-1-The staff had changed slightly in appearance since it had last been held.
It seemed longer, more purplish, with slight gold filigree. Neither Enchantress nor Erinyes knew that, of course. But their research had indicated that it had changed from century to century in aspect. This was one occasion Enchantress’ distrust of technology had trumped Erinyes' doubt of 'old time untrustworthy anecdotes.'
“What.... what is that?” Mitch was frowning down at it.
Quick as a striking snake, Enchantress turned and stabbed her finger into his forehead and sent another wave of glamour through him. “It's an artifact we can use, honey,” she told him in June's voice.
Mitch subsided, but his eyes remained troubled.
Hey, let me handle him, Erinyes protested, more unsettled than she cared to admit.
There wasn't time. You will learn to react quicker as the years roll on, my sister.Erinyes didn't answer, but her unease grew.
*****************
-2-Killer Frost was huddled in the very small cargo area in the back of the Squad plane. Getting in there had been difficult. Doing so without leaving traces had been even more difficult. Fortunately none of the Squad were exactly forensic detectives; she had busted two nails and was bleeding from one finger.
The trip in the cargo area did not disturb her temperature-wise as it would have most people. She had absorbed enough heat from others to sustain her for some time. The thin air, on the other hand, did reduce her to gasping. What she wanted to do most of all was sleep, and the rattling of the plane and her general discomfort wouldn't even allow her to do that.
For the first time since beginning this endeavor, Frost realized there would truly be no going back to the Squad when all was said and done, even if she was able to get to June first, and even if with her help June were to triumph in any confrontation. This caused a sting of regret in her. She hoped when the time was right that Electrocutioner would make the right decision. But she had her doubts.
She had made the decision to help June down a dark path on impulse, without thinking it through. She realized she had cost herself a legal sanctuary in the long term for her villainous actions. But Frost was nothing if not resilient, and she knew she could get away with it if she really tried. Perhaps it would be amusing to tangle with Firestorm once again...
*****************
-3-“What are June and Mitch doing down here, anyway?” Vixen fretted.
“We'll find out,” Manhunter said, stone-faced. “But I promise you this. Whatever else happens, I am not going to just let this lie. Frost has stretched her Squad membership privileges beyond all limits. First going AWOL in Gotham, and now this. If Waller won't actually put her behind bars, I'll go over her head.”
“Tired of being pushed around?” Vixen smiled at him.
“You better believe it.”
“What about Electrocutioner? He and Frost have a thing.”
“Electrocutioner is many things, but one thing he's not is stupid. He's also fairly pragmatic as villains go. Though I'm sure he thinks of himself as a vigilante. Anyway, I kind of think he knows what kind of woman Frost is.”
“I think that's why he's with her in the first place,” Vixen muttered.
“Exactly. When the chips are down, I'm pretty sure he'll choose to fry her rather than side with her.”
“And if he doesn't?”
Manhunter just looked at her. She nodded slowly.
*****************
-4-Meanwhile, Knockout, Cavalier and the Parademon had arrived in Vienna. Their appearance was unsettling to the airport personnel, at least Parademon's was.
Human males (and a few females) had a different reaction to Knockout, which she patiently ignored. There was a time when she would've smashed them out of hand. Now she just found them mildly annoying.
It didn't take her long to ascertain that no one had seen any sign of Killer Frost after the others had left. Knockout was a seasoned warrior, and while not a brilliant tactician, the thought certainly did occur to her that maybe Frost had snuck aboard the Squad's main plane. (The plane they were using was a second-hand Checkmate plane that did nothing to improve her or Cavalier's mood.)
She sent Parademon on a short reconnaissance flight around the area, sternly instructing him not to attack anyone that wasn't Frost, and if she was present, to bring her back alive. (Parademon always did what she told him, but she had to be very specific. He had grown from his days as one of Darkseid's dogs, in many ways, but that didn't necessarily mean that he always understood.)
When Parademon failed to find anything for forty minutes, they set about the business of refueling the plane and following the others.
*****************
-5-Enchantress reached down and grabbed the staff. When she did, an unfortunate reality of the staff came into play. That reality was that it only empowered one person at a time. What this meant in terms of Enchantress and Erinyes was that only one personality would be empowered at a time.
Since Enchantress had been in control when they touched the staff, she was the one the staff rewarded. She felt a rush of anger, lust, cunning, and satisfaction.
In their shared mind, Erinyes was knocked aside, and was almost stunned. But more over, she had a terrible epiphany.
She knew, now, exactly what she had done. To herself. To Mitch.
She knew, now, that Mitch was almost certain never to forgive her.
She bit back a mental scream and reeled in horror.
But she withdrew and shielded, and let Enchantress have her moment of gloating triumph. In the midst of that power rush, the elder witch didn't even notice Erinyes reaction. That was good.
Erinyes knew, all too well, that Enchantress was more powerful than her. And that was before she had wielded the staff. There was no way Erinyes would win a straight up contest between them. And if she could free Mitch—not a certain prospect in itself—there was no guarantee he would side with her.
So she would have to wait until Enchantress guard was down, and throw the staff away. Problematic, at best.
But it most be done. She could not ask for forgiveness, it was far too late for that.
But she might, at least, stop things from getting any worse.
It was at this point that Enchantress started paying attention to her.
The power.....oh the POWER, sister. I cannot even begin to describe it to you. Naturally I cannot possibly let you have the staff in this lifetime. But when this body decays and we each seek new ones, I will leave the staff for you to take with the next body.Thank you, sister, Erinyes responded, not believing the lie for a single second.
But what now?Now? Enchantress smiled horribly in their mind.
Now the real work begins.*****************
-6-When the first Squad plane arrived, there was an uneasy quiet in the French overseas colony. A tension they had not experienced since that time travel crisis that none of them wanted to really remember.
There were no red skies, but there did seem to be a line of purple twilight around the horizon. And given that it was dark, and well after sunset, there should not have been.
They were all tired and groggy, Electrocutioner especially; from the multiple jet lags both ways and lack of sleep. They had each napped on the plane as much as they could, but that was not enough. But they were bound and determined to see this through, all the same.
But that sky...it made all three of them uneasy. It set all of them on edge. They exchanged wary glances, and set out.
“So where to now?” Electrocutioner asked.
“Clearly something is already wrong here,” Vixen answered. “We just have to find the source....which is almost certainly Enchantress.”
“We should have known something was wrong with June,” Vixen sighed.
“None of us have mind reading powers. June was always quiet and kept to herself. When Enchantress 'died' back during the Apokolips invasion, everyone assumed that things had worked out. We let our guard down. Not the first time, probably wont be the last, either.” Manhunter turned and looked back at Electrocutioner. “And we knew Frost was bad news, but we kept her around because she was useful. We're paying the price for that now, too.”
Electrocutioner grit his teeth, but didn't say anything.
“This is the Suicide Squad,” Vixen said. “It's always been this way, from the word go. By definition.”
That was only the truth, and neither man had an answer for her. They moved on.
Seven minutes later, figuring she had waited long enough, Frost squeezed her way out of the cargo area, into the main part of the plane, and then out. She squinted her eyes; the other three were not quite lost in the distance. She followed them.
*****************
-7-Enchantress had spent the last few hours tightening their grip on Mitch, as they had originally planned. Erinyes could see how to break that grip on him—Enchantress was not hiding anything from her, at least not yet—but in order for her to do so, Enchantress would have to stop paying attention for a meaningful length of time. So far, she had not done so.
Satisfied that Mitch was ‘theirs’, Enchantress was now moving forward with plans to dominate the world.
And your original idea was sound, sister, she added.
We shall take this world and then expand to others. In the fullness of time and with our immortality, we shall even conquer that dreaded Apokolips planet.Well, we seem to be starting small, Erinyes answered, treading carefully.
We haven't conquered anything yet. You've just stood here and basked in the power. Look, our immediate purpose was to subdue Mitch, and we've achieved that. Can't we go back to the Squad now?Don't be so naive, sister. Why should we go back to those fools now that we have this power?To allay suspicion, Erinyes answered, playing for time.
For everyone to relax. Besides, Belle Reve, a place we know well, would be a better place to start building power than here.It's a place you know well, yes. But the whole world has been my oyster for centuries. We shall start here, turn this little colonial fiefdom into our base.The Squad will come looking for us, Erinyes warned unhappily.
Let them come. You wanted Mitch, now you have him. I want the world, and more.Not to repeat myself, but you haven't even begun yet. You've just stood here and basked in the power for, what, a few hours now?Enchantress' answer was not with words. Instead she leaked just a tiny portion of her newfound power to the younger witch. Their shared body rocked unsteadily on its feet.
Erinyes was impressed, but not in the way Enchantress expected. It was exhilarating and corrupting, yes, but Erinyes had already been corrupted, and had finally realized the price she would ultimately pay, something Enchantress had never learned. And she recognized this brief spurt of power for what it was; the same thing as a drug dealer giving out ‘samples’; only the first one was free. She further understood that this was the relationship they had been having since she took Enchantress back into her life.
Enchantress could not read these thoughts. Perhaps she could have if she hadn't been so wrapped up in her new power. In any event, she said,
Now do you understand, little sister?I'm beginning to, Erinyes answered. And she meant it. But not in the way Enchantress thought.
*****************
-8-The island was dark by the time Vixen, Manhunter and Electrocutioner made their way out to it. Nobody else seemed to be around. It was preternaturally quiet, even the insects were muted.
It hadn't taken much skill to figure out which way to go. The further inland they had gone, the more the effect dissipated. When they went back out to the coast, it grew stronger.
But the ferries were no longer running; they had to swim. Vixen managed this reasonably well, but it did nothing to improve the mood of either of the men. Electrocutioner's gear had been waterproof since the time of his late brother, but it still slowed him down.
By the same process of elimination they figured out which island it was. All doubt was removed when a purple lightning bolt arced down out of a clear sky.
Without need for discussion they crept around the space launching facility—suspiciously void of guards, tourists, or personnel—and saw Enchantress standing tall, a black staff glowing violet in her hand. Beside her, Mitch stood, not in costume, eyes unfocused, shifting back and forth on his feet like a reed in the wind.
“Enchantress has taken control and gone off the deep end,” Vixen hissed. “Forget Frost, this is planet-shaking danger right here!”
“That staff...” Manhunter paused, and then swore. “I read Waller's files. She keeps tabs on all the supers. And I know about that staff.”
“Does Waller know you're reading her stuff?” Electrocutioner said, mildly.
“It's not private files. It's tactical stuff we're supposed to keep up on. Anyway, the Titans fought a man wielding a staff like that on one of the islands off the Carolina coast. He was wielding a staff like that one...the Titans lost track of it after the battle.” He frowned. “Only thing is....that old man didn't seem to be Hollywood special effects level power like what Enchantress is doing now, according to the reports.”
“The old man probably wasn't as powerful as Enchantress was to start with.” Vixen murmured.
“I know you're there,” Enchantress' voice called, echoing across the island. “And yes, I am more powerful than ever, thank you so very much.”
“Oh shit,” Electrocutioner said.
“Come on out,” Enchantress invited. “Let's not make this any more unpleasant than necessary.”
Electrocutioner made to get up, but Vixen and Manhunter held him back. When he opened his mouth to protest, Vixen put a finger to his lips.
“Then we'll do this the hard way,” the witch said, and blasted the nearby hills.
Then Electrocutioner understood that which Vixen and Manhunter had already guessed; she knew they were there and could hear their voices, but could not pinpoint their exact location. She was powerful, but not omniscient.
Which would be small consolation if she killed them, of course.
*****************
-9-Frost approached slowly, having followed the others at a respectable distance. She could be sneaky when she wanted to be. This whole chain of events was proof of that.
But at the moment she was as worried as the others. It was clear that Enchantress was really on a tear, and she didn't want to die before the spellcrafter knew they were on the same side.
She watched with amused interest as the other three cowered behind the space launching facility. She could attack them now....but she waited.
Eventually it occurred to Manhunter that they could do no good by hiding (why Vixen had ever let the fool even think he was in charge was something else Frost did not understand) and the three of them charged around the launch pad to confront Enchantress. To their credit, they did not try to talk. Electrocutioner let fly a blast (more fool him), which Enchantress shielded easily. Then Vixen charged in with some sort of brute strength power, and actually did stagger back a bit from. Then she shouted a Word of Power, and both of them were knocked back.
Meanwhile, Manhunter had danced to the side and was trying to talk to Mitch, wake him up, shake him out of whatever trance Enchantress had him in. “What have you done to him, Enchantress? And to June?”
Enchantress gave a thin smile. “June's been on my side for a while now. And you idiots never even noticed. As for Mitch...” she made a casual gesture, and Mitch punched Manhunter in the face. Manhunter stumbled back, and then ducked as Mitch blasted radioactive energy at him.
“You three should stop wasting time,” Enchantress said. “I am more powerful now than I have ever been in all of history.”
Enchantress was surprised when suddenly all three were encased in ice.
“Quite right too,” Killer Frost agreed. “When you and Mitch left on this trip I had hoped June was beginning to see reason. I'm glad you already won her over.”
Enchantress blinked twice, then smiled. “Credit where it's due, Crystal; you recognize the superior power. But I am supreme, now.”
“Sure,” Frost agreed. “But it occurs to me that with you in charge, I can have much more fun.”
Enchantress watched her narrowly, and then nodded. “Just remember your place.”
Frost felt a surge of annoyance, but curbed it. “You want to run the world? It's yours, and welcome to it. I'm in it for the thrill, always have been. You know that.”
Enchantress fingered the staff thoughtfully. “Very well. Where are the others?”
“Playing catch up. With luck, they may still be back on the trail in Europe. But sooner or later they'll get here.”
Enchantress smiled a horrible smile. “We'd best start entrenching the power base here, then.” And she reached out with the power.
*****************
-10-Erinyes knew what Enchantress was doing. Earlier she had simply scared away all the people; now she was calling them back....to make them mindless followers.
She had kept quiet, wincing as the others were taken down and Frost allied herself with Enchantress. The elder witch spirit was paying her no attention, thankfully.
It was now or never.
Mitch would never forgive her. But if she didn't free him, things would get far worse.
The staff's grip on him was powerful, but it was also passive, and Enchantress was also worried about other things right now. She could not fight Enchantress for control of their body so long as they held the staff. But if Enchantress was focused elsewhere, as she was now...
Enchantress became June again, as much as she ever would be able to (which sadly was not nearly as much as she would like) and did two things at once.
She made Enchantress drop the staff.
And she freed Mitch from their control.
Enchantress shouted and staggered. Frost turned to her in surprise.
And Mitch....
Screamed!
