THE DEATH KNELL-Chapter 20: DEATHSTROKE VS THE MECHANICAL DINOSAUR

Slade Wilson didn't need an answer—he already knew.

Because right before his eyes, the massive mechanical dinosaur stirred to life, its joints creaking as servos engaged. A deep, ominous shadow grew across the Batcave, engulfing him in its wake.

It had been waiting. The moment Barbara connected to the host port, the ancient security measure had triggered.

Of course, Batman never relied on firewalls alone. Any hacker worth their salt could crack even the most sophisticated security systems given enough time.

So instead, Batwoman used something more... physical.

Because after a mechanical dinosaur had flattened every intruder into the floor, who was left to hack the system?

Uninvited Guests

"Cindy~~~ You definitely want to see this."

The sing-song call snapped Cindy Moon out of her mild irritation. She turned lazily, brushing off the comment—then froze.

"Damn it, Slade, what did you do?"

Slade, rolling smoothly out of the way of snapping metal jaws, didn't even glance her way.

"I did nothing," he said, effortlessly flipping himself onto a ledge as the dinosaur lunged forward. "Maybe ask yourself what you forgot to do. This is just another security measure in the Batcave."

Cindy's jaw clenched as she quickly processed the situation.

Batman—no, Batwoman—had left behind more than just a few encrypted files and fancy firewalls. She had installed something far more dangerous.

A living, breathing, metal guardian.

The robotic dinosaur's tail swept across the cave floor, obliterating workstations, scattering chairs, and sending loose equipment flying like shrapnel. Slade barely ducked under the massive appendage, feeling the sheer wind pressure pop his ears.

It wasn't lined with razor-sharp teeth, but Slade had no illusions—if those two steel-plated jaws clamped down on him, he'd be done.

Cindy gawked at the mechanical beast as it roared, its sound reverberating through the cave like an earthquake.

"What the hell is this? Shouldn't the Bat's big scary toy be, I don't know... a bat?"

Slade smirked, even as he landed in a crouch. "Guess she couldn't decide if she wanted to be the Bat or a dinosaur."

The Hunt Begins

The robotic T-Rex's predatory gaze locked onto Slade, its AI registering him as the greatest immediate threat. With a thunderous stomp, it surged forward, servos whining as it charged.

Slade didn't hesitate.

He hooked his feet onto a steel fence, twisting mid-air to narrowly evade the beast's tail. A split second later, the appendage smashed through the structure, sending twisted metal flying in all directions.

Even with his enhanced physique, taking a direct hit from that tail would have been bad. Very bad.

"Can you handle it?" Cindy called out, already gripping her staff tightly. She stood protectively near Barbara's workstation, ready to intercept any flying debris.

"It should be no problem." Slade's response was as casual as ever, though his mind was already working through contingencies. He darted between the dinosaur's massive legs, raising his weapon and firing a test shot at its belly.

Sparks flew. No damage.

"Noted." Slade holstered his gun. "You protect Barbara and the host computer."

Cindy nodded, already shifting her stance to a defensive one. She might not have been the main target, but if anything came her way, she was ready.

Vic Vale, meanwhile, was absolutely loving this.

Her eyes gleamed with excitement. "Pete, record this!"

Deathstroke versus a mechanical dinosaur? This was gold.

Analyzing the Beast

Slade kept moving, dodging left and right as the dinosaur trampled through the cave. Tables, computers, decades of Batman's work—everything was reduced to scrap under its massive feet.

He couldn't use explosives—not without risking the integrity of the Batcave or, worse, destroying Barbara's data.

Which meant he had to take it down manually.

Batwoman had designed this trap brilliantly. Any intruder was forced into an impossible choice:

1. Destroy the Batcave trying to survive.

2. Get crushed trying to protect it.

Either way, the Bat's secrets remained safe.

Vic was still calling out ideas. "Aim for its eyes! Kick its jaw! Grab its tail!"

Slade ignored her. He was too busy calculating.

This thing needs a lot of power to move. Not steam. Not combustion. Definitely not magic...

That left battery or nuclear power.

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Batman had always been a little over-the-top, but even she wouldn't put a nuclear reactor inside her own cave.

Which meant...

A battery-powered dinosaur with independent movement?

That meant circuits. That meant processing units. That meant—

Hollow spaces inside.

Like a knight's armor.

Exploiting Weaknesses

Slade smirked. Got you.

Without hesitation, he sprinted forward. Wind roared past his ears.

The dinosaur lunged, its steel jaws snapping—

Slade slid under it, narrowly dodging the bite. He grabbed hold of its tail just as it swung—letting its own momentum launch him upward.

The timing had to be perfect.

The tail whipped forward—Slade let go, propelling himself into the air. He landed on the dinosaur's head, the impact jarring him.

It felt him.

The machine didn't need eyes to detect him—it had sensors everywhere.

Which meant—

Time to exploit its biggest flaw.

Slade grinned.

Because Batman had modeled this thing after a T-Rex.

And what was the greatest weakness of a T-Rex?

Tiny, useless arms.

With no way to shake him off, the AI did the only thing it could do—

It raised its massive tail...

And swung it straight into its own skull.

Self-Destruction

Slade jumped at the last second, grabbing onto the dinosaur's eye socket.

"DUANG!!!"

The tail smashed into its head. The entire cave echoed with the deafening impact.

The first hit didn't destroy it. But it did crack the plating.

Slade forced it to do it again.

And again.

The AI didn't adapt quickly enough. After several brutal collisions, the reinforced plating buckled. A thin gap appeared.

Slade had been waiting for this moment.

He unsheathed his katana and drove the blade directly into the opening, twisting hard.

Sparks erupted. Smoke hissed from the wound.

The dinosaur staggered, its servos failing—

Slade reached back, grabbed his shotgun, jammed it into the exposed circuitry—

And fired.

Again.

And again.

And again.

The mechanical beast let out one final, garbled roar—then collapsed.

Slade stood firm, riding it all the way down. He landed lightly as dust and smoke swirled around him.

The T-Rex lay motionless.

Slade exhaled, bent down, yanked his shotgun free, and calmly began reloading.

Like he'd just squashed a bug.

Not even worth mentioning.