"Huh... Waller-san... are you really sure that...?"
Glancing towards a man dressed in a white coat, the African-American woman questioned him.
"Are you challenging my decisions?"
"No! It's not! It's just that..."
Turning his face towards a screen, the scientist looked at the nine faces that could be seen and the man began to swallow.
"Do you really intend to release the worst villains in all of Gotham City? These people have committed such horrible murders and killed so many people that everyone would like them dead so that their names can be erased from history."
"That's exactly why I want to use them! Normally, our project must remain secret! But, if ever the population manages to hear about it, it is better to tell them that the people who were charged with this suicidal mission were only criminals."
Staring at the nine faces displayed on the screen, she assured.
"They will be the perfect members to form the Suicide Squad."
Then, one by one, each face was presented.
"Arnold Wesker, alias The Ventrilogist, accompanied by his puppet, nicknamed "Scarface ... Johnathan Crane, alias Scarecrow ... Waylon Jones, alias Killer Croc ... Edward Nigma, alias The Riddler ... Harleen Frances Quinzel, alias Harley Quinn ... Pamela Isles, alias Poison Ivy ... Harvey Dent, alias Two-Face ... Osward Cobblepot, alias The Penguin ... "
And finally, seeing the last image, Amanda remained motionless for a few moments, before uttering a single word.
" Joker. "
Gotham city
"Bruce…I hate this kind of place."
Trying to loosen the bow tie he had around his neck, Dick showed his discomfort as the piece of fabric seemed to prevent him from breathing as he wanted.
"Be a little patient, Dick." Bruce advised him, with a glass of champagne in hand. "In a few hours, this will just be a bad memory."
"I'd rather be alone in the Joker's cell than stay here."
Looking around, Dick stared at the many people present in the huge party room where the duo was. Being the greatest riches in all of Gotham, the people around Dick were as important as Bruce and the companies or organizations they generated were known to all.
"Whatever happens, it is essential that Bruce Wayne is appreciated by these people, even if I admit that this kind of reception is quite painful." Bruce affirmed. "It would be a shame to cause my companies to go bankrupt because of a bad relationship with potential business partners."
"I know." Dick assured. "I just hate being around so many arrogant people who think they're superior to others! Without realizing it, these people have a lot in common with the residents of Arkhum Asylum."
"I advise you to avoid saying that in front of them."
"Seriously, don't you agree with me? On top of that, I remind you that one of the worst scoundrels in this city has no shame in coming here."
And as if to prove it, the people near the duo fell silent and stepped back a little to let a small, rather obese man pass. While laughing, with a drink in his hand, Oswald Cobblepot took off his top hat to greet the people around him.
" Penguin ... " Said Dick.
Remaining silent, Bruce watched as people greeted the little man politely. However, as soon as he walked away, they quickly rummaged through their pockets, making sure nothing had been stolen. From this, it was obvious that the little man here was far from being seen as an honorable man. Everyone knew his bad reputation. However, even though he was one of the worst scoundrels in this city, Cobblepot was also a powerful man that people would rather have as an ally than even an enemy.
In any case, seeming to have fun, The Penguin eventually walked over to Bruce and gave him a friendly smile.
"Bruce-san... I am glad to see you during this pleasant evening! I was just planning to come and congratulate you on your latest purchase in Boston! Your intelligence will never cease to amaze me."
Hiding the disgust he felt towards Osward, Bruce gave him a polite, affirming smile.
"Cobblepot-san, the one who should be congratulated is none other than you! After all, you are very lucky to be among us, having just escaped another sentence."
Starting to laugh, The Penguin assured.
"HAHAHAHA! I have always said that I was innocent about this diamond theft! Besides, the culprit denounced himself, proving my innocence! As I often say, you must always trust in justice! HAHAHAHA!"
Walking away giggling again, Cobblepot annoyed Dick.
"This guy...I'm sure he threatened the family of the man who reported himself on his behalf."
"I know that, Dick," Bruce assured him. "But don't worry."
Staring at Penguin, he assured.
"As our friend just told us, justice will always triumph! And tonight, Batman will make sure to give the city jail a nice gift."
Leaving the party whistling happily, The Penguin seemed to be in an excellent mood. Therefore, seeing one of his men waiting for him in front of his limousine, Oswald walked past him, before affirming.
"Go home! I want to walk."
" But boss ... "
"I said I wanted to walk." Penguin repeated, his tone harsher.
Using his umbrella as a cane, the little man began to walk the streets of Gotham. being known among the thugs throughout the city, he had no fear of being attacked.
However, as he continued to walk while whistling, the man didn't notice a few figures following him, while people with ill intentions seemed to want to take advantage of him being alone.
Finding himself on top of a skyscraper, Batman growled as he saw Oswald's limousine drive away, with The Penguin not inside.
"Great…now we have to waste our time in order to find him."
"If he's on foot, I doubt he's gotten very far." Robin remarked, trying to find him with his eyes.
Suddenly screams were heard.
" Huh ? "
Wounded in the arm, a man dressed as a soldier glared at Oswald. Pinned against a wall, the little man stared at the five people in front of him, while pointing his umbrella at them.
"Gentlemen, I don't know who you are, but be sure that no one can attack the Penguin without suffering the consequences." He assured, pulling his umbrella again.
The projectile that came out pierced the leg of another soldier, who screamed in pain. However, unable to face so many enemies, Oswald saw the other men rush towards him to hold him down before targeting his neck with a taser.
Screaming in pain, Penguin dropped his umbrella, which fell to the ground. Kicking the weapon, one of the soldiers walked towards a car.
"Quick! Let's hurry."
Unfortunately, flying towards them, several boomerangs landed in front of the soldiers, making them jump in fear.
" Huh ? "
Then two figures dropped onto the roof of the car and looked at the kidnappers calmly.
"I see Penguin has made some more enemies." Robin remarked.
However, noticing that these enemies looked like members of law enforcement, Batman only narrowed his eyes, while appearing skeptical. It only looked like a battle for control of the city.
" Batman … " One of the soldiers growled.
" What are we doing ? "
"What do you think? We should neutralize him and leave here with the Penguin."
"That will never happen." Batman said, jumping towards the soldiers.
Arkham asylum
Gritting his teeth, the Riddler felt like his superb brain was about to explode. Wrapping his pillow around his head, the man finally let his anger dictate his actions.
Getting up, the prisoner left his bed before standing in front of the glass wall of his cell. Striking the wall with his fists, the Riddler roared.
" JOKER ! "
Hearing the man shout his name, Joker let a smile appear on his face, as he was amused by it. Having been unable to sleep, after the curfew was announced, the supervillain decided to keep busy and share his formidable singing talents with his comrades. As a result, for thirty minutes, the other Arkham prisoners could hear him singing like a music lover, despite the fact that his voice resembles the cries of a cat, which had just had its tail crushed.
" MY CASANOOOOOOVVVAAAAAAA ! "
" SHUT-UP ! " Shouted Riddler.
Having his coin in hand, Two-Face had many veins on his face, as he saw his coin fall into the palm of his hand several times while showing his scratched face.
"Joker! If that glass pane wasn't there, I would have smashed your skull a long time ago."
"What do I hear?" Joker asked, continuing to smile. "Harvey, my poor friend! Have you forgotten who I am? It is you that this glass window protects."
Then starting to laugh, Joker heard the other prisoners complaining, while only one person applauded him.
"Puddin', you're the best." Harley stated.
"Harley, if you continue to applaud him, I prefer to warn that the Joker will not be my only victim." Growled Poison Ivy, who appeared as angry as the Riddler, because of Joker's horrible singing.
"Whoever you want to kill, make sure you start with this clown." The Riddler growled.
"Yes, we must eliminate this bastard." Scarface affirmed. "I prefer to warn you that I have urges to murder when I don't have my hours of sleep."
Being in the puppet's company, Arnold seemed much more hesitant about antagonizing Joker.
"Boss! We better not intervene or..."
Waving his arm, trying to hit him in the cheek, Scarface ordered him.
"SHUT UP! Who do you think you are to give me orders? Do you want me to remind you of your hierarchical position gy drilling into your skull?"
"Sorry." The Ventriloquist immediately apologized.
Hearing the duo, Joker continued to laugh, as he stated.
"Look at you! It's so hilarious to see such a pitiful sight! When I'm in my cell, some of you dare to challenge me! However, as soon as it comes to talking to me face to face without the slightest protection between us, no one dares to look me in the eyes anymore, right, Eddy?
"What do you dare to claim?" Riddler roared. "Do you think I'm afraid of you? I'm not like Crane."
"Hey! What do I need to understand?" Jonathan Crane asked.
"Riddle me this! Who is the person who dares to claim to be the master of fear but who trembles as soon as Joker takes a step in his direction?"
"I'm not afraid of this clown." Scarecrow roared. "Besides, I'm not someone who stupidly spends all his time fighting, unlike guys like Killer Croc and Two-Face, who have the strength to smash his skull... but are afraid to do that. "
"What did you say?" The reptile man roared, positioning himself against his glass wall.
"Do you really want us to have a conversation tomorrow morning?" Two-Face asked. " Scarecrow, you think you're strong and all-powerful! But without your famous gas, you're nothing more than a normal man, without the slightest power! Right now, even a little girl could win in arm wrestling against you. "
Hearing this, Harley raised her hand, before stating.
"It's true that I defeated Crane in arm wrestling last week! It's even because of that that he went to the infirmary! I almost broke his arm beating him."
Hearing this, Joker rolled over on his bed, laughing while holding his sides.
"HAHAHAHAHA! And people dare to compare me to this kind of loser? It's hilarious."
Suddenly stopping laughing, he retorted.
"No! It's not funny! Seriously, how can anyone compare me to guys like you, who do nothing but make fools of yourself over and over again?"
"Oh?" Riddler said, showing an amused smile. "Because you think you're better than us? Riddle tells me! Who's the clown who just gets humiliated over and over again against Batman?"
"Joker!" Killer Croc assured, giggling in his cell.
Feeling his eyebrows furrow, the clown glared at Riddler, who dared to hold his gaze with a smile. Certainly, he would have preferred to have his famous cane, to feel safe. However, he refused to show any sign of fear to the Joker.
"You forget that people never considered you to be Batman's main enemy." Joker said. "I am the one destined to fight him! No, Batman is destined to hunt me down, again and again, until I decide to finish him off."
"In that case, I advise you to act quickly." Said Riddler. "Because it's been a few days now that I've been developing the perfect plan to leave this place and kill Batman! And this time, no one will dare to post the photo of a green-haired buffoon, to show who was the real enemy of batman."
"For that, you will have to leave this asylum alive." Joker retorted. "And if you keep going, that's not likely to happen."
But as the duo looked at each other, each prisoner was surprised to hear alarms going off.
"Huh?" They were surprised when they heard deafening noises.
"What's going on?" Harley asked.
"An escape." Jonathan suggested. "I'm surprised anyone else besides us managed to do it."
However, arriving in the corridor, a group of soldiers armed with guns and shields stopped in front of the cells of the asylum's most dangerous criminals.
"Huh?" Joker wondered.
"Hey, what do you want from us?" Ivy wanted to know. "Are you blind? We're not trying to escape."
Despite this, the soldiers remained motionless in front of their cells.
"Hey, stupid guys." Harley shouted, starting to make faces at the men in front of her cell. "Didn't your moms ever tell you it was rude to stare at a lady in her room! What do I do if I decide to take my clothes off?"
"Keep staring at me and I'll crush your skull." Killer Croc roared.
Still remaining silent, the soldiers seemed not to feel fear. Finally, hearing more footsteps, the prisoners saw Amanda Waller coming down the hallway. Passing a few cells, she glanced briefly at Jonathan, Arnold, and Two-Face.
Then, she finally stopped in front of Joker's cell and started looking at the clown of Gotham.
"So, here is the famous Joker."
"Oh?" Joker said, showing an amused smile. "I always feel embarrassed when I see one of my fans come all the way here to ask for my autograph."
"Keep your humor." Amanda retorted, with a serious face. "What I want is your abilities! I have a job for you."
"Huh?" Joker asked, raising an eyebrow. "A job?"
"Hey! What do you want to do with my Puddin'?" Harley growled. "He's mine and he'll never leave with you."
"Don't listen to her." The Riddler retorted. "Take him away from here."
Turning her face towards the other prisoners, Amanda stated.
"Eight members of the Suicide Squad are here! All we need to do is find the last member and the team is complete."
" Huh ? " Said Scarecrow. " The Suicide Squad? "
"All of you... listen to me." Amanda advised. "Look where you are! You are among the worst criminals in this world! And yet, there is nothing scary about you anymore! Now you look like animals locked in a cage and condemned to stay here."
"Huh?" Scarface roared. "How dare you speak to us like that?"
"If that damn glass wall wasn't there, I'd rip your tongue out." Harley stated, pressing her face against the glass.
Ignoring them, Amanda declared.
"But maybe I can do something for you! I can give you what you want most: freedom."
"Freedom?" Ivy repeated.
"Work for me and you can get out of here." Amanda said.
Staring at her for a few moments, the prisoners remained silent. Then, suddenly, several of them began to laugh.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Joker sneered. "At first, I thought she was joking! But from the look on her face, she really hopes we work for her."
"Hey, stupid woman! Why should we work for you?" Harley questioned. "We don't need you to leave this place! In a month, most of us will have already escaped."
"No way am I working for a woman," Scarface said.
"No way am I working for anyone." Killer Croc growled.
"Everyone calls us crazy, but that woman's brain must really be even more damaged than ours." Crane said.
For his part, being one of the rare prisoners to remain silent, Eddy tried to understand the reason for this woman's arrival. She was in the company of several soldiers who appeared to be part of the army. The government ? Why would politicians want murderers working for them? Did they want to create a team of hit men?
Seeing that the prisoners didn't take her seriously, Amanda ended up leaving.
"Where are you going?" Harley asked, with a mocking smile. "Are you afraid of us?"
However, raising one of her hands, Amanda snapped her fingers.
"Bring them out of their cells and prepare them."
"AYE!" The soldiers assured.
And as soon as Amanda disappeared, the prisoners saw the doors of their cells open.
"What...?" Arnold was surprised, stepping back.
Not giving him a chance, one of the soldiers used a tazer on him.
"Asshole..." Scarface said, before he collapsed to the ground with The Ventriloquist.
Soon, Johathan and Edward met the same fate. Stepping back to the back of her cell, Ivy grabbed the flower pot that was there and hugged it against her.
"Don't touch my child."
Paying no attention to her plant, the soldiers tasered her, at the same time as their comrades knocked Harley unconscious.
Taking advantage of the opening of his cell door, Two-Face rushed towards the soldiers who wanted to enter. Giving a powerful shoulder blow to one of them, he threw him backwards.
"As if I'd let you capture me."
Across from his cell, another soldier was thrown out, while Killer Croc used his muscles to take on his enemies.
"I'll crush you all! And then I'll kill that woman."
"Quick! Prepare the tranquilizer bullets." A soldier ordered.
standing somewhat aside, a team of soldiers grabbed their rifles and began to stare at Two-Face and Killer Croc. Then, drawing syringes which stuck into the bodies of the two men, the soldiers heard them grunt before trying to remove the projectiles.
Unfortunately, already feeling the effects of the tranquilizers, Two-Face and Killer Croc ended up collapsing to the ground.
"There's only one left," a soldier assured him.
However, being in front of the cell of the last prisoner to be captured, the soldiers did not seem to want to enter. Displaying a wide murderous smile, Joker with droplets of blood covering his face, while the bodies of two men lay at his feet.
Having managed to steal the knife from one of them, the clown had no trouble killing them. Then, waving his finger to encourage the other soldiers to come towards him, he assured.
"Come on, I'm sure we'll have fun like real kids."
Growling, one of the soldiers pointed at him, before ordering.
"Capture him."
Seeing about ten people enter his cell, Joker stretched his smile, while targeting his third target.