A/N: Don't own TT, never will.
Skittles116: You're welcome! And I'm trying.
Eris: Yeah, I wanted to show his more assertive side he would have developed from working under Mento. And I'm still trying to work my way through the plan, so we'll see.
Chapter 39 (Wow, almost 40 chapters.):
"So does your dad actually like me, or does he just think I'll be useful?"
"Truthfully, he probably just thinks you'd be a good asset. Once we're out of here, he'll probably just leave you to your own devices," Icicle replied. "Hope that doesn't change your mind though," he added.
"Eh, one way or another I'm out of here in about a week," Shiftling shrugged. However, the issue was finding a way to stop everyone before things could get out of control. Even without his collar, that was going to be one damn-near impossible task. Yet, there might be a way...
"Hey, between you and me, what's the best way to get into Waller's office?"
"You mean you want to sneak into her office?" Junior dumbfoundedly restated.
"Not necessarily. It's just that if I get a peek or something I might be able to pick up on something important if you've already had others look,"
"Well, the best way would be to cause a ruckus. But then again, you're just as likely to be shocked and thrown back in here,"
"I'll keep that in mind. By the way, could you not tell your dad I asked? He'll probably think I'm collaborating with Waller or something," the green teen requested.
"No promises in the long run, but I'll keep it a secret if I think I should," Shiftling's cellmate offered.
The next half hour followed in silence until a guard finally showed up to retrieve the two. In the end, Shiftling was sent down to laundry while Icicle Junior was taken to do some cleaning in the bathrooms.
"After you fold them just put 'em in here," the supervisor finished instructing with a point at a large cart. Shiftling nodded and got to work with cycling the dirty orange jumpsuits between the washer, dryer, and folding them.
"I knew the rumors were true," a voice growled in an irritated tone. Shiftling already knew it was Psimon, so he didn't bother to turn around.
"Yep, it's me. Now how about you get to work and we'll both be done here quicker," the green inmate retorted. The washer dinged and the wet jumpsuits were taken out and thrown into the dryer.
"And why should I work with you?" the pale skinned man shot. He himself began a load of laundry, albeit extremely reluctantly.
"For one thing Junior's dad has considered adding me to his 'posse', and Junior and I have a somewhat easy, if not strange friendship going on. In other words, one slip of tongue to the big man's son is something you'd preferably avoid, am I right?"
Something was grumbled under Psimon's breath, which Shiftling caught to be something very unpleasant.
"You wanna run that by me again?" the green teen spat with a fold of a jumpsuit.
"I said you're a pretty shitty hero to end up here. Maybe you don't deserve those friends you've got back home." Psimon spoke with a smile that was anything but warm and friendly. The words admittedly dug deeper than he would admit, but Shiftling was focusing more on the opportunity at hand. Without a second's hesitation he lunged and socked Psimon in the jaw, knocking him to the ground with a thud.
There was no time to enjoy the feeling, as a powerful shock coursed through his body an almost dragged him to his knees. However, the baton to the stomach did the trick, and he was dragged away by one of the guards.
"Why do I always get the problem children?" he asked himself while pushing the inmate towards the boss' office.
"Sorry to intrude Waller, but I figured you'd like to have a word with this one," the man offered when Amanda looked up from her desk.
"Very well. What's so bad that you had to bring him to me?" she asked. She recognized the teen as the most recent addition to Belle Reve, noting his so-called 'hero' background.
"Well, he up and punched the other laundry guy during a conversation. I figured given he's new, he should be given a taste of what happens here early. You know, engrain it in his mind while it's still fresh." The green teen, who had been looking down the entire time, finally looked into Waller's eyes. A few glances down were required to give her the hint, where she saw him signing 'Breakout planned' with his hands.
"Leave us," she ordered, which the man did after he handed the remote to the collar to his boss. She waited a few seconds to make sure he was gone before leaning forward and propping her head up with her hands.
"Details. Now."
"I don't know much. All I know is Icicle is planning something. He's having me meet his group tomorrow during lunch to fill me in."
"And how do I know I can trust you?" she asked, which got her an amused smirk.
"You can't. But neither can he, right? And who do you think I'm more willing to stab in the back? A con with a few goonies, or Amanda Waller?"
"And what is that supposed to mean?" the woman asked, having a feeling that this was going to be informative in one way or another.
"Simple. You're the Amanda Waller. You had this place built for superhumans. Or metahumans, whichever you prefer. But you didn't just build it to keep the outside people safe; you needed a stockpile. So many expendable pawns for your little games are just sitting here, waiting to be placed on the board. Especially this...'Suicide Squad', or at least that's what it used to be called," he sneered. Had Amanda not been at this for years, her face definitely would have given herself away. Even still, there were probably micro expressions he was reading right now.
"I don't know what you're talking ab-" she started, only to get cut off.
"But you do. And so do I. You see, you and the Justice League aren't the only ones who keep tabs on possible threats. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you knew I was once a Doom Patrol member. Although Mento didn't particularly trust me due to my childish tendencies, he made sure to keep me informed about a few groups to keep my eyes and ears open for. And you and your little squad were on the list, among others.
Amanda leaned back in her chair and carefully thought out her options. He was dangerous, as most with knowledge are. But he was also valuable. If there was something being planned on Belle Reve, and insider she could place the smallest amount of trust in would be useful. She sighed and stared.
"Assuming I decide not to have you killed, what would you do for me?"
"Well, if you turn off the inhibitor function on this collar I can keep you informed," he replied.
"You really think I'll buy that? I've seen what you're capable of. You're a danger even with that on, never mind without. And I know you're not capable of keeping me updated in the moment."
"Actually, I am. But if you don't trust me, you won't find out." She was almost at a standstill. She was stubborn, but so was he. The only difference was Shiftling had years of experience at being annoying under his belt. "Besides, do you really think I'd be willing to gamble the rest of what reputation I have as a hero on a stay that would only last about another week?"
A few more moments of silence passed until Amanda pulled out the controller. "Let me make one thing very clear. The moment I start thinking I can't trust you, I'm turning that thing back on and adding a few months to your stay." She pressed a button but did not put down the controller.
"Show me what you can do," she ordered.
Shiftling stood there, a look of focus etched into his features as he make partial changes to his genetic structure. Little by little he made the necessary changes until he finally achieved what he needed.
"Can you hear me?" he asked, but not with his mouth. Amanda almost stood up and took a few steps back at the sudden voice in her head.
"You can-"
"Yes, but only recently, and I haven't actually used it until just now. I'll be keeping in touch, so unless you have any more questions I'll be on my way. Don't want anyone getting suspicious."
"Very well. But remember, I'll be keeping an extra eye on you," she threatened with a wave of the remote. Once the green teen was outside he was led by the guard back to the station he had been assigned. Meanwhile, Amanda leaned back into her chair and sighed. This kid was certainly different. She had made an amateur mistake of underestimating his negotiation skills, along with his persistence.
Hopefully, his information would be enough to warrant her decision of giving him his powers back for the time being.
Back at the laundry station, Shiftling and a recovered Psimon continued to go through the cycles of cleaning the jumpsuits. Another few loads had been added, so the two were forced to unwillingly cooperate for the time being.
"So, how's everything with you and Onslaught going?" the green teen asked nonchalantly.
"What do you care?" Psimon shot back without missing a beat in the folding process.
"You're right, I really don't. But I'm bored and I have a habit of being annoying. So, how're you guys doing?"
"If you haven't noticed, we're stuck in here because of you."
"Yeah, sorry about that. Just part of being a hero though," Shiftling replied with a shrug. "By the way, what's up with your skull? Is the clear stuff glass? Or are the bones in your head actually see-through?"
"They're see-through. Now shut up before you get us in trouble again," the while skinned man demanded. The two only went through the rounds for another fifteen minutes before they finished the loads.
"Well, if you two are done, we'll be taking you to your cells," the guards said as they approached. The two inmates went their ways without incident, both returning to their cells for a while before being led to the eating hall for dinner.
"Hey man, I hear you punched Psimon. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to get on everyone's bad side," Icicle Junior joked after taking a seat next to the green teen.
"Yep, that's me. But about this meeting tomorrow, you're sure your old man doesn't have it out for me? I really don't think he's the kind who appreciates the kind of attitude I gave him."
"Nah, you'll be fine. Just don't give him a reason to heave an issue with you. That's how his other stooges got into his gang."
"I hope you're not talking about me," a girl's voice spoke from behind.
"Hey Frost, what's up?" Shiftling greeted without looking up from his plate. The girl sat so she was across from the other two, and her usual company soon followed.
"Well, seeing that you're supposedly in our little...activity...I think I should warn you that just because we may be willing to trust you now doesn't mean we won't kill you if needed. It's cruel, but the world's a cold place. Sometimes yo just gotta be colder."
"Really? I always heard Florida is usually unbearably warm," Shiftling joked, eliciting a giggle from the blonde girl and Junior.
"Ha ha," Frost said, very unamused. "But seriously, you seem like a chill guy. I'd hate to cave your skull in after all the pleasant chats we've had."
"So you guys have a plan to deal with these?" the green teen asked with a point to the metal collar around his neck.
"Of course, but we can't give away too much. Just listen to the boss tomorrow," Killer Frost replied.
"I'll try."
"By the way, why the sudden change of heart?" Tommy questioned, causing the others to look at him expectantly.
"Well, a caged animal is never a good thing," he replied, barely managing to avoid the question.
"I don't buy it. You're a hero from what Tiny Icicle here has told us." The mentioned teen shot a glare at Tuppence for the joke at his expense.
"I don't know. Why did you guys just decide to become villains? You just as easily could have become heroes. All it took was a certain push," the green teen answered. "I'm heading to the john." He found a guard and was escorted to the bathroom facilities. Inside the stall, he shifted certain DNA bases around until he got the desired combination.
"Hello? Waller?" he psychically called. A funny sound of confusion echoed in his head.
"What?"
"Not much, just letting you know there's some kind of plan to disable all the collars in the facility. Apparently I'll find out tomorrow, but I wanted to give you a heads up. Also, a few of the others are questioning my loyalty to the cause, so my involvement may very well be cut off," he explained though the mental connection. He heard Amanda give a thinking "hmm", then she spoke again.
"I know this goes without saying, but keep attention off yourself unless necessary. Aside from that, you're on your own."
"Roger. I'm cutting the link. I'll update as soon as possible," he offered. The link was severed and he reverted to as fully human as he could.
"So this is what it's like being a secret agent," he mused to himself as he was led back to the main eating room.
A/N: Well, I hope that wasn't too much of an update. Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review and I'll see you (hopefully) soon!