SPOILER ALERT: This is the fifth (and final) story arc in the DC2 series of Suicide Squad. This is the beginning of a four part story arc thats explorers the Manhunter mythos in the DC2 universe. You do not need to have read any of the previous story arcs to enjoy this tale but it get in on the grand conspiracy and bigger picture, check out the first four story arcs of this series to catch up on the DC2 universe Suicide Squad.
The Suicide Squad V – Die Hard the Hunter- Part One: The Stone
I've this creep supision that things
are not as they seem.Reassure me.
Why do I feel as if I'm in too deep?
I've been praying
for some way to show them
I'm not what they see.
Yes I have done wrong
But what I did I thought
needed be done…
I swear
unholy day,
if I leave now I might get away.
This weighs on me
as heavy as stone…
Dave Matthews Band "The Stone"
Part One: The Fall Of Shawn Marcus-
Then:
James R. Browning United States Courthouse, San Francisco, California-"…We're live outside the courthouse and have just gotten word that the jury has delivered a verdict to the bailiff and the judge has ordered everyone to return to the courtroom. It finally appears that after two years, one mistrial and three rejected plea bargains later, the trial that has exposed the true nature of Asian gang actives in the San Francisco bay area will finally be over.
Ren Sai Yu, the man on trial for executing the bold slaying of a rival gang boss two years ago outside a local bar filled with patrons, lived like an underworld czar, holding court at San Francisco's Club La Ducio and plotting to gain control over extortion in the bay district. According to grand jury testimony Yu's minions hung out by day in local coffee houses, hashing over criminal schemes. By night, they shook down massage parlors for protection money or gathered at local dance clubs and nightspots to fight with rival gang members and pay obeisance to the man they considered their Dai Lo,'' or Big Brother, their criminal boss.
But the plotting came to an end two years ago this past November, when an angry confrontation with former gang leader Cuong Tern, resulted in Tern's execution-style slaying outside the Morrison Street bar. Only minutes earlier, Greg Waid, a well- known San Francisco lawyer who was allegedly working as a bag man'' for Tern, was shot to death less than a mile away. Since then no one has been arrested in connection with Waid's death. But today we expect a verdict in the Tern murder case…"
Public defense attorney Shawn Marcus watched as the judge instructed the jury foreperson to stand and read the verdict on the first count against his client Ren Sai Yu. Marcus felt his stomach tighten. He had known for some time now how this would end, but he continued to hope right up until that moment, that something would happen to renew his faith in everything he once believed in.
When Marcus joined the Office of the Public Defender and lost his first five cases, he took his drubbing and carried on. Finally, he celebrated a victory with number six, a misdemeanor case. He went home to celebrate with his family but soon discovered that not all of them were as enthused as he was. Shawn was raised in an upper-middle-class Republican family in Sacramento. The last thing his parents imagined was that he would choose to become a public defender. They would often ask, "How can you defend those guilty people?" He rarely replied to them but knew that his own comfortable circumstances growing up actually fueled his conviction to defend the less fortunate, and was proud to fight for their constitutional rights.
Six years after he received his degree from the University of San Francisco Law School Shawn Marcus found himself in what had quickly became a high profile murder case. His client was charged with murder and was looking at thirty-five years to life in prison. The evidence was overwhelming and as anticipated, the District Attorneys office sent over it's first deal: 17 years maximum if his client turned over names and locations of gang related operations in the bay area. Ren Sai Yu laughed at the offer. He said he would be dead within the week if he talked.
As the second and third deal came and went, Yu continued to insist on taking his chances in court. Despite the evidence and eyewitness accounts, Yu felt confident, almost to the point that it made Shawn feel uneasy around him. This wasn't the type of person he ever anticipated he would have to defend.
The uneasy feeling began to turn into something worse as the trial progressed. Witnesses were quickly discredited and their testimony was tossed out. Evidence that once linked his client to the crime scene was no longer available. The entire time Ren Sai Yu sat back and smiled, claiming that justice would be served. Shawn Marcus continued to defend a man he knew was guilty, right up until the jury came back with their verdict. He closed his eyes and prayed as the jury foreperson spoke; he knew that today was not the day for answered prayers.
"On the charge of first-degree murder,
not guilty.
On the charge of conspiracy to commit murder,
not guilty.
On the charge of exhortation,
not guilty."
Shawn Marcus felt the room close in around him as Ren Sai Yu shook his hand as whispered to him, "Justice was served." As the courtroom adjourned, all he could think about was getting out of there as quickly as possible.
Later that evening at a local bar-
"Unbelievable!" Shawn muttered as he set down his shot glass.
"This is suppose to be a celebration and here you are sulking." The man next to him at the bar responded.
"How can I celebrate when I know that he was guilty, David? I mean, this isn't what I went to law school for. We are supposed to uphold the law of the land. Today I watched it all get flushed down the toilet!"
"You are being a bit melodramatic, don't you think?"
"We worked on this case for what, two years? You helped me gather the evidence. It was plain as day that Yu was guilty and we worked our ass to cut a deal with the DA's office for a plea bargain. It should never have gone to trial! But it did and that smug son-of-a-bitch got off."
"You need to keep your voice down." David motioned with his hand.
"That's why we were really put on this case. Two rookies who could be manipulated and used and no one would be the wiser."
"Hey, you think I like this? I don't" David said as he leaned in toward Shawn, "But what can we do?"
"I know what we should do." Shawn spoke before slamming another shot of whiskey, "We take everything we have on this guy and hand it over to the District Attorneys office. I am sure they would love to know who killed Greg Waid the same night Tern was murdered."
David laughed as he looked up and saw Shawn's face, "You're serious? You want to send a dangerous gang leader you helped get off, right back to jail for another crime with evidence you uncovered while building a defense for him? That's ridiculous and unethical to say the least."
"Is it? A high profile DA gets gunned down by our client just minutes before he goes and kills a rival gang leader and we are suppose to do nothing? We both know he did it. Hell he practically told me he did it. And I am sure the DA's office would just love to vindicate the slap on the face they received a few hours ago by Shawn Marcus, the most powerful Public Defender in all the bay area!" Shawn quipped.
I repeat, its UN-ETH-I-CAL."
"There are ways around that."
"My advice, let it go. Go home to Emily and relax for a change. It's over Shawn." David said as he raised his glass mockingly toward Shawn, "The good guys won today."
"Yeah." Shawn lifted his glass and returned the gesture.
A few days later-
Shawn felt his entire body tense up when her arms wrapped around him from the back. He relaxed slightly and forced a smile as he slowly turned around to face her.
"Emily." He said kissing her forehead and embracing her.
"I was talking to you and then you just walked away. Sweetie you promised that we would sit down and work on an invitation list for the wedding today."
"Did I? But we don't even have a…I just have over things on my mind today."
"Today?" She said pulling away from him, "You say that like last week you weren't promising that when this case was over you'd make time for us."
Come on Em! At any given time I am juggling two-dozen cases at once so when I come home I expect you…" He began to raise his voice before she cut him off.
"Do not start with me! Damn it Shawn you promised!"
"I just need some time ok? You know what this Yu case was doing to me!?"
"No Shawn I don't know. I never know anything. You never want to talk about it. But to keep me from getting upset you always promise that it will just be a few more years before things will change! Well guess what? It has been a few years already. And where are you now? Where are we? I want to get married to you Shawn!"
"So do I!" He yelled back at her.
"Do you Shawn? Do you really? Because lets do it ok? Lets just drop everything and get married."
"You are just saying that. I want you to have the wedding you've always dreamed about and have a home to come back to, not this dump of an apartment."
"I told you my parents would…"
"We don't need your parents money. Once I get past the plea and free public defense law I'll..we'll be able to have everything you want."
"I want you. I want us. Nothing else is worth it unless we are together." Emily said as tears began to well up in her eyes.
Shawn took a deep breath. He was taking his frustrations out on the one person who mattered most in his life. He smiled and took her in his arms. "Pack your bags. We are leaving tonight."
"Tonight? For where?" She said wiping her eyes on his shoulder.
"If I tell you it won't be a surprise now will it?"
"Don't play coy with me. If you don't tell me, how will I know what to pack and for how long?" She said playfully hitting him on the back with her fists.
"Pack for a looong weekend and dress for warm days and cool nights. We are driving up the coast." He said pulling away from her. "Now get ready. We leave in two hours." He kissed her on the forehead and turned around.
"But what about you're other cases?" She asked.
"There will always be other cases."
"So where are you going?" She asked as he walked toward to door grabbing his car keys and his brief case off the counter. "I thought you were on a break after the big case?"
"I am but there's something I need to take care of first. Something I should have done a long time ago." He said as he opened his brief case to reveal a sealed envelope addressed to the San Francisco District Attorneys Office. I'll show you real justice, you smug bastard! Shawn thought as he closed the case and headed out the door.
Three days later- Olympia, Washington-
Shawn Marcus stepped out of his motel room and quietly closed the door behind him as not to wake Emily. He looked up and saw that Mount Rainer was visible in the skyline to the south. He smiled and continued to walk toward the motel lobby. It was early morning and he was in search of coffee. They had been on the road for over three days and it was like his batteries had completely recharged. He felt alive for the first time in as long as he could remember. There had been nothing but the two of them since their road trip began. He had been entertaining the thought of driving down to Las Vegas tomorrow and seeing if he could get Emily to make an honest man out of him. Maybe a themed wedding at one of the hotels?
He reached the lobby and walked over to a small breakfast nook that served pastries and hot coffee. He was stopped cold when he casually looked over at the local paper sitting on the table next to the beverages.
Botched Arrest of recently acquitted 'Gang Boss'
Leaves 8 police officers dead in San Francisco.
His cell phone buzzed in his jacket pocket, nearly making him drop the empty styrofoam cup in his hand. He sat the cup down and opened up his phone to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Good god almighty Marcus. Where have you been? Did you know about this?" The voice of Shawn's boss Geoff, from the public defenders office, yelled through the phone.
"I went out of town. I left word with Cynthia that…"
"I don't care. You get the hell back here now!"
Still staring down at the paper Shawn was slow to respond. "I…I can't sir I am out of town and I…"
"Can't? You sure as hell better find a way and fast! You have one helluva a mess to clean up after what went down here yesterday."
"I have a mess?" Shawn began to squeeze his phone tightly while trying to keep his voice down. "Sir, I have been at your office for over four years now! I think I am done cleaning up your messes."
"Marcus I think you better stop and think about what…"
"Oh I have done plenty of that sir! I think that I am tired of working for an office that would bend over so far that every gang-banger and thug could screw it sideways!" Shawn yelled, no longer concerned at the volume of his voice. "Eight officers are dead because no one was willing to do the job that needed done in the first place!"
"You son-of-a-bitch! You're the reason the San Fran PD went in there to arrest Yu! I will not only fire you but I will see to personally it that you are disbarred for this! So help me…"
Shawn Marcus slammed the phone shut. He was out of breath and sat down in the nearest seat he could find. He half waited for someone to come in the small room to see what the outburst was about but no one came. After a few minutes he stood up and walked over to the cart and poured himself a cup of coffee. He took a sip and headed toward the door.
Once outside he felt like screaming but found he no longer had the nerve to. He was scared. He thought that he had done the right thing. How could everything go so wrong? Why was Geoff so quick to link him to the arrest warrant for Ren Sai Yu? If he knew, then did someone tip-off Yu? How did it turn into such a massacre?
Shawn turned back around and headed inside the motel lobby again. He had to find out what else they had reported in the newspaper. He was startled again when his phone buzzed for a second time. This time he hesitated as he pulled it out of his pocket. There wasn't a number listed on the caller ID. He slowly opened the phone.
"Mr. Marcus." The voice instantly froze Shawn where he stood just in front of the lobby exit. It was Ren Sai Yu. "I fell like I owe you an apology."
"Yu, before you go any farther, let me explain…"
"You have nothing to explain. It is I who must explain how wrong I was about you. I am usually a better judge of character then I was with you. I was certain that you were a man of great strength and honor. But you are weak."
"Yu, please listen to me…"
"Do not say another word or the man across the street will pull the trigger and blow your head clean off."
Shawn panicked, as he barely was able to make out the snipers laser that danced across his chest and then disappeared.
"Good. Now that I have your attention, let me continue. I am going to give you one chance and one chance only to redeem your honor in my eyes. Slowly step outside and move along the outside wall about ten feet and then stop."
Unable to speak Shawn did what he was told. As he walked he looked around him but saw no one. It was a weekday and too early in the morning for anyone else to be up and about. Even if there were, what would it matter? No one could help him now.
"Stop." Yu said through the phone, "Now stand against the wall and face the street. Now I have instructed the sniper to fire one shot and one shot only…"
"Please you have to understand I…"
"Do not interrupt me again or you will be shot through the throat and left to die a slow painful death." Yu paused before continuing, "One shot. One chance at redeeming your honor. If you stand still the sniper will take you out quickly and it will be painless. If you choose to flee you will live, but there will be consequences. You have but a few seconds to decided. Will you die better then you lived your life?"
The phone went silent in Shawn's hand. He frantically looked around him for the snipers laser. He couldn't see it. Was it pointed at his head? Was he really willing to die because of a scum like Ren Sai Yu? He decided the answer was no and he fall face first onto the sidewalk.
He lay there shaking unable to move until a single thought entered his mind, Emily! He jumped up and ran around the side of the motel and didn't stop until he reached the door to his room. He began to fumble in his pocket for the room key and then began to bang on the door. She wasn't answering. He finally found the card and slid it across the lock.
The door swung open as dust and daylight entered the dark room. He glanced over at the bed. It was empty. He ran toward the bathroom and stopped at the doorway when he saw her naked, lifeless body hanging in the shower. He fell to knees and cried. Shawn felt the cell phone buzz again. He opened it up and held it to his ear.
"You bastard!" He yelled into the mouthpiece. "I will see to it you rot in hell for this. I will take you down so hard and destroy…" Shawn began to sob uncontrollably.
"You are a man without honor Mr. Marcus. Always remember that you choose her death over yours."
The phone went silent.
Part Two: The rise of the Manhunter-
Six days later-
Shawn Marcus went into hiding after the death of his fiancée. He had lost everything in his life that mattered to him in a blink of an eye the morning that Emily died. Unable to go back to his old life he took what cash he had and left everything else behind
For weeks he took to the streets. Never staying in one place too long. He was certain that the police would be looking for him since fleeing the "scene of the crime". He knew the drill. They would build a case against him and arrest him for Emily's death. It would be an open and shut case with all of the pieces connected in front of them. He had to keep running. He couldn't go home ever again.
He hitched a ride south, being careful to stay off any of the major roads, and after several days he stopped in Reno, Nevada. His plan was to wait it out there and see if he could get an idea of what the media was saying about what had happened, before he made his next move.
His worst fears were realized when he finally was able to catch a national news cast on the television. They pinned Emily's 'murder' on him. They reported that after sabotaging his career in San Francisco he took Emily and fled the state. They speculated that he must have finally snapped under pressure, which resulted in her death by his hands. Not a single mention of Ren Sai Yu or his whereabouts after the botched arrest attempt.
Shawn had been running low on cash and decided that he would need more money before he'd move on. Over several days he stuck to the busiest casinos and played small stakes blackjack. Once he was up a couple a hundred dollars he would move on to the next casino. He did this for several days, always keeping a close eye on whether he was drawing attention to himself. He was content with the fact that this was the failing city of Reno, and unlike Las Vegas they were thankful for any and all patronage they received. He estimated that it would take him two more days before he had enough money to move on again.
Night Three-Reno, Nevada-
Shawn causally looked up as a man sat down next to him at the card table. He motioned for another card. The man pulled out a small stack of chips and sat them in front of him. He sat there silently until Shawn was finished playing his hand. Shawn gathered up what chips he had left and began to stand.
"This table all played out I take it?" The man spoke.
"It is for me." Shawn said keeping his head down as to avoid eye contact with the man.
"Well, why don't you stick around? Maybe we can tag-team 'em?"
"No thanks. I am done for the evening."
"Are you sure? You're not up by much and you usually don't turn in until you have at least a couple a hundred in your pocket." The man said grabbing hold of Shawn's arm. "Lets walk over to the bar shall we?"
Shawn quickly looked up at the man. He didn't look like a cop. He looked to be in his mid-fifties maybe older by the marks around his eyes. How long had this guy been following him? If he was a cop why wasn't he being handcuffed and escorted out of here? Shawn took a deep breath and smiled at the man. "Sure…why not?"
The man stood up and Shawn motioned for him to lead the way. The man turned and walked toward the bar and Shawn followed him. Shawn smiled when he came to the conclusion that this guy couldn't be a cop. Why would he be so willing to turn his back to him when it would be so easy for Shawn to ditch him. No, this had to be a local who had spotted Shawn playing the last few nights. Either he thought Shawn looked like an easy mark for a scam or maybe he wanted to get him to partner up with him to scam someone else. Either way, he appeared harmless and Shawn needed some information about the local scene. He had just about played out all of the casinos and needed some tips on which ones he could possible push his luck at before heading out of town.
He sat down next to the man at the bar and slowly looked around, scanning the other people in the casino.
"Don't worry. I am alone." He said casually as he ordered two whiskey shots and a chaser. Shawn just smiled as he ordered the same. "I wasn't going to approach you here but you are running out of time."
"How's that?" Shawn asked anticipating this con man to begin his spiel.
"The only reason they haven't discovered you is because they haven't looked here yet, but they will." He said as the bartender sat their drinks down in front of them.
Shawn nervously picked up his shot glass and quickly downed the whiskey. If this was just a run of the mill conman then he had no idea how close of nerve he just struck.
"Not sure I follow you Mr…"
"Names not important right now. What is important is that we get you out of here as soon as possible. You stick out like a sore thumb. Even in a place like this. I see that you altered your appearance some, blond hair, goatee. That might work in Vegas but not here." He looked up and smiled at Shawn as he drank his other whiskey shot. "The most desperate of men are always the ones trying the hardest not to appear desperate. Isn't that right…Shawn Marcus?"
Shawn jumped up out of his seat "Ok, I am not sure what the hell it is your game is but if you plan on arresting me just do it!"
"Lower your voice and sit back down alright? I am not a cop. How many cops you know buy someone a drink before they arrest them?" He said as Shawn slowly sat down again. "Yes, I do know who you are and I am well aware of what your current situation is. I am here to offer you an alternative to living on the run until you get caught. And you will get caught. You have to realize that don't you?"
"How do you know so much about me? Why offer to help me?" Shawn asked.
"I never said I was here to help. I did say that I could offer you an alternative to your current situation. There is a difference."
"So what is this offer then?"
"First thing is we need to get you out of the country, tonight. Like I said, it is only a matter of time until they find you and your time is nearly up."
"Out of the country? How do you propose to do that?"
"I used to work for MI-5. I have contacts."
"That still doesn't answer the question. Why me?"
The man sat there silent for a moment. "You are a man who has become lost. A man who has the potential to become a great force for good but the path you have chosen has become murky."
"What the hell are you saying? I lost the woman I loved because I choose to believe in a legal system that I gave my entire life to, only to have my heart ripped out and stomped on! Here you are babbling about forces of good and how murky my path has become? I sure as hell don't need you to tell me that!"
"What I have to say may be hard to hear and possibly harder to even comprehend but there are bigger things going on then even you realize."
"Bigger things? Bigger then the life that I know pulled out from under me?"
"I understand you are emotional right now given what you have gone through and you will have to work through those emotions in time. But I am here to tell you that there is a war coming which will affect every single life on the planet."
Shawn put his head down on the bar and muttered, "I think I am gonna need another drink.
"You better order a couple." The man smirked, "Do you believe in aliens, Mr. Marcus?"
"Aliens?" Shawn mumbled.
"There is a war being fought across every corner of the galaxy between those that thrive on chaos and those that battle to maintain order. Those that thrive on chaos have plans to unseat the power base here on earth and take this planet for their own. Up until now they have chosen to wage a silent war striking at individuals in key positions of power all across the globe. Slowly gaining a strangle hold on this planet.
But there are others that believe that only true power comes from the balance of good and order, and will stop at nothing to ensure that earth remains free from the ravage of this evil. At the center of the galaxy there are a group of highly intelligent beings that created the perfect protectors against this evil. In their eyes, these 'Manhunters' were created to bring peace to the galaxy.
One day, the Manhunters will come to earth and wipe out the corruption that has inflicted our home. We choose to live by the laws and doctrine of the Manhunters until that day comes, when they will cleanse this planet, leaving only the righteous behind to rebuild it."
The man stopped and Shawn sat there for a moment silence. "Manhunters whose goals are to fight evil and maintain order?" He picked up the glass in front of him raising it half way; he looked over at the man and forced a smile. "Where do I sign up?"
Shawn Marcus spent the next several months training in Europe and Asia. He learned several forms of martial arts. He found that he could channel his anger and grief into something more powerful. He began with nothing but a broken spirit but slowly emerged a man who longer feared the world around him. He became a man who was confident that he could make a difference in a way that he never could as a lawyer.
He spent most of his time traveling alone. Someone always made contact with him when it was time to move on and it was never the same person twice. He would often ask about the others committed to the cause, he was told that they rarely gathered in large numbers as not to alert the other side of their presence. Their strength lied in their numbers, and they always operated alone. He would be guided to where he was needed most when he was ready.
He grew to understand and embrace the ways and beliefs of the Manhunter cult. For the first time in his life he finally felt awake and aware of the world around him. The battle they fought was a righteous one and he would prove his allegiance to the cause.
After three weeks of meditating in a Buddhist monetary in Japan, he was contacted and informed that he was ready. He opened a package to find a red and blue outfit and a silver mask along with a slender power baton. Shawn put on the suit and soon discovered that the suit was keyed to his unique bioelectrical signature, granting him increased strength, agility and endurance.
He was instructed to return to the United States for he was now a true Manhunter.
NOW:
Mark Shaw hid in the darkness of the shadows as he crouched on the rooftop. He activated the telescopic vision in his mask. Thirty yards in front of him stood a small warehouse. He had waited until he was certain that the last of them had arrived and were inside before he activated the handheld device in his hand. He allowed himself to smile. There was enough C-4 in there to ensure that the Manhunter cult would end here today. With a of flick of the switch…
Shaw was unaware of the figure that crept up behind him before it was too late. He quickly turned around to see a blur of motion as a sharp blast to his temple ripped his mask off of his face. He fell to the ground as he blacked out.
The man looked down at the slumped Shaw. He reached down and picked up the device next to him flicking the switch back that deactivated the remote explosives in the warehouse.
"The target has been neutralized." The man announced.
"Good. Bring Shaw in." The voice on the other end of his earpiece replied.
"We are going to have to deal with the Manhunter cult soon." The man said looking across the rooftop at the warehouse below, "They are gathering in larger numbers now. Something is definitely up."
"Yes but there is a bigger picture to consider here. Let our man on the inside deal with them for now." The man voiced through the earpiece, "You will get your chance soon but for now the world at large believes that Paul Kirk is dead. Lets keep it that way."
To be continued…