Issue 4: "All Consuming Fire, Part One"

Amanda Waller- The ‘Wall’ is the head of the Suicide Squad.

General Wade Eiling- Was the Government liaison for the Squad, member of the criminal organization the Council, and head of the Atom project that created Captain Atom.

Colonel Rick Flagg- Missions leader and former member of the Forgotten Heroes.

Bronze Tiger/Ben Turner- Second in command, martial arts expert trained by the League of Assassins.

Nightshade/Eve Eden- Government agent. Can become a tangible shadow for short periods of time. She can create dimensional warps and teleport herself and others.

Nemesis/ Tom Tresser- Vigilante turned operative for the U.S. government and a master of disguise. Blames the Council for the dissappearance and apparent death of his brother.

Manhunter/ Mark Shaw- Bounty Hunter with enhanced strength, speed, stamina, agility, and limited healing powers.

Enchantress/June Moone- Vast magical power, which can be called upon by saying the word "Enchantress." Powers include levitation and the animation of objects. She also has an immeasurable amount of mystic tricks concealed in her witch’s hat.

Deadshot/ Floyd Lawton- Deadshot is an expert marksman with any type of weapon. His weapon of choice is wrist-mounted rapid-fire magnums. He wears body armor, and always keeps weaponry and ammunition on his person.

Vixen/ Mari Jiwe McCabe- Tatu Totem grants her the ability to mimic the powers of any animal.

Black Orchid/Susan Linden- Powers include flight, near invulnerability, persuasion powers, and master of disguise.

Angle Man/ Angelo Bend- K.I.A. last issue
Bolt/Larry Bolatinsky- K.I.A. last issue

Captain Atom/Nathaniel Adam- K.I.A. last issue

Resurrection Man/Mitch Shelly- K.I.A. last issue

Rick Flagg is dead, the mysterious woman known as Dolphin claims to have been a witness to this event. Last week Nemesis was ordered by Sarge Steel to pick up Dolphin and bring her back with him to Belle Reve. Dolphin had been missing for several months but wouldn’t speak to anyone about where she was or why she disappeared. Steel had a hunch that she might talk to Rick Flagg. The two of them spent a couple of months together in a group called the Forgotten Heroes before Flagg moved on to the Suicide Squad. During that time they had grown close to each other.

It was just before the Squad went on their mission to Qurac that Dolphin and Flagg were reunited after ten months. When Flagg returned from the mission, Dolphin revealed that she saw Rick die. She couldn’t remember anything else that had occurred over the last ten months. The next thing she remembered was Sarge Steel’s men found her wandering around the Florida Keys.

It was obvious that Dolphin was still distressed, even after several days. Rick could see it in her eyes. Something had happened to her. Why else would she believe she saw him die? Rick knew he had to do something. He thought of contacting Steel but after what went down in Qurac and Washington, he didn’t trust him to provide much help. No, the only way to get to the bottom of this was to contact the only other member of the Forgotten Heroes he trusted, Buddy Baker, known to the rest of the world as Animal Man. But to do that he was going to have to revisit a part of his past he thought he had left behind for good.

Belle Reve, maximum-security prison, Florence, Colorado
The office of Amanda Waller:

Amanda Waller was a woman who insisted on being in control of every situation she was involved in. It was her determination and design that led to the formation of the Suicide Squad. But the Squad was a sham. Waller had unknowingly allowed Wade Eiling to use the squad to further the agenda of a criminal organization known as the Council. She was willing to acknowledge the fact that this occurred under he watch. She wasn’t going to apologize for what happened nor was she willing to roll over and play dead. Amanda had seen to it that Wade Eiling was locked up and the proverbial key was thrown away.

President Lord would not sit still for long knowing that the Council had influence over a high-ranking government official. She knew that it was only a matter of time before he ordered Sarge Steel to send someone here to put the squeeze on Eiling. He would want to know if there are others like Eiling who are involved with the Council. But Amanda knew that Eiling was not going to give up the Council so easily. Maybe some time in a solitary confinement cell will soften him up after he realized that the Council has cut him loose.

In the meantime, Amanda has other issues to deal with. Someone had infiltrated the computer network at Belle Reve. Someone claiming to be an ally, tipped her off about a leak in the Squad. It was this ‘Oracle’ that led her to discover that outside forces were responsible for sabotaging two squad missions. The obvious suspect at the time was Eiling. He was working with the Council and using the Squad and her all along. But protecting Marlo seemed to be in the Councils best interests. Why interfere with the squads mission to track down and stop his assassin? Marlo still ended up dead when it was all said and done.

Waller questioned Flagg as to why he killed Marlo before they left Qurac. She knew he wasn’t responsible for pulling the trigger himself, but he was unwilling to sell out Eve Eden, even though it cost him his position as missions’ leader. Amanda concluded that Eden killed Marlo because of what happened to her one time lover, Captain Atom. Marlo ended up being nothing more then an inconsequential victim to a crime of passion and Flagg an unknowing accomplice.

“So if it wasn’t Eiling, the Council, Flagg, or Eden, who the hell else is playing in my Goddamned sandbox with out me knowing?” Amanda said out loud before picking up the phone and dialing a number.

“This is Economos.” The warden at Belle Reve said.

“John. It’s Amanda. I want Bernard Bonner sitting in the non-contact visiting quarters in one hour. It’s time to draw Oracle out in the open.”

Vixen lay sleeping in one of recovery room beds in the med center at Belle Reve. The doctors said that she is making good progress and is healing nicely from her wounds. It is unknown if the Tatu Totem was helping her heal, but Ben Turner had made sure it stayed around her neck. He hadn’t left her side since she returned.

“This shouldn’t have happened to you, Mari.” Ben whispered as he sat at the side of Vixen’s bed. “ I should have been there with you, not Shaw. Waller was wrong to let you go off to France. It was too dangerous.”

Ben wiped away the tears that were forming in his eyes. “I don’t know what I would do if I ever lost you. Flagg is gone and I am now field commander. I need you by my side. I need you there to make sure I do the right thing. I just need you…”

“Is she awake yet?” Mark Shaw whispered, standing in the doorway.

“No. She was awake for a few minutes but that was a couple of hours ago.” Ben said while keeping his eyes on Vixen.

“Well, let me know if she wakes up again and is strong enough to talk ok?” Shaw replied.

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” Ben snapped as walked over and faced Shaw.

“Slow down! I just want to thank Mari. I owe her my life.” Shaw said taking half a step back from Turner.

“She is owed a little bit more then your miserable life!” Ben yelled. “That should be you lying there, not her!”

“You don’t think I wish that was the case?”

“You were the ops leader! She shouldn’t have been in that situation to begin with! You should have protected her!” Ben cried out.

“Protected her? I think you have her confused with someone else. She is more then…”
Shaw paused. “This conversation is finished. I will come by later when Mari is awake, and alone.”

“She won’t ever be alone.” Ben muttered under his breath as Shaw walked away.

“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It’s been…too long since my last confession”
Eve said as she sat down next to Father Richard Creamer in the back pew of the small chapel.

He looked over at her and smiled. “Eve, I am not catholic nor a priest.”

“Well this is a house of God isn’t it?” she said looking around the small chapel. “Even if we are in a prison.”

“That it is. And you’d be surprised how many hunger to hear the word of God, even in this prison. Though, you may also be surprised at how many excuses I hear as to why they miss Sunday Service. They always seem to have other ahh…commitments.” That got a slight giggle out of Eve as she slid closer to Father Cramer. He reached over and put his arm around her. She laid her head on his shoulder. They quietly sat there for a few minutes before either of them spoke again.

“Can I ask you a question Eve?”

“Sure, Father.”

“Why are you still hiding your beautiful blond hair under that black wig?”

“I am having a bad hair week Father. A bad week, period.”

“I heard what happened on the mission. Things didn’t go as intended did it?”
“They never do.” Eve sighed.

“Anything you want to talk about then?”

“What do you want to know Father?” Eve said sitting back up. “The mission was a disaster. I lost someone I cared about dearly. Another person I foolishly cared about ran off with a white haired chick. Oh yeah, I also killed a man.”

“You only did what you had to for the mission.” Father Creamer replied, not knowing what else to say.

“It had nothing to do with the mission. I killed Marlo because of what he did to Nate. I nearly ruined the mission.”

“Eve you are asked to do things on a daily basis that would send the average person running in the opposite direction. You can’t punish yourself.”

“I am not punishing myself. I think God is punishing me enough.”

“God has better things to do then punish his children. Open your eyes and you will see his forgiveness is waiting for you to receive it.”

“What if it too late Father? What if when I open my eyes and discover God has abandoned me like everyone in my life?” Eve began to cry as Father Creamer noticed the shadows in the chapel closing in around them.

“It’s never too late to pray Eve. It’s never too late.”

Belle Reve is touted as the most secure prison ever built. The dark figure who lurked outside of the thirty-seven acre facility was about to put that to the test. It was three a.m. and it took him twenty minutes to move past the three outer perimeters. He waited in the shadows before he was certain he hadn’t been detected. While he waited he scanned the designs to the facility he had uploaded into his mask. With one click of a button a 3-D map appeared before his eyes. Another click and it was gone. He determined which holding center he needed and headed to the nearest service entrance.

He was inside and moving toward the inner corridor. He paused and allowed himself a brief smile before moving on. There was one major flaw with Belle Reve that he has easily been able to exploit. Prisons are built to keep people in, not out. Everyone is looking in the wrong direction. The man stopped when he found the cell he was looking for. He was certain that the security cameras would pick him up once he opened the cell door, but it would be too late by then. He pulled out a small device and punched in a seven-digit number. The doors are controlled electronically and by remote control. Within seconds, the device had bypassed the system and the door in front of him opened. He promptly stepped inside. The woman inside quickly jumped out of her bed. The cell was dimly lit, but between the shadows she was able to recognize the figure that stood before her.

“I have come for you, Nocturna.” He said to her as he removed the cowl from his head.

“You’d think after all this time you would call me Natalia.” She said as she pressed her body against his. He leaned down and felt her breath on his lips.

“My love, my Batman.” She said before kissing him.

Now

Manhunter, Vixen, and Orchid were sent on a mission to find an assassin who was hired to kill a world leader. Their search led them to France. Black Orchid took down the killer known as Deadline. But it was his associates who took down the three of them. They nearly leveled a hotel in the process. Vixen used her powers to save Shaw and it cost her dearly. Susan got out of the incident with a sprained ankle and a few busted ribs.

A short time later, Mark Shaw and Mari McCabe were picked up from the local hospital outside of Bordeaux, France by the squad’s medical team. Vixen was stable but still in critical condition. Mark stayed by her side as they loaded her into the plane. They were heading back to the states but Black Orchid would not be joining them. She had other plans.

A few hours earlier she had received a message on her PDA that disturbed her a great deal. She has looked at it over a dozen times since.

Glad to see you’re alive Suzy. Maybe now you will stop wasting time and get to the business of taking back your life again. Once you have found it, that is. Steel has been lying to you. He has known for sometime now the answers you have desperately been seeking to find. You are so close now. Please hurry home. Love, your sister.

It was from an unknown sender but the message was loud and clear. Take back her life. Find the answers. Confront Sarge Steel!

Now

Susan had learned over the past several years to use her powers quiet well. It was easy to physically change into any person she sees. It takes effort and concentration to become that person. Mimic their behaviors and mannerisms. It’s true she preferred to hide in the background most often but there are times when it was required to stand out and be noticed. Times like these when she needed to get from one place to another as quickly as possible.

After a few days rest in France, Susan found her way to the airport lounge. It was only a matter of minutes before she found a drunk American pilot who was on a layover in Paris. A half hour later he was in a hotel room with a bottle of champagne and a French prostitute. This was twice in the past week that Susan used the same identity to get what she wanted. This time things went smoother. The American pilot was passed out within minutes. Susan stole his over night bag and his identification and was hitching a ride on a plane back to the United States ninety minutes after that. When the pilot wakes up, all he will find is a picture of his wife on the pillow next to him.

Susan was slightly uncomfortable taking such bold moves to acquire travel arrangements. But she wanted to make sure Sarge Steel never saw her coming when she confronted him about what he knows.

Now

Susan abandoned the airline pilots’ identity after arriving in New York. She quickly assumed a female identity and found a payphone. She sat her PDA on top of the phone and punched in a few codes. The Caller ID on the other end of her call would appear to be any phone number she wanted it to be. In this case it would be a number Sarge Steel wouldn’t question. The call to Steel lasted less then a minute. He was on his way.

Susan sat patiently on a park bench reading a newspaper. The Suicide Squad’s incident in Washington was no longer front-page news. She found a follow-up story on page nine. President Marlo’s death was also quickly forgotten, as was his newly formed country of Qurac. The cabinet leaders had chosen a new leader before the body was cold. If Marlo was so important how could he be replaced so easily? Susan looked up as Steel sat down next to her.

“I wondered why my daughter would call me and ask to meet me outside of my office here in New York since she left for a trip to Florida this morning?” Steel said as Black Orchid continued to read the newspaper. “I am glad you made it back in one piece Suzy.”

“Why were we sent on a mission that was doomed from the start?” Susan asked Steel without taking her eyes off the paper she held in front of her.

“It wasn’t, Suzy. There were just things that occurred that were unforeseen.”

“Which things? Deadline and his bunch tracking us every step of the way or Marlo being the target and still getting killed?” Orchid questioned, finally putting the paper down and looking over at Steel.

“Susan if you are going to continue to scold me, please lose my daughters appearance. It’s bad enough when she yells at me when she is really here.”

“No more garbage missions…Daddy” Susan sarcastically replied, still maintaining the appearance of Steels daughter.

“Eiling has been dealt with. It won’t happen again.” Steel responded. “Take as much time off as you need and I will contact you when something comes up.”

Susan subtly changed her appearance to someone more comfortable before continuing, “Any new leads on my past lately?”

“Susan we have gone over this before. Everything we found led to dead ends. I thought you gave up on…”

“No!” she said interrupting him, “You said there was nothing but dead ends. But you know something don’t you? That’s why you quit looking isn’t it?”

“Where is this coming from? Was it the mission that got you this upset?”

“You have only seen me upset once and you remember what happened then don’t you? Now I suggest you tell me what you know right now or I go to Washington and tell the President everything I know about what one of his closest advisors has been up to right under his nose. Maybe they can get you a cell next to Eiling?”

“Glad to see you are not upset.” Steel replied, with a forced smile on his face. “The reason I didn’t tell you everything we found was because I knew you would react like this and the consequences would be…”

“Right now I would be more concerned about the consequences of you not telling me.”

That gave Steel reason to pause. He knew what she was capable of. Hell, he taught her how to lose herself into someone else. He taught her how to be ruthless, even kill if necessary. Would she be capable of killing him right here if provoked? He quickly concluded the answer was yes.

“A few months back the NSA search program Echelon, came across something that was flagged and sent to me. It was about project Black Orchid. It came from Lex Corp in Metropolis. That’s all I know.”

Susan slowly stood up and began to walk away. She stopped after a few steps and turned back to face Steel. “Three thing before I go. If I find out you are lying about this, I will kill you. If you send someone to try and stop me, I will kill you. Lastly… I quit.”

Now

Black Orchid was back where it all began just a few short years ago, Metropolis. She hasn’t been back since she was forced to leave town and head to Las Vegas. She spent months searching for clues to explain how she became the Black Orchid. Now she stood in front of the door of the man who would give her the answers she was seeking. She checked her earpiece communicator before she entered.

“Thorn, are you there?” She whispered.

“Yeah, Orchid. I am here.” The female voice in the earpiece responded. “I am searching the lab now. Security is pretty lax even if it is after midnight. I don’t like this.”

“I am getting ready to go in. Let me know what you find.” Susan said as she reached for the door handle.

Susan had a plan. Confront Lex Luthor while her friend; Rose Forrest searched the lab for information regarding the Black Orchid project. She met Rose during a case she was working on. Rose’s father was a Metropolis police officer until members of a criminal organization gunned him down. Rose had a breakdown afterward which resulted in her personality splitting in two. By day she was Rose Forrest, grieving daughter. By night, she was the costumed vigilante, Thorn. They worked together to topple the organization that killed Roses father. All the while, Rose never became aware of the dual life she led. But afterward, Thorn vowed to help Susan if she ever had the need. When that need arose, Orchid called her.

Susan open the door the Lex Luthor’s office. She saw a man sitting thirty feet away from her at a desk. The room was dark until the man reached over and turned on a small light. . She walked toward him not saying a word until she stood at the edge of his desk.

“Lex Luthor? What can you tell me about the Black Orchid project?”

The man smiled at her and pointed to a phone that sat in front of her on the desk. It began to ring. She reached down and picked it up.
“My sincere apology’s for being so dramatic Susan but this was your colossal plan? Come in here and confront the man behind the monster? I thought I had gotten rid of you for good when I forced you out of town years ago?” The man on the other end of the phone said.

“Who is this?” Orchid said looking down at the phone and then up at the man sitting across from her.

“This is Lex Luthor of course.” He said, “The man in the room with you isn’t me. Did you think I would allow you to waltz right in here brazenly and rough me up till you had your way with me?”

Susan looked up again and there was no one at the desk. She spun around as her eyes scanned the dimly lit room to no avail.

“By the way, the man isn’t really a man. She is able to impersonate people, just like you can. Pretty convincing isn’t she? Her name is Sasha Green but you can call her Myriad, just before you die!”

The phone went silent just as a rapid blur approached her from her left side, driving her across the room until she hit the wall and slid to the floor.

Illustration by Jim Dufresne
From Who's Who in DC2 #1