you leave me a way to escape at the right moment."

Snart watched as he sectioned the baton and chuckled bitterly. "Confidence is only an issue when it's misplaced. You don't have to trust me. Just trust that I'm pretty damn good at what I do." He wasn't an excellent bank robber just because he was quiet. He was an excellent bank robber because he was a damn good tactician.

"Actually, I have a better idea. It would give us an edge, actually. If I brought you in, they'd be expecting you to escape. They'd keep careful watch on you, which means leaving you an opening to escape could easily be noticed. But, if you weren't actually you under that mask, they'd be focusing on the wrong guy. Don't worry, I'm not asking you to go in entirely unmasked." Cold shrugged out of his big, blue parka and pulled the goggles from around his neck. They were darkly tinted to protect his eyes from the glare of his gun's beam.

"Hood up, goggles on, you're nearly as hidden as you are with that cowl." He held the gun out by the barrel and pressed the handle towards Matt's hand. "I will be wanting that back after all this." It also meant, should things go south and they decided to take no chances with a bound Daredevil, it wouldn't be Matt that took a bullet. Not that Snart would admit to thinking that far ahead or for the other's safety. It was his idea, he deserved to take the risks.

Even Matt had to admit, that was a really good plan. One with a better chance of succeeding. He took the gun, doing a quick runover with his other hand to see what it was exactly before pulling off his hood and cowl to hand over. They were about the same size fortunately. And both dressed in black.

"And what will they be expecting me to do...as you?" Better that he knew the part he had to play.

Cold held the cowl, feeling the material between his fingers. The idea of going in blind was not his favourite part of this whole mission, but it was something he had to do. He pulled the cowl on, tucking the neck into the collar of his black shirt. He squinted through the material, fidgeting minutely now that his field of vision was drastically reduced. Can you hear his heart quickening, Murdock? He doesn't like not being in control. He let his hand rest against the gun while it sat in Murdock's, showing him the trigger. "Aim, depress this button and it charges, pull the trigger and it fires. Give it three seconds of charge before firing your first shot. After that, you're good. That's if worst comes to worst."

He then turned and gathered his wrists behind his back for Matt to ensnare his wrists. "You go in confidently, you tell them you're here to make a trade. Play it up a bit. I'm told I'm dramatic. Raymond Palmer for Daredevil and assurance of your safe departure. As soon as we've got eyes--or sonar, whatever you use to see--on Raymond, we move with the best escape route. I'll warn you if Savage is there. That... may require some extra caution. And Matt," He began sharply, using his first name for emphasis. "if I go down, leave me and get the kid out."

Hey, this was his brilliant plan after all.

Matt paid close attention to the instructions, trying to fill the parka the same way that Captain Cold did. This was going to take everything they had...and a bit of luck. "Aim, button, charge. Got it." Guns were his least favorite weapon. He'd had plenty fired at him but never fired back. Even holding it, he could sense the cold coming from it. His shoulder aching in remembrance of his first encounter with it's destructive capability.

He set the baton in Snart's crossed hands, "Hold to this," and wrapped the line around his wrists and around his shoulders. Moving his thumb to a secret switch. "Depress that and the line retracts quickly." Getting out of it was quicker than getting into it. A little safety feature Matt had built in to his nightsticks in case any criminal type decided to tie him up with his own weapons.

"The Kingpin's office is on the roof in the penthouse suite." He slipped on the goggles, adjusting them as best as he could and hoping they looked right. "...why the goggles?" For effect? For the outfit? He had to ask.

Edited 2017-01-23 02:05 (UTC)

Even with the safety release, he didn't feel very comfortable while bound. He shifted his shoulders a bit and straightened his posture to carry himself less like the sleazy crook and more like the proud hero of a city. He did send a glance over his shoulder at Murdock when he explained and asked about the goggles. Snart smirked.

"They protect my eyes. The lenses are blacked out. That's how I knew you didn't rely on your vision in the bank. The flash my Cold Gun gives off is blinding in the best situations. It's downright brutal in the dark. It should've disoriented you, but it didn't."

"Keep the gun at my back, unless someone approaches. If you think you can pull it off, ice the security cameras as we pass. It's what I'd do to get someone's attention." And, just to be a general kink in their operation, because that was how Leonard Snart worked. "But I don't know what you can and can't pinpoint. You sure did a damn good job pinpointing me."

"That does explain a lot," he remarks, still looking uncomfortable holding the gun. Even more so to try and point it at someone, much less Snart.

They start walking towards the building as Matt does his best to explain his own abilities. "It's....difficult to explain. I can sense where things are with my other senses, not my eyes. Call it radar sense, fine that works. I wouldn't know what a bat sees any more than it would with a human's sense of vision."

The doors were closed, obviously, as they walked up to them. Matt pauses, listening...the subtle squeak of a camera turning on them...and then takes the gun away from Snart's back to fire twice. Hitting both cameras dead on.

Right. Dramatic. "Anyone home?!" he calls out.

It takes a deal of control to subdue the smirk that wanted to crawl over his lips when not only did Daredevil hit both targets flawlessly, he pulled off a very convincing impression. As it was, he kept his lips in a firm line.

From inside there was muttering when 'Snart' and 'Daredevil' were both identified. One of the men opened the doors, but didn't look like he knew where to aim the gun. It dipped between 'Snart' and 'Daredevil'. "Boss was expecting you."

Matt gripped the back of the hooded man's shirt, pushing him ahead. "I brought him something he's been looking for." Putting as much force and arrogance in his voice as he could muster. This was his one chance to get back at the Kingpin, he wasn't going to let it go. "Now either show me in or get out of my way."

Snart staggered forward, honestly impressed with Matt's show. He was fairly certain he'd believe Matt right now if he weren't already Captain Cold. He made a show of a small struggle, which earned him the reaction he thought it would. All guns in the room redirected from 'Snart' to him. Good, so they did think he was more dangerous than 'Captain Cold'. Right now, if it didn't work in their favour, he'd be insulted. Slightly. Having fought the man once before, he could only be slightly insulted, because the man was a wicked force.

The men did step aside to let 'Captain Cold' in, almost at a loss for what to do. These didn't look like your ordinary thugs to Snart. Then again, he wasn't used to this city's idea of organised crime. A tattoo behind one of the thug's ears told him what he needed to know. Horus. These guys, or at least some of them, were Savage's followers. So, he really did embed himself with the Kingpin in more than just business deals.

One of them got on the phone and after a short, private conversation, he looked at 'Snart'. "Boss says you're clear to head up, Captain Cold. The Devil for the Atom."

Snart tensed. The Atom. Kingpin really did do his homework.

The Atom must be the man's friend, if his heart rate speeding up is to be any judge. So far, so good. Hopefully this guise would continue to fare well, because this was more guys than Daredevil could take out at once on his own.

He had a surreal moment of what it would be like if he was ever caught and turned in. When this was over, he was going to have to ask Snart what changed his path from being a crook to the straight and narrow.

"I know how this works, how do I know the Atom is still alive?" he scowls back at the biggest thug near him. "I didn't track down Daredevil just to get a pat on the back."

If he could compliment Matt right now, he would. He might have to talk to the man later about how frighteningly accurate his portrayal was.

The nearest thug raised his gun just slightly, looking dubiously at 'Snart'. The voice that spoke next didn't belong to any of the men currently pointing guns at the pair. He was off screen with an odd accent to his silken voice. If Daredevil thought Snart was confident, this guy shot Snart's act to hell and made him seem insecure in comparison.

"He's alive. But don't take my word for it. Leave us." The man ordered the men as he stepped out into the room. He was dressed in a black suit with a white under shirt. Gold cufflinks adorned his cuffs and impossibly shiny black shoes clicked on the floor as he walked, dragging an unconscious Ray Palmer with him. He fired a shot into Leonard's leg, making him drop to his knee with a startled cry of pain. "Wouldn't do to let your new friend interfere with our deal, would it? Where is your Time Master? I expected he would be here." To Snart's credit, he didn't break the charade, even with a bullet in his leg while Savage held a gun to Palmer. The man still seemed to think Daredevil was Leonard.

Matt flinched at the gunshot, smelling blood, fearing that the game was up. Ready to break character and attack the man who shot.

Somehow he managed to keep the gun trained at Snart's back without pointing it at the shooter. But he didn't look happy about it. "I'm working this deal alone." Already he didn't like this man. "Do I get to shoot you now?" An edge in his voice that was less arrogant and more promising he would do it later.

Snart controlled his breathing and kept his voice nothing but a whisper. "Savage." He was sure the man had probably figured it out by now, but he did promise to identify him if he saw him. He rubbed his thumb against the safety release, but didn't trigger it. It was more a promise to himself that he was still in control, not Savage.

"You could." Savage stated, opening his arms up as if inviting the attempt. "But what would that get you? A dead friend? You think you will get out of here alive if you shoot me? You would still have to carry your unconscious friend." He nudged Palmer's shoulder with his foot. "He is not getting up and running any time soon."

Savage laughs a short, derisive sound with that ever-present smile. "Of course you are alone. Was sacrificing that man for this one something your Captain was too soft for? To you, this is just business, is it not? Well? Bring him and take your man. The Kingpin will give me anything I want with his nemesis off the streets."

Snart took a sharp breath, steeling himself for the pain that would come with being forced to stand again.

He heard. Whatever Snart said about Savage, he did not exaggerate.

Matt steeled himself too. "Well you know what they say...no honor amongst thieves." He puts his free hand on Snart's shoulder, the cold gun sliding down to his tied hands and left there as Matt makes his move. The guards had stepped out, they were alone, now was the time to act.

He vaults suddenly into a front flip right over Snart's shoulder, his feet connecting with Savage's face and taking him completely by surprise. The parka flying in his face is next. Fists and feet following in succession as Savage is forced to leave the unconscious Ray behind and try to fight the acrobatic man. The acrobatic man who was decidedly NOT Snart.

Edited (sorry adding stuff) 2017-01-23 04:21 (UTC)

As soon as the words left Matt's lips, Snart already knew what was coming. He was willing to let himself take the fall to get Matt and Ray out. He'd already decided to relish the look on Savage's face when he revealed Snart to the Kingpin and realised he'd been duped. But, like Barry, even Daredevil seemed none too fond with sacrificing a lesser. Even when it made perfect sense.

He felt his gun and needed no further warning than that. He released the safety on the baton and pulled the cowl from his face. He watched the man move with grace and knew Savage was not skilled or limber enough to evade. He forced himself to his feet, steadying on the baton, he advanced on Ray while the other two were busy.

Savage took every hit, knocked back and down almost like a ragdoll. But in a brief lull, Matt might notice the man laughing, even with blood on his teeth. "You think you can defeat me? I am immortal!"

"Daredevil, heads up!" Snart called, chucking the baton to him like a javelin and fired his gun at the door the thugs left through, icing it shut so they couldn't join them again, easily.

Daredevil plucked the baton from the air easily, continuing his beatdown of the evil man who was laughing at him. Striking a defensive pose with nightstick in each hand.

"Justice always comes to those who do evil. It will never stop coming for you, Vandal Savage." It was easy to see why criminals in Hell's Kitchen quailed in their boots over being caught by Daredevil. But Savage responded instead by firing his gun at Matt's head.

And missed.

Matt dodged the bullet in the nick of time as he came, cracking his baton across the man's jaw sharply. Forcing him to fall down, his gun skittering away across the tiled floor.

Leonard pulled Palmer up, over his shoulder as best as he could. The pain in his leg threatened to force his knees to buckle under the added weight. Len's eyes were wet, but he still kept his aim sharp. He lifted the gun and fired. The cold blast would cut through the air past Daredevil and squarely encase Savage where he lay at Daredevil's feet.

"I hate to ruin your moment," Snart breathed through the pain, leaving his words clipped. "but we need to leave." He staggered and only barely caught himself before he fell under Palmer. "Even that won't kill him. It'll just stall him." That, and he was a little afraid of what might happen if Savage did get off a well-aimed shot. The man wasn't against playing dirty, and he could already tell where that next bullet would've gone if he'd gotten the gun again. A tactic he'd pulled on Barry Allen in the past... If you can't shoot the hero, make the hero move into the bullet by shooting at an innocent. He'd be damned if he'd let this stupid kid take a bullet while he was unconscious, so that meant either it'd wind up in him, or Matt.

It only took a moment longer for a few stray goons who had been outside to filter in the front door and began firing wildly at Daredevil.

Edited 2017-01-23 05:18 (UTC)

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