Lyle Bolton slammed the door shut and slumped down as he leaned against the wall. This had been somebody’s apartment at some point but it was half-destroyed. The Quracan Civil War had gotten beyond intense. Usually, nobody cared about this sand trap except for a few terrorist attacks on Metropolis back in the day. The only reason the US Government cared now was that the civil war was threatening oil reserves. The direct involvement of US Armed Forces could have ignited another World War so, as usual, they had come crawling to Amanda Waller.
Waller was the queen of the black ops and, although it wasn’t pretty, she had taken credit for organizing teams that had eliminated the threats of The Enchantress and Starro. She had quickly formed a new version of Task Force X (aka The Suicide Squad) to confront this new threat. With Rick Flag dead, she had pardoned Bolton for his crimes in Gotham as Lock-Up. She had made him a black ops agent of the government and put him in charge of the expendable inmates chosen for the third incarnation of Task Force X. Bolton had tried to tamp down the word “suicide” but things had gotten grim.
“You’re in charge, Bolton,” Giganta said. “What are we supposed to do? I can get big but I can’t really get bulletproof. If I hadn’t pulled Grundy out of the fight, he would have gotten himself blown apart.”
“Grundy come back,” Solomon Grundy said. “Always come back.”
“Quiet, Grundy,” Giganta said but not too harshly. The thing didn’t really have a mind to speak of and so it was a thing to be pitied.
“She has a point, Bolton,” Bronze Tiger said. He had his arms folded but was always ready as the very picture of martial arts discipline. It also made him more imposing but he was up against a woman who could grow to 250 feet and a ten-foot-tall undead monster so he was already third place.
“Let the coach talk,” Sportsmaster said. “Or I’ll put you in the penalty box.” Sportsmaster was the opposite of Bronze Tiger, slumped in a beat-up old armchair and completely relaxed. His mask betrayed nothing of his true emotions but his body language spoke volumes of his cocky yet crafty mind. Bolton absolutely loathed the man and it seemed most of the group agreed.
“There would need to be two of you,” Bronze Tiger said. “Where did your wife get off to anyway?”
Sportsmaster tensed at that but then thought better of it. “Cheshire is on mission,” he said. “Don’t you worry about that.”
“Can we get back to the point of what we’re supposed to do now?” Giganta asked.
“Absolutely,” Bolton said. “This is just a minor setback. Just a bit of gunfire. We’ll call in for intelligence and move on from there.”
He pulled out the satellite communicator and hit the button.
“Come in Waller,” Bolton said. “Bolton calling.”
There was a tense silence. “Waller here,” Amanda Waller said with a voice devoid of patience. “Is mission accomplished? I’m showing the team in an apartment complex.”
“Mission specs were incorrect,” Bolton said. “A regiment of insurgents is between us and the targets. Film Freak and Stirk are dead. Cheshire and Copperhead are MIA. Can’t dismantle your BS insurgent government if we can’t get to it, ma’am.”
“Let me have a look at this,” Waller said. “No, not there, near the team. Damn, I actually miss Economos. Yes, I’m showing a regiment. The mission is still a go. Find some way to complete it. Cheshire and Copperhead are still showing vital signs if that helps.”
“I’m open to ideas,” Bolton said.
There was a clanging sound in the ceiling.
“What was that sound?” Waller asked.
“Something is in the vents,” Sportsmaster said.
“Or someone,” Giganta said.
“Grundy attack?” Grundy asked.
“Hold Grundy,” Bolton said.
The grate on a vent flew off and the colorful form of Harley Quinn burst into the room.
“Ta-dah!” she shouted with a big grin on her face.
Waller sighed. “Don’t tell me,” she said.
“Harley Quinn?” Bolton asked. “What the hell are you doing here? How did you get here?”
Harley shrugged. “I didn’t have anything else going on,” she said. “I figured I could stop the end of the world again. I go where I’m needed.”
“You were not needed,” Waller said. “We hadn’t even recaptured you yet. Damn it! You didn’t bring the Joker with you, did you?”
“I’m done with that creep for good,” Harley said. “You didn’t get the memo?”
“There actually was a memo on that, Ms. Quinzel,” Waller said. “You blew up a chemical plant.”
“I did!” Harley said. “Thanks for noticing. Now, I have an idea how to get past those guys out there.”
“Permission to tie her up?” Bolton asked.
“Very rude, Mr. Lock-Up,” Harley said. “I remember you.”
“Permission denied,” Waller said. “As much as I hate to admit it, her plans actually work. Let’s hear her out. Things can’t get any worse.”
“Hey!” Harley said. “Don’t underestimate me.”
Tags: A to Z, A to Z Blogging Challenge, DC Comics, DCEU, Fanfiction, Fiction, The Suicide Squad
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