[Snart & Murdock] If you ask me to change

[frostyfelon]

"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.

Comments

[daredevilawyer]

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."

[frostyfelon]

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.

[daredevilawyer]

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.

[frostyfelon]

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.

[daredevilawyer]

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.

[frostyfelon]

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.

[daredevilawyer]

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.

[frostyfelon]

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.

[daredevilawyer]

Daredevil was torn. Here he was, in the Kingpin's tower. He could stop him right here and now.

But he would be leaving Snart and his friend out to dry and be killed by his goons if he left him.

The gunfire cinched it for him. Moving quickly, he avoided being hit and took out the nearest thug, backflipping into the next one. Clearing a path to the exit.

[frostyfelon]

Len knew it was selfish of him to drag Matt out of here, but he also knew this was not how things needed to go down. Savage would be free in no time and he would bring hell down upon everyone. Even though they saved Palmer, he knew this wasn't over by a long shot.

When the path was cleared, Leonard clenched his jaw and ran. He didn't stop, even when another bullet buzzed past him. He kept Palmer's head down, holding the man close and just hoped Daredevil was behind him. Clear of the building, he kept the pace for as long as he could, before he collapsed, breathing heavily. He wasn't out of shape by any means.

Leonard pulled himself out from under Palmer's gangly frame and rolled onto his back. His pants leg was soaked through and down to his sock. The elevated heart rate only pumped blood through the wound quicker. So, his lightheadedness was blood loss. That made sense. He'd managed to at least drop in a dark alley, for whatever it was worth. He held up Daredevil's cowl unsteadily.

"You still with me? Thought you might want this back." He didn't open his eyes or sit up yet. He hoped the world would stop spinning if he just rested a moment. "I know you wanted to stay, but with Savage there, we wouldn't 've made it out alive. You have my word that we'll go back. I'll get you back inside and you can settle whatever score you have with the Kingpin then." He had a feeling he knew. Matt hadn't outright said it, but this wasn't just about keeping the city safe.

[daredevilawyer]

This was one of the reasons he worked alone. If anyone got hurt, it was only him.

He lands on his feet next to Snart, still wearing the man's goggles, parka in hand. He covered him with the coat, one ear listening for anyone chasing them. So far, it seemed they had made good on their escape. If this could be considered good, he could smell the blood.

Another line from his nightstick cinches around Leonard's leg for a makeshift tourniquet. "We're not going back tonight," he says, his words tinged with regret that he couldn't quite hide. He'd have to accept there would be other days for taking down the Kingpin. Right now, he had to get help for these two, there was no way he could carry both. "You have any way of contacting this team of yours?"

[frostyfelon]

Cold jerked slightly when the line tightened around his leg, but he didn't complain. He knew it was necessary with the amount of blood he was losing. Snart seemed to be struggling with his answer. He wasn't sure Rip would appreciate the intrusion, but he was also fairly certain Matt wouldn't let him make the trek on his own. Hell, he wasn't sure he could make it without aid.

"Yes, and no. We're stationed close. There's an abandoned lot a few blocks over. We're... parked there." He finally opened his eyes and sat up. He braced himself against the dizziness before fighting to pull himself up. "I can make it."

[daredevilawyer]

Matt was already pushing him back down. "Not with that leg, you aren't." The numbers were against them. He could carry one person, but not both. Ray was still out cold and unable to help either one of them.

He crouches next to Snart, unwilling to give up on saving both of them. "If you stay here with your friend, I can bring reinforcements." He knew which lot he was talking about. Daredevil could move faster if he wasn't carrying anyone. Cold had his gun if anyone came along and tried to attack them in the meantime.

[frostyfelon]

The look Matt will get is one of sheer indigence, not that he can really see it. Snart sighs, or rather, he huffs. There was more of a deliberate push to it than just an exhalation. "Who are you, my mother? I'll be fine. Just help me shoulder the kid." He argued.

"Reinforcements? You wouldn't even know how to find them without my help." Well, he was only partly certain of that. True, Matt was blind, so that meant the visual camouflage of the ship was lost on him. Hell, he might even be able to make out that there was something there, but the ship only opened to the crew. Gideon didn't know this guy from Hamlet. "Anyway, it's highly unlikely anyone's home right now. They don't even know Raymond's safe."

[daredevilawyer]

He doesn't like it. Two of them down for the count, they'd be sitting ducks for any goons that might come along. But he finally gives in with a sigh, bending to pick up Ray in a fireman's hold and trying to help Cold up as well.

"Some team you have." No, that wasn't a compliment. He was hoping for some luck for all three of them to get there safely.

*Throws a lot of information at Matt*

[frostyfelon]

Snart stubbornly looks at Matt's hand and refuses to take the help. As long as he was conscious, he was not going to make the man shoulder two weights. "You tied your stick around my leg and you're carrying the kid; I can manage to stand up on my own." Matt would hear the sound of the cold gun charging up. "And I'll cover us." Worst came to worst, he could always hit the wound with a glancing shot, ice it over to stop the bleeding. But then again, there was a reason it was a last resort. It would hurt like a bitch and though he knew Gideon could regrow limbs, he didn't want to push his luck.

"Like I said, we're damn good at what we do. I never said what we did was teamwork. We were picked for our individual skills. You know mine. Raymond's here is his suit. Or, his brain, I guess. We're a team of misfits. We just happen to be bad ass misfits." He started forward, staggering at first, but managed to steady his gait after a few clumsy steps.

Snart kept to back alleys, staying close to walls and shadows. He refused to draw attention to them, even if it was just a bystander. By the time they made it to the ship, his pulse was thready and his breathing was irregular. He put a hand over the sensor and the hatch descended. As soon as he stepped on board, the ship chimed in with an alert.

"Mister Snart, you have sustained a bullet wound and lost a great deal of blood. The wound is clean, missing most major arteries, however there are a number of ruptured blood vessels and torn muscle tissue. You require immediate attention."

"Tell me something I don't know." He muttered. "Gideon, Daredevil-Daredevil, Gideon. Ship's computer. Follow me, and feel free to dump Raymond anywhere." He is the most compassionate.

*catches all of it*

[daredevilawyer]

Daredevil keeps a close ear on Snart the whole way there. He knows what it's like to be stubborn and not wanting to be helpless. But he stayed alert in case overconfidence got the best of Captain Cold.

The ship was an odd mixture of sound and warmth in front of him. Not an outline he recognized, even when the door opened. But he followed in, Raymond still dangling off his shoulder. The voice was a surprise, coming from the walls. "...sounds helpful." A computer that knew when someone was hurt.

He puts Ray down carefully against the nearest wall, checking his pulse in his neck. Still okay. He then follows behind Snart slowly, still working on what his ears were telling him. "Hope your Gideon is a medic."

[frostyfelon]

Snart smirked lightly, staggering through the door of the med bay. "Gideon's a jack of all trades." He replied confidently. While yes, he did let his stubborn tendencies get the better of him, and yes, this was one of those times, knowing he actually made it there without making a fool of himself was nothing short of a blessing.

He would've been worried about Raymond had Gideon brought any life-threatening issues to their attention, but when the AI didn't comment on his condition, he assumed all was well. Probably sleeping off whatever the Kingpin knocked him out with.

Cold all but threw himself onto one of the tables and kicked his foot against a chair to slide it to Daredevil. He pulled the bracelet on, the glowing cable lit up immediately on contact and began administering painkillers, as well as encouraging the reproduction of blood cells. Snart hissed when the automated systems began healing the wound in his thigh.

"I have notified Captain Hunter of your return and success in locating Mister Palmer. He is less than pleased that you've brought a guest. As a matter of fact, his exact words were, Of-bloody-course he did. Shall I send him your reply?"

"No." Snart's tone was cutting. "So, now you've met Savage. He's an immortal with four thousand years of reincarnation under his belt."

[daredevilawyer]

Daredevil put a hand on the chair as it slid towards him, listening to Gideon talk without interrupting. Something was happening to Snart, but the faint sounds of machinery and computer gadgets working didn't translate well for the blind man.

"I can be gone before your Captain returns, so long as you and your friend are doing alright."

Low whistle. "That is a long time to be kicking around." No wonder he was tough to get rid of.

[frostyfelon]

Snart let out a short chuckle. If anything, his pulse was picking back up again and his breathing had evened out already. It still amazed him how quickly Gideon's medical tech worked.

"You're not 'the other woman', Matt. He'll get over it. He's used to me not doing what he says--I think he counts on that sometimes." Cold slipped an arm behind his head while he lie on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"You're telling me." He really hated Savage. "Rip's been hunting him down for a long time, too." He cleared his throat as a segue, "By the way, that impression of me? It was eerie." Why yes, that was a compliment.

[daredevilawyer]

A smirk under the mask.

"I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted." Being complimented on how he could impersonate a criminal, sort of a catch 22 for this nightly superhero. At least Cold didn't have to try any of Daredevil's moves, that would have been really embarrassing.

"Why did you give it up?" he asks outright. The criminal lifestyle seems to suit him, yet here he was being one of the good guys.

[frostyfelon]

He knew better than to try, honestly. He was more of a brawler, anyway. "Maybe a little of both."

That question threw Snart. He stared long and hard at the other man, debating his answer. "Who says I gave it up?" A small lie. "Rip said, where he came from, we were Legends. Rip lied. But that didn't really matter after we'd gotten together. We don't all get along, but we're a team. I've always lived by a code, even as a criminal. No one messes with one of my own. Savage is trying to kill--he has killed someone on the team. I don't pretend to be a hero. That ain't who I am."

"Since we're sharing, what did Kingpin do to you to warrant that ire? There's being a crimefighter and then there's stone-cold revenge."

[daredevilawyer]

Matt was silent for a time, cracking one of his knuckles as if thinking about his answer.

"Organized crime owns this city. It has people working for them in every back alley, every legitimate business has to pay tributes, half the cops are on the take. Someone had to start fighting back."

Sometimes a hero was born out of no one else being willing to step up. He had to be the one they couldn't pay off, kill off, or ignore.

Good lord, I'm sorry.

[frostyfelon]

Snart nodded, understanding that answer. "Where I'm from, there's this kid--crime fighter. Goes by The Flash. He's a meta-human with insane speed. When he's moving, he's just a scarlet blur. I've always been a criminal. Was born into it. But I got a little out of control to stop him from stopping me. Picked this gun for just that task." Snart fell silent a moment, wondering if he should even continue.

"We both nearly had eachother so many times, but we both kept escaping. Kid had guts. It turned into a game of chess. Then," The sound of shifting fabric indicated a shrug. "Then he asked for my help when no one else would help him. He wanted my help saving the lives of meta-human criminals. They were dangerous people, but he wouldn't let them die. I had to respect that. Don't get me wrong, I double-crossed him and we stayed enemies, but I guess killing him dropped off my list somewhere along the line. We came to an agreement. I didn't kill anyone and he'd leave me be. No casualties. I didn't give him much choice. I found out who he was under his mask. But he said he saw a spark of good in me. He's naive." Snart took a deep breath, relaxing.

"Do you know what that little punk did next? He saved my sister's life. But, I killed someone, and let him take me in. The idiot risked his neck for me and my sister. I've never known what that felt like. The kid believes in me."

"...and people can change, apparently. For better or for worse."

Snart sat up, sliding his legs over the side of the table to sit upright more comfortably. The pain was gone now, the bleeding stopped. "If you uproot the Kingpin, disband the organisations, end the fight, will you quit?"

don't, its good!

[daredevilawyer]

It sounded like all Snart had needed was someone to believe he could be more than a criminal. Matt smiled fondly, remembering how Banner had believed in him when he was ready to give up.

"So they can." He agrees. It was good that Snart's story had changed for the better.

The question made him chuckle. "You have more faith in my abilities than me. I don't doubt crime will always exist, but if, IF I was that successful..." He thinks about it. "....maybe I wouldn't have to go out every night for awhile."