Issue 16: "New Blood, Finale"

Isn't it interesting that the same people who laugh at science fiction listen to weather forecasts and economists?

-Kelvin Throop III

Philosophers say a great deal about what is absolutely necessary for science, and it is always, so far as one can see, rather naive, and probably wrong.

Richard Feynman (1918 - 1988)

"Knockout neutralized the test subject," Wilkerson said in soft, horrified awe. "She took out our weapon of choice in nothing flat. Unbelievable. Of course, she is from Apokolips, we should have anticipated this," he went on, voice shifting to self recrimination.

"We're not done yet," Malthus answered, though his voice was grim. "It has not yielded to her, despite her attempts to command it. Mayhap your mental programming did some good after all. We must stand and fight." He leapt back to his remote controls without another word, and Wilkerson, knowing this was all or nothing, stepped back to the laboratory table and picked up the xenon laser that Malthus had specifically designed for him. Taking careful aim, he fired, and the green laser beam grazed Killer Frost's shoulder. She glared daggers at him and began to move his way, but several robots moved to intercept.

He aimed again, eyeballing Terra, but a flash of emerald power from Enchantress got in the way, turning several robots into frogs.

He swallowed. This was not going well.

Malthus' Robots were doing the best they could, of course, under his merciless, ice-cold directives. But the Squad had more room to maneuver here in the lab than in the corridor, and what was more they could see what they were doing.

He began hunting for another target. He fired a shot at Resurrection Man, but the atomic energies of that one made his shot worse than worthless. Biting his lip in frustration, he aimed again....

With the remote controls down and Malthus fled, the robots were less coordinated and easier to battle. It was still a war of attrition, but one the Squad could easily win.

Especially with the Parademon becoming a whirlwind of destruction in the center of the room.

Catman parried four claw strikes from a robot, then sliced through its hydraulic lines with his blade. It fought on, but slowly, staggering. Finally he rammed his blade into one of its optic sensors, and the positronic brain behind it. There was a nasty spark of electrocution through Catman's body, and he curled up into a fetal ball of pain...but the robot went down with him.

Electrocutioner was having fun; blasting four different robots at once.

Enchantress turned robots into piles of rust, exulting in her power. Within her, June watched helplessly.

You feel it don't you, little June, Enchantress said in her mind. You feel the power.

June didn't answer.

Vixen took a moment to see to Manhunter, who was still leaning against the table, then took on the power of a bear and ripped two robots apart.

Knockout fought no longer, simply watching as the Parademon wreaked havoc, doing more damage than the rest of them combined. The Parademon was a perfect engine of destruction. It was one of the more skilled and powerful creatures of its kind. Perhaps in time, had it continued on the battlefields of Darkseid, it might have even become a commanding officer of its ilk.

"Magnificent," Knockout breathed, watching it work.

There was beauty and art to be found in destruction.

Knockout was directing traffic, warding the others away from the Parademon as they felled the last of the robots. She continued to speak words of command in the dark tongue, but softer now, gently, coaxing and persuading.

Eventually it began to nod, then finally it knelt before her.

"I have it under control," she assured the others. "It will follow my commands. But by all that is dark, do not attack it."

Vixen and the others nodded, save Catman, who was still down, and Manhunter, who was still sitting on the lab bench, holding his face. Vixen was really worried about that eye. He should’ve had his mask on. Mark had some healing powers, but she was not anxious to test the idea that they alone would do the job on something as sensitive and important as an eye.

"Can you heal him?" she asked Enchantress.

The witch shrugged. "Healing magics are not my forte. Still, I can at least make sure he does not lose the eye."

"We got the 'weapon' back," said Electrocutioner, "But the brains of the operation got away."

"Actually we're one for two on that one," said Terra, re-entering the lab. Malthus floated behind her, trapped in a ring of rock that held his arms to his sides.

"That's something, at least. But we can't just hand this...this...." Vixen faltered.

"Parademon," Knockout supplied.

"This Parademon over to the Pentagon."

"The administrator, Waller, has more spine than that, I am sure," Knockout said confidently. "I rather think she'll have some choice words for the war leaders in your Pentagon."

"Now that, I believe," Vixen said wryly. But we still have to finish the clean up here, first."

It took the Squad two hours to scour the base, satisfy themselves that Wilkerson was gone, and depart. Manhunter had somewhat recovered by that point, enough at least to resume command. Catman wasn't up to doing much of anything; Vixen carried him back into the plane. Terra kept minding Malthus, as Knockout did the Parademon.

The Parademon raised more than a few eyebrows at the airport, but the crowds were assured he was "in custody". Malthus spat in contempt at the crowds as Terra forced him aboard. The Parademon went slowly, head bowed, following Knockout's commands.

Killer Frost led Terra to a rundown apartment complex on the outskirts of Denver, and asked her to wait outside. This Terra did, under a withered tree. She had no problem hanging around in costume, but the whole business reminded her of nothing so much as casing a joint for a crime. But if so, why was Frost having her wait outside for so long? While her suit wasn't exactly flashy, it wasn't normal civilian wear, either. Not that she wanted to unmask in front of Frost just yet, though.

The rain from earlier in the day had returned, and Terra was starting to get quietly angry, when finally a pale skinned hand reached through a third floor window and beckoned. Not wanting to attract attention, Terra entered through the lobby of the building and took the elevator up.

Walking down the dingy, dirty hallway, she reached the apartment door. Frost was waiting for her, leaning against the doorway, smiling faintly. Her clothes were a bit rumpled, her hair wilder than usual.

"Having fun, Frosty? Found an amusing guy?" Terra asked.

"Oh yes," Frost smiled dreamily. "I took your advice. It was most invigorating. Come see."

"Is he cute? Hope he's got some stamina left for--" Terra stopped talking and stared.

The man was sitting in his shower stall. He was unremarkable in his looks, but well built. Terra supposed that Frost liked them muscular. But that wasn't what attracted her attention.

He was quite dead, skin coated in frost, eyes staring blankly upwards.

"Like I said, I took your advice," Frost said, smiling softly. "You were right; it was a worthwhile experience to suppress my powers long enough to use him. After that I killed him, of course."

"Of course," Terra echoed hollowly. She did her best to put on a poker face. "Um, aren't you worried about attracting police attention? Any half-competent lab rat could do the math on this."

Frost laughed cheerfully. "Not in this neighborhood, honey. Nobody will even notice or care until he's thawed out. And even if they somehow trace it to me, I'll merely work off my "sentence" in Belle Reve again; one mission with the Squad will clear me. Gotta love the justice system."

Terra nodded slowly, and tried to smile back. "I will admit, it's very...striking work. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. But uh...if you decide to play with any of the boys on the team, maybe you should let 'em live, huh?"

Frost nodded thoughtfully. "Fair point, dearie. Electrocutioner has been making eyes at me; maybe I'll give him a shot."

Terra bobbed her head in something that wasn't exactly a nod, but she hoped looked like one. "Sounds great. We'll, I'll see you back at Belle Reve, then."

"We could always find another guy," Frost said.

Terra shook her head. "The mission did me in pretty well. I thought you had a guy warmed and waiting, but I see he'll never be warm again. So I think I'll just go back."

Frost shrugged. "If you want. But there's plenty of hunting grounds here in Denver, if you're interested in future."

"I'll keep that in mind," Terra promised.

She kept her cool as she rode the elevator back down and walked away. Despite what Frost had said, she didn't want to attract attention by just flying out the window.

She managed to walk three blocks; vision slowly going gray, then finally stumbled into an alley as her legs began to shake.

She thought I would understand; she thinks I'm just like her....

That was as far as her train of thought got before she threw up.

After several heaves, supporting herself by leaning against the wall with one hand, her mind cleared enough to think, I guess I should be thankful she let the guy have a last fun romp before she offed him, then she threw up again.

Terra was vicious and nasty by nature, and had seen and done terrible things, even at her young age. But Killer Frost had shown her there were deeper pits of hate and darkness yet than her own; and lines that she had not crossed.

Nor was she sure she wanted to.

It was a good half hour before she had recovered enough to summon a rock and head back to Belle Reve.

Knockout sat with the Parademon in its cell, talking to it, explaining their new directives on this world.

She listened with understanding to it's description of it's handling by the Pentagon. It did not ask for pity nor did she feel any, but she understood the War Leaders of the little American nation-state had no idea of the gift from Apokolips they had received. The Squad was more perceptive in that sense, at least.

It bowed before her again and she gently placed a hand on its head, for only a moment, then left the cell and locked it behind her. It would wait patiently for command from her; like herself, war was all it knew.

Though she would never admit it to anyone, even the Parademon, she was smiling a little bit, inside. Because without realizing it, without ever being able to realize it, the Parademon had given her an incredible boon.

Because of the Parademon, she was no longer alone.

[glow=red,2,800]New Blood: The NEW Suicide Squad roster-[/glow]

Amanda Waller: The tough as nails head of the Suicide Squad.

Sarge Steel: The Squad's unofficial go-between with the Government.

Manhunter (Mark Shaw): Formerly of the now-defunct Manhunters cult. Enhanced strength, speed, stamina, agility, and limited healing powers. Now the second in command, and leader in the field.

Vixen (Mari Jiwe McCabe): Tatu Totem gives her the ability to mimic the powers of any animal. Lover of Mark Shaw and third in command.

Knockout (Unknown): Former member of the Female Furies of Apokolips. Possesses super strength, regeneration and limited invulnerability.

Catman (Thomas Blake): Big game hunter, skilled tracker, excellent duelist, and good marksman. Has made several unsubstantiated claims about the powers of his suit, but the real danger is in his viciousness and cunning.

Killer Frost (Crystal Frost): An ice elementalist, she is a living heat sink, needing warmth to survive, though she is learning to have some control over this, enabling her to survive longer. She can project cold and ice from her body, and can manipulate cold air to allow her to float. But her heart is the coldest thing about her.

Enchantress (June Moone): The Enchantress is an actual second personality, an immortal spirit of unknown vintage, surviving within June Moon's psyche. When June says the word "Enchantress," this second personality steps forward and takes control. Enchantress is a witch of unknown power, though it seems to wax and wane depending upon the situation. At all times she is a mistress of magic to be feared. Recently she has demonstrated the ability to actually lend a portion of her power to her host, June; her motivations for this are not entirely clear.

Resurrection Man (Mitch Shelly): Is resurrected each time he dies, gaining new powers having to do with the circumstances of his last death. Currently, he has a limited, scaled down version of the powers of Captain Atom; atomic blasts, flight, et cetera.

Electrocutionee (Paul Buchinsky): A murderous vigilante, he uses the electric power circuitry of his suit to fry his enemies. How he gained the suit and what his motivations are, at this time, not yet known.

Terra(Tara Markov): Bastard child of the Markovian Royal Family, this troubled and conflicted young woman has power over the Earth itself. The full extent of her powers has not yet been measured.

Parademon (Unknown): Born and bred to be a soldier of the Apokolips war machine, he has strength, a limited form of flight due to the wings of his suit, and a battle axe forged from the dark metals of his home-world.