As Amanda Waller walked into the meeting for the A.R.G.U.S. Board of Directors all she could think about was how angry she was at the Justice League. They had just battled the alien warlord Darkseid, again, and left Metropolis in ruins, leaving A.R.G.U.S. to provide clean-up, and they were denied access to any Apokoliptian tech, again.
"I'm pretty sure we all know the main point to be discussed at this meeting," stated Maxwell Lord, "The Justice League."
Amanda Waller did a quick run through of all the people sitting before her.
Maxwell Lord, young businessman who used to work with an incarnation of the Justice League, but later betrayed them and killed the original Blue Beetle, which he had kept under wraps. The public still views him as the beloved CEO of his company, Checkmate. Not even Amanda Waller knows about his mind control abilities.
General Wade Eiling, A.R.G.U.S.'s liaison to the United States military. He absolutely despised the Justice League, metahumans in general, even more than Waller.
Hugo Strange, former therapist at Arkham Asylum. He'd come into conflict with Batman a few times in the past, and he wasn't exactly the most mentally stable, but he still had a brilliant mind and was able to provide a good insight into the way A.R.G.U.S.'s enemies think.
Emil Hamilton, A.R.G.U.S.'s head scientist who used to be partners with Superman. But after Hamilton clones Superman's cousin, Kara, their whole friendship pretty much went up in flames. Everything Hamilton does is to protect the world from the metahuman menace.
Isabel Rochev, perhaps the most ambitious of them all. She overthrew Oliver Queen from Queen, Inc. for a fair amount of time and later went on to manage her own business for some time before she approached A.R.G.U.S. about becoming one of their directors.
"What is there to talk about, Lord? They're not doing any good to us." Complained Waller.
"Exactly. We have to talk about a way to keep them in check." He responded.
"I don't know if keeping them in check is the right option." Said Rochev.
"Or if it's even possible." Offered Hamilton.
"Wait, I liked what you said, Rochev. What did you mean?" asked Eiling.
"Well we clearly don't have enough manpower to go up against the Justice League, our last few attempts have ended horribly." No one had to mentioned Doomsday or the Ultimen.
"I'm not sure they're even the problem. The problem is that they don't answer to us. But what if we had a team the answered to us? Not a team like anything we've had before, but something we have complete control over, something that only we know about."
"Rochev, you practically read my mind." Said Eiling. "I came to this meeting today with an idea in mind, and she's opened up for it perfectly. We need a team that can go on the dirty missions, a team that is willing to do things the League just won't do. So I propose we bring back an old program from World War 2, called the Suicide Squad."
Everyone was captivated.
"Go on." Urged Strange.
"The Suicide Squad was a group sanctioned by the United States government, it took soldiers who were physically or mentally unequipped to fight in combat anymore, and it send them on suicide missions, which they were completely aware of, mind you."
"Hold on," began Lord, "If you're suggesting we take American soldiers from their homes and send them to their deaths-"
"No that's the beauty of it, I'm not suggesting that at all." Eiling still had everyone's attention. "We currently have, at both Belle Reve and Arkham, a total of 789 inmates. What I'm suggesting, is that we take a handful, nothing more than a handful, of these prisoners, and enlist them on the Suicide Squad. We offer them a chance to comply, and each mission will shed time off their life sentences and eventually lead to a full pardon."
Everyone had shock written all over their faces.
"It's genius." Said Waller.
"Agreed." Said Rochev.
"How would we control these criminals?" asked a hesitant Hamilton. Eiling seemed stumped, they could all tell he hadn't thought of that. Thankfully, Waller answered for him. "We could implant micro-bombs into their spinal cords, and if they disobey an order… boom."
"Then I'm in." said Hamilton.
"As am I." said Strange.
Everyone looked at Maxwell Lord, who still seemed hesitant. "I'll agree to it, on one condition. We get a straight man, a hero, to lead this team. Someone who won't disobey orders, not because of a bomb in his spine, but because he respects them. Someone we can actually trust."
"I think that's actually a really good idea. But who?" said Rochev.
"Captain Atom!" responded an extremely enthusiastic General Eiling.
"He's too close with the Justice League. Besides, he'd never trust us… not anymore." Reasoned Strange, which led to Eiling slumping back down in his chair.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be a hero. We have a lot of talent here at A.R.G.U.S. as it is, perhaps Steve Trevor." Said Hamilton.
"No, he'd go running straight to Wonder Woman." Said Lord.
"I know who." Said Waller. Everyone looked at her expectantly. "Rick Flag. He's one of our best agents, I know he'd comply."
"Of course! I served in the army with Flag's father, if he's anything like his old man, he'll love this." said Eiling.
Everyone else seemed to agree on Flag being assigned as the Suicide Squad's leader.
"It's settled then. Rick Flag will be the leader of the Suicide Squad. General Eiling, if you'd like to inform him on his promotion, we can get started on the selection process at tomorrow's meeting."
The next day…
"Flag was very eager for this opportunity, I think he'll make a great leader." Said Eiling.
"Wonderful. Let's get started." Said Waller as she took a seat.
"Alright, I've taken the liberty of narrowing down the list of prisoners from Belle Reve and Arkham to 63 prisoners and put them in alphabetical order by first name. We can go down the list and vote yay or nay on members." Explain Hamilton.
"Sounds good. But I think every member should be voted in completely unanimously, but if you don't want someone on the team, you need a valid reason as to why not." Said Lord.
"Sounds reasonable enough." Said Rochev, winking at him, which caused him to smirk.
"Alright then. Hamilton, let's get things going." Said Eiling.
"Right, well going alphabetically first on the list is Anthony "Tony" Woodward, alias Girder. He is capable of coating his skin in unbreakable steel." Said Hamilton.
"He's also extremely stupid and violent. He won't follow orders, and he'll be stupid enough to think if he's covered in steel the bomb won't hurt him. All he'd be is a danger to his teammates. I vote no." said Rochev. No one bothered arguing with her.
"Next on the list, real name unknown but is rumored to be Antonio Carlton, alias Bane. Injects himself with a drug called Venom, which makes him super strong." Said Hamilton.
"He's too smart. He'll either discover a way to defuse the bombs or find a way to lead a revolution. I vote no." said Rochev, turning down another member.
"Now hold on, he may be very smart, but he was able to take down Batman for God's sake. A man like that could be extremely useful. If we don't use him on the team, we can at least put him on the reserve if nothing else." Offered Eiling.
"An interesting proposal, a roster only for villains that are too radical for a main roster, sort of a 'break glass in case of emergency' protocol… I like it." Said Lord. And with that, the "Reserve Roster" was set into motion, and Bane was added to it.
"Next is Axel Walker, alias the Trickster."
"He's way to insane and unpredictable." Said Waller.
"Barbara Ann Minerva, alias the Cheetah."
"Wonder Woman would notice if the Cheetah goes missing for too long, and the last thing we need is Wonder Woman finding out about the Suicide Squad." Reasoned Rochev.
"Barton Mathis, alias the Dollmaker." Everyone agreed he was too "creepy and sadistic".
"Basil Karlo, alias Clayface."
"He could be a valuable asset, but there's no way we'd be able to implant a bomb into him since he has no solid shape, without heavily reducing his abilities. It seems like something we'll just have to accept." Said Lord.
"Benjamin "Ben" Turner, alias Bronze Tiger. He offers no unique talent, and he has the need for revenge so he could potentially pose a danger to the team in certain situations. I vote no." said Hamilton.
"Bette Sans Souci, alias Plastique." Said Hamilton.
"I vote yes! I was Souci's commanding officer, and she knows how to follow an order, especially if there's a bomb in her head. Plus, her powers alone could be an extremely valuable asset and she has a lot of knowledge about defusing bombs as well, if they're ever in a situation like that." Said General Eiling.
And with that, Plastique was voted in as the Suicide Squad's first official member.
"Brian Durlin, alias Savant." Said Hamilton.
"He's too unpredictable. He's sadistic and isn't a team player." Said Lord.
"Caitlin Snow, alias Killer Frost."
"I vote yes. Snow used to be a very gifted scientist, and add that to her cryokinetic abilities, she could be very useful to the Squad." Said Waller, and no one disagreed. Killer Frost was voted in.
"Next up is Cameron Van Cleer, alias Killer Moth." For a brief moment, everyone was silent. Then, Maxwell Lord spoke "Oh come, he's Killer Moth! That should be reason enough to not include him, he's ridiculous!" He was barely able to get it all out in between laughs. Killer Moth was denied membership.
"Carl Sands, alias Shadow Thief. I have to vote no, he's mischievous and we don't know if the bomb would be able to maintain itself when he is in shadow form." Said Hamilton, which led to Shadow Thief being rejected.
"Chato Santana, alias El Diablo." Said Hamilton.
"That's a tough one. He has fire powers, which could be useful, but we already have Plastique who can create explosions. Plus, he was taken down by the Teen Titans in ten minutes flat, I'm not sure if we need someone who can be defeated so easily." Reasoned Lord.
"Still, he might prove useful in the future. I vote we place him on the reserve roster." Said Waller. And so that's where he was placed.
"Real name unknown, rumored to be Claudia Davis, alias Silver Banshee."
"She can't control where she directs her powers, she could potentially deafen her teammates, which we definitely don't want." Said Waller.
"Cyrus Gold, alias Solomon Grundy."
"Grundy's a zombie who barely even knows what an order is. Plus, if we attempt to blow him up he'll regenerate eventually. I vote no." said Eiling.
"David Cain."
"Yes!" shouted Eiling. However, Rochev said "He escaped from Belle Reve three days ago. His whereabouts are unknown at the moment."
"Dammit! I had high hopes for him! Well, we should put him on the reserve roster, for when we find him!" yelled Eiling, clearly upset about Cain's disappearance. Since no one was willing to argue with him, David Cain was placed on the reserve roster.
"David Clinton, alias Chronos."
"I would vote yes on him, since time travel could come in extremely handy, but seeing as how all of his technology was confiscated by the Justice League, he's useless." Said Rochev.
"Real name unknown, rumored to be David Everhart, alias Black Manta."
"I see no reason why not. He's got useful skills and he may be reckless but he's not one to purposefully get his head blown up." Said Eiling.
"Plus, I doubt Aquaman would take notice of his absence. Even if he did, he'd take it as a blessing. Aquaman's not really the most likely to catch on to what we're doing." Said Lord. So Black Manta was voted in.
"Real name unknown, rumored to be Daniel Jacobi, alias the Key."
"He's too insane and unpredictable." Said Rochev.
"Danton Black, alias Multiplex."
"He was a scientist, and who knows if we'll ever need someone who can create an army at will. I vote yes." Said Lord, so Multiplex was voted in.
"Edward Nygma, alias the Riddler."
"I vote no." spoke up Hugo Strange, for the first time the whole meeting. "For one, it will not be wise to recruit more than a few from Batman's rogues gallery, and for two, the Riddler truly offers nothing special, except for the fact that he could be smart enough to defuse the bombs." So Riddler was rejected.
"Eobard Thawne, alias Professor Zoom, alias Reverse-Flash. I have to vote no, he's from the future, who knows how unpredictable he could be, he's also very dangerous, perhaps too dangerous to control."
"Damn! I really hate Thawne, and I want to see him in agony. I vote we at least put him on the reserve roster." Somewhat reluctantly, Hamilton agreed, and so Thawne was put on the reverse roster.
"Eric Needham, alias Black Spider." He was voted in unanimously.
"Felix Faust." He was rejected because his magic abilities could be too much of a threat.
"Floyd Lawton, alias Deadshot." He was also voted in unanimously.
"Francine Kane, alias Magenta." Maxwell Lord was the first one to speak up. "No, she controls metal, which is exactly what bombs are made of. Even if she doesn't defuse them, she could easily blow up her teammates."
"Garfield Lynns, alias Firefly." No one could think of a reason not to include him, although Rochev argued that he was too obsessed with fire, but in the end she lost that argument, so Firefly was voted in.
"George Harkness, alias Captain Boomerang." He was unanimously voted in.
"Grodd." "No." said Eiling, extremely quickly. "For one, Grodd is much too intelligent, plus he would never cooperate, even if he did he could control his teammates' minds," no one noticed Lord shift uncomfortably, "and I'm not even sure if a bomb could destroy his thick hide." Eiling made such a strong argument that no one argued, and Grodd was rejected.
"Harleen Quinzel, alias Harley Quinn." After he spoke her name, everyone was silent, because none of them knew anything to say. Eventually, Waller spoke up. "Well, she does have a brilliant mind, although it may sometimes be shrouded by her insanity, it could still be useful. So could her acrobatic and fighting abilities. She may be a bit of a wildcard, but I don't doubt we could control her." Waller was very hesitant in making her case, and no one could think of a reason to argue with her, except Strange. "She's not mentally equipped to be around a large group of people and have none of them be the Joker. Although, I suppose we could add her to the reserve roster." So there she was placed.
"Hartley Rathaway, alias Pied Piper." Rochev said "It's the same problem with Silver Banshee. No."
"Harvey Dent, alias Two-Face." Waller said "He doesn't have any special skills to offer us. He's practically useless."
"Real name unknown, rumored to be Jack Napier, alias the Jo-" he was interrupted by everyone else simultaneously shouting "No!"
"Jaina Hudson, alias White Rabbit." Eiling said "Again, she has no particular skills to offer us."
"Jonathan Corben, alias Metallo. I have to vote no, Corben is powered by Kryptonite, which, thanks to Lex Luthor, has become a very limited resource, and he's not very useful in fights that aren't against Superman."
"Jonathan Crane, alias Scarecrow." Hugo Strange said "He is much too insane to be put into the field. However, he does have a superior intellect and could provide use on missions should he be absolutely necessary, so I vote we place him on the reserve roster."
"Real name unknown, rumored to be Jonathan Price, alias Copperhead." He was voted in.
"Joseph Martin, alias Atomic Skull." He was rejected for being too powerful and presenting a threat to the team.
"Joshua Michael Allen, alias Parasite." There was a lot of debate over him, and the Board was split directly in half. Rochev, Strange, and Hamilton did not want to use him, but Waller, Eiling, and Lord all thought he could prove extremely useful, so of course, he was placed on the reserve roster.
For a while, no one was voted in. Kirk Langstrom / Man-Bat was rejected for being mindless and uncontrollable. Leonard Snart / Captain Cold was rejected for being too close with Captain Boomerang and there was the possibility of them scheming against A.R.G.U.S. Leslie Willis / Livewire was rejected for being able to short-circuit the bombs. Lester Buchinsky / Electrocutioner was rejected for being too stupid and non-stealthy. Lyle Bolton / Lock-Up was rejected for being too sadistic and having a bad history with a good amount of the current team. Malcolm Merlyn / Dark Archer was rejected for having too many ties to the League of Assassins and not being a team player. Mark Mardon / Weather Wizard was rejected for being too powerful. Mark Scheffer / Shrapnel was rejected for having a history of betraying his partners. Michael Amar / Murmur was rejected for being too insane. Mick Rory / Heatwave was rejected for being too similar to Firefly, too obsessed with fire, and for the same reasons as Captain Cold. Finally, things changed.
"Nanaue, alias King Shark." For a little bit, there was the argument about the bombs not being able to penetrate his thick hide, but that was put to rest as it seemed like an easy enough problem to solve, so he was voted in.
"Orm Marius, alias Ocean Master."
"He's got diplomatic immunity or some shit, right? Besides, we've already got King Shark they're basically the same guy. Just put Orm on the reserve roster in case Shark or Manta croak on a mission." So he was.
"Oswald Cobblepot, alias the Penguin." Hugo Strange said "The problem is, he's not technically a criminal anymore. He's been given a full pardon by the Gotham City Police Department and is a seemingly legitimate businessman, yet he still operates as a criminal. We have no solid evidence against him… at least none that would be considered legitimate. We could, however, force him to assist the Squad whenever we need him, which will technically put him on the reserve roster."
"Pamela Isley, alias Poison Ivy." She was voted in.
"Patrick O'Brian, alias Plastic Man." Lord said "Hold on, isn't he a hero now?"
"Technically, yes, but he does have a criminal record and could be a valuable asset." Said Hamilton.
"A criminal record doesn't mean we have anything against him. There's no legitimate reason to abduct him, and even if we did Batman would notice." Said Waller.
"Peter Merkel, alias Ragdoll." He was voted in.
"Selina Kyle, alias Catwoman." Waller said "It's the same thing as Cheetah. Batman would notice if she was missing, and I'm not sure which would be worse, having Batman or Wonder Woman on our asses. No."
"Slade Wilson, alias Deathstroke." Everyone was silent for a moment. "Isn't he essentially the same as Deadshot?" asked Lord.
"No, they're very different. I can see Deathstroke being a very valuable member of the Suicide Squad." Said Waller.
"But he also only looks after himself. He could present a danger to the team."
"I think it's a risk worth taking. I vote yes on Deathstroke." Said Rochev. Eventually, he was voted in.
Thaddeus Sivana was rejected for being too insane and having nothing special to offer. Thomas Blake / Catman was rejected for having nothing unique to offer and he is good friends with Deadshot, so they might conspire against A.R.G.U.S. Victor Fries / Mister Freeze was rejected for being like Killer Frost, except "heavier", which would make him more of a liability.
"Waylon Jones, alias Killer Croc." Eiling said "It's the same case with Ocean Master, he's too similar to King Shark and Black Manta. We can't have three of practically the same person on the team."
Strange rebutted "Killer Croc is very unique in his own way, I suggest we at least place him on the reserve roster." Reluctantly, Eiling agreed and Croc was placed among the several others on the reserve roster.
Werner Zytle / Count Vertigo was rejected because of diplomatic immunity and the fact that he'd present a danger to his teammates. Lastly, William Tockman / Clock King was rejected for being too smart.
"Well, that's that." Said Lord.
"Our final roster is Plastique, Killer Frost, Black Manta, Multiplex, Deadshot, Firefly, Captain Boomerang, Copperhead, King Shark, Poison Ivy, Ragdoll, and Deathstroke, with Bane, El Diablo, David Cain, Professor Zoom, Harley Quinn, Parasite, Ocean Master, Penguin, Scarecrow, and Killer Croc on the reserve roster."
"Well, that is one hell of a team! They'll definitely prove very useful!" said Eiling.
"Indeed. I will have Colonel Flag accompany me to Belle Reve and Arkham Asylum to assemble our recruits and brief them on their new situation. You're all dismissed." Said Waller.