Issue 5: "All Consuming Fire, Part Two"

San Diego, California

Rick Flagg drove all night and most of the day that followed. Dolphin sat in near silence for most of the trip to California. They were now nearing the home of Buddy Baker, also known as Animal Man. Buddy, along with Rick Flagg, Dolphin, Cave Carson, Dane Dorrance, and Congo Bill, made up the membership of the group known as the Forgotten Heroes. Rick spent a little over two months with the group and secretly reported their activities to the federal government the entire time.


One year ago…

Rick sat on a private airplane heading across the country to California. The man seated across from him was his government handler for his current assignment, which was to infiltrate a group of people who had all come in contact with pyramids similar to the one Flagg had come across recently on a mission to Cambodia. He sat and listened as the man briefed him on the individuals involved with the assignment.

“Calvin Carson, nicknamed Cave because of his extensive cave explorations here and abroad. Dane Dorrance, a member of a group called the Sea Devils. They are mostly involved with research and environmental work. Congo Bill, his real name is unknown. He spent many years as a big game hunter before returning to the Unite States. We are still looking into his background. Buddy Baker, the self-named ‘Animal Man’. He has demonstrated the ability to mimic animal like powers. His abilities and the origin of his powers are unknown at this time. Finally there is a young woman whom we are presently unable to identify. It has been documented that she can spend prolonged periods of time underwater and can possibly communicate with some forms of marine life.”

“It seems like your people haven’t really done their homework on this have they?” Rick said surprising himself with how brash he was acting.

“Your job is to fill in the blanks for us, Colonel. Every one of these people has stumbled across locations similar to the one you found in Cambodia. Locations that each contained temples like the one you described. Temples that no one has been able to locate since.”

“No one has been able to locate any of them? Not even the one I found in Cambodia?”
Rick replied.

“No. It’s as if the six of you imagined these golden pyramids. You are going to find out why.” The man said to Flagg.

“ Why are these temples so important to the U.S. government?” Rick asked.

“This entire situation is bothering the top brass. They need to be able to have answers when asked of them.”

“ And who does the ‘top brass’ answer to?” Flagg inquired.

“The people who never rest until they know everything that’s going on in the world.”

Earlier that evening…

Nemesis sat across from Wade Eiling in the visitation center at Belle Reve. In Tom Tressers eyes, there might as well be an invisible chessboard between the two men instead of three inches of bulletproof glass. The game had just begun and Nemesis had just put his first piece into play.

“Interesting.” Eiling mumbled. “You are offering me freedom if I give you a name.”

“Not just a name. I want the name of the person called ‘The Head’. I want the leader of the Council.”

Eiling sat there staring at Nemesis for nearly a minute before he spoke again. “Assuming I know the name of the person you are seeking, what kind of freedom do you think I would have if I gave it to you?”

“You would be placed in protected custody and…”

“Stop. Just stop right there. I know why you’re here. I also know if there was any real deal on the table we would not be meeting like this. You are acting on your own in hopes of what? You think a few nights in an eight-by-ten cell is going to make me roll over and play dead? I was in Vietnam for Christs sake.”

“You are an old man Eiling. You no longer exist in the outside world. Do you really want to spend your last twenty plus years rotting away in a prison cell?” Nemesis asked.

“So I just give you a name and all of this goes away?” Eiling said raising his hands and extending out his arms. “If you expect me to believe that you are a bigger fool then you have already demonstrated.”

“Well, when you are ready to reconsider…” Tom let the statement hang there as he pushed his chair back and stood up.

“So that’s you entire play? Eiling said chuckling. “Sit back down boy.”

“You know the offer. It’s the only one you are going to get from me or anyone else for that matter.” Nemesis said as he stood there staring down at Eiling.

“What if I was to offer you something?” Eiling asked as Tom slowly sat back down.

“You have one minute. Do not waste my time.”

Eiling smiled at him. “You are a man who claims he is out to balance the scales of justice. But in truth you are a desperate man only looking for revenge against an invisible organization because you lost your big brother.”

“I swear to God…” Nemesis growled as he placed his fist on the glass that separated the two men.

“The reality is the Council is already gone back into hiding, just like they did the last time when you and that freak show from Gotham got close, remember? The truth is, not even I could find them if I was to look. So if you truly seek justice you need to look elsewhere. You can start with Qurac and who wanted Sayid Marlo dead.”

“You and the Council manipulated that entire situation.”

“But killing Marlo was never the plan. Your people managed to screw that up royally. He was much more valuable alive. Besides he was untouchable.”

“Untouchable how?” Nemesis asked.

“Ever hear of the Ten?” Eiling asked. “They are the ten most powerful leaders in the world. They have been the guiding force behind every world event for over forty years. They are also untouchable. The significance of which means no one could kill them.

“And Marlo was supposedly one of these Ten?”

“He was the newest elected member and someone was planning to kill him.”

“So that was the reason you sent the Squad to Algeria in the first place. You knew Marlo was the target all along? Why tell me this now when Marlo is already dead.”

“You are missing the point. There is someone out there who is willing to take on the Ten by breaking their number one rule. That means there is someone who thinks they can start world war three… and win.”

“Times up General.” Nemesis nodded and two guards entered the area where Eiling was seated.

“You’re a fool Tresser if you do not take what I have told you in earnest!” Eiling yelled as he was taken away. “You will be back and then we will discuss my deal!”
Tom Tresser stood up and exited the room. He began to walk down the hallway when a voice called out behind him. He turned around to see Amanda Waller standing there.

“Did you get what you needed?” He asked her.

“Not sure. But he did confirm my suspicions that he knew Marlo was targeted for death.” She said walking up to him.

“You think the rest was nonsense?” He asked her.

“What? That Marlo was involved with a group more powerful then the Council? That could be Eilings way of trying to cut a deal and avoid retribution from his Council buddies. Either way we are through for now. Let him cool off some more before we talk to him again. I will call you when I need you.”

“About that.” Nemesis said, “I quit.”

Amanda looked up at Tresser. “So that’s it? Off to chase the phantom Council again? Eiling is right about one thing. You aren’t out for anything more then petty revenge.”

“What kind of demons are you trying to bury here, Amanda? Because whatever they are I think you are going to need a bigger shovel.” Nemesis stated before walking away.

The following day at Belle Reve…

“What the hell were you thinking Murph?” Amanda Waller yelled as she stood in front of Daniel Murphy, John Economos, and Ben Turner.

“We got the guy!” Daniel Murphy yelled back at her.

“But you lost a prisoner in the process! Its bad enough that one escaped on a mission a few months back, but you let her walk right out of here!”

“Well, she didn’t walk out. She disappeared, sort of.” Economos said timidly.

“John, you are the warden here. You of all people should have known better!” Amanda said as she began to pace around the conference room. “How do we know that the guy in holdings isn’t the real Batman? Do you realize what could happen if the costume community gets a whiff of what’s been going down around here? ”

“He isn’t. Trust me.” Bronze Tiger stated.

“Trust you? Is that supposed to make everything all right? Do you have any idea what kind of pressure I am under right now from Washington? They have grounded all missions and the President is looking for any excuse to shut us down. On top of that, Black Orchid, Flagg, and now Nemesis have all gone A.W.O.L.!” Amanda Waller sat down at the conference table and took a deep breath. “You better trust that we all aren’t out on our ass before this is over.”

The silence of the room was broken as the phone buzzed. Waller reached over and picked it up. “Good. Bring them in here.” Waller hung up the phone and stood up. “At least one thing has gone right. They are bringing up our mysterious Oracle now.”

The door opened to the conference room a few minutes later. A redheaded woman pushing someone in a wheelchair entered, followed by three armed government operatives.

“So don’t be shy.” Amanda said crossing her arms. “ Which one of you is Oracle?”

Then

It had been three months since Susan walked into Clayton Stoners office and asked the private investigator to look into her past. After seeing what she was capable of he quickly promised to help her. Little did they both know that the trail was cold before they had even begun. Clayton assured her he wouldn’t give up the search. In the meantime Susan agreed to help him on his other cases in return for providing her a place to live and adequate funds to support her.

At the time, Clayton was impoverished since good paying cases were few and far between. He relied on supplement work as a bounty hunter, usually going after bail jumpers and deadbeat dads late on child support. Clayton convinced Susan that her ability to change her appearance could vastly improve his chances of catching these people. She was uncomfortable at first but soon found an easy escape portraying other people. Not only was it simple to get caught up in the role of a fugitive’s buddy or a girlfriend, but also it allowed her a few brief moments to forget that she still didn’t know who she was.

But on an off day, Clayton and Susan sat in his office reviewing case files when she received what might be the first break in the investigation.

“Okay, thank you.” Clayton said before hanging up the phone.

“Was that about a case?” Susan inquired from across the room where she was sprawled out on a sofa flipping through files.

“Yeah it was about a case. Yours” He said jovially.

Susan stopped what she was doing and jumped up.

“That was one of my skip trace buddies who has a friend who has a contact over at Langley. He found a connection to Susan Linden and something called the Black Orchid project.”

“Clay, we don’t even know if that’s my real name. So, what makes this a solid lead?

“Well it’s not necessarily a solid lead because that’s all he was able to pull up. But it is the first nibble we’ve had on the line in months, so its better then nothing.”
Clayton said.

“ You call that a nibble? My name being linked to a goddamned flower!” Susan vented as she sat down across from Clayton.

“It’s a rare delicate flower.” Clayton smirked looking up at her. “You are a rare flower.”

Then

Months had gone by since Clayton discovered a link between Susan Linden and the Black Orchid project. As each day passed, Susan lost hope of ever learning the truth. She continued to work for Clayton Stoner. She no longer looked at what she did as an escape though. She became obsessed with it, constantly pushing herself and her abilities. She was no longer content with playing bit parts for small reward. During this time, Stoner had quickly become the most feared and respected private investigator in Metropolis. His reputation soared all while Susan contently stayed out-of-sight.

In an attempt to find a case that would satisfy Susan’s increasing desire for bigger and bolder ventures, Clayton Stoner agreed to take an out of town job.

Clayton began to explain the job to Susan. “Jack Dodd is the owner of a large chemical research company based out of Gotham City. After years of rising costs due to strict government regulations, Dodd was forced to bring in a financial partner to keep the company afloat. He chose his brother, Marshall Dodd, who has had a successful career in the banking industry. But after several quarters of little to no growth, Marshall Dodd recommended to sell the company to a multinational corporation over seas.”

“This sounds very exciting.” Susan said sarcastically, “Why did you think we would be suited for some type of corporate investigation?”

“Because I have a plan that I think you will love. Now can I finish?”

“By all means.”

“Jack Dodd believes that one of his companies security analysits is involved with selling company information to the corperation intersted in buying out the company. He feels this person is not only ruining his company but in turn will force him to sell his company to the overseas outfit for little or no money.”

“So we were hired to help a rich guy before he goes broke? Wheres the fun in that?”

“Three weeks from tonite there is a charity event at the Gotham Kane plaza. It’s one of the biggest events of the year and all the players will be there including the five securitys analylists from the Dodd company and investors from the overseas company. You will be attending this event.”

“So who am I going in as?” Susan inquired showing slightly more interest.

“Some rich socialite. That part doesn’t matter. Once your inside I need you to determine which analyist is in bed with the multinationals because they will more then likely make contact with them sometime during the course of the event.”

“So how am I going to do that if we don’t know which of the five is involved?”

“This is the part you’re gonna love. Through out the evening, you get to play the role of all five of them!”

Three weeks later…

Susan had expected the hardest part of this was going to be keeping track of the five security analysts, not only their locations but who she was playing at any given time. What she didn’t anticipate was that someone else had ulterior motives that evening and was playing the role as party crasher. Enter Pamela Isley, also known as Poison Ivy.

Susan watched as Ivy began to scream out about how the planet is being destroyed by the chemicals that these companies were producing. Then she went on about how everyone here would die a slow painful death because of the chemicals that she has pumped into the room all evening through the air ducts. Collectively they would need to come up with one hundred million dollars before any of them would have access to the antidote she carried in a small vial around her neck. She watched as several people began to cough some even falling to the floor gasping for air. Susan quickly found that what ever was in the air hadn’t affected her yet.

At that moment she made a decision. This was no longer about inside trading or corporate greed, this was about life and death. Susan’s mind shifted into overdrive as she quickly assessed the situation. There were three armed thugs with gas masks blocking each of the potential exits while Poison Ivy was setting up a wireless computer in the center of the hall. She yelled out that she would take bank transfers until her demands were satisfied in full. Susan couldn’t see a way of defusing the situation without people dying. But if she stood there and did nothing, people were sure to die as well. Finally, there was no way to guarantee that Ivy would release the antidote she claimed would reverse the effects of the poisonous gas.

Susan determined the best course of action was to get close enough to Ivy and look for a chance to take her down. She was still in the guise as one of the analysts, one that she noticed was one of the victims already passed out on the floor. At least it would allow her to move in without drawing to much attention to herself.

She was in position when the lights inside the hall went dark. The remaining coherent party guests screamed as gunfire erupted. Susan dove in the direction where Ivy was standing just before it went dark. When the lights returned she was standing over Poison Ivy holding a small vial in her hand, her foot firmly pressed on Ivy’s throat.

“I will take that.” She heard a gruff voice speak from behind her. She slowly turned around as she stood face to face with the mysterious Batman. She felt exposed as she no longer was hidden behind one the disguises she had used that evening. Unsure of what else to do, she handed him the vial.

“Get yourself checked out. The paramedics will be momentarily.” With that he wrapped Ivy up in his cape and was gone. The Gotham police entered seconds later to find all of the gunmen had been contained. Batman had defused the entire situation and then had vanished. It was in that moment when she was determined to be something more then a delicate flower. She would fully embrace her namesake, whose true existence was but a myth to most. She would become the Black Orchid.