Welcome back to The Injustice Wars. Last time, Blaze and the Legion were awaiting further reports from Black Manta, when Firestorm dropped by with intel from the Insurgency that the Society was up to something, and specifically Slaughter Swamp was called out. This implied that Scarecrow was producing Fear Toxin there, and that Brainiac wanted to get a hold of it. Blaze deployed a small team to the swamps to meet up with the Insurgency operatives and take them down. So how does that go? Read on to discover...
(Our scene begins in the Batplane, where we see Blaze, Leroy, Sizzle, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Harley Quinn, who's flying the plane, speaking with Batman over the built in communications software)
Batman: I'm genuinely surprised you guys took up my intel.
Green Arrow: We may not have seen eye to eye on Brother Eye, but you're not the "World's Greatest Detective" for nothing.
Blaze: Though I personally think Tim Drake was better, wherever he is.
Batman: (With sorrow in his eyes) I agree. And I'm sure he loves hearing this, from beyond this mortal coil.
Blaze: (Realizing what she just said) By the Ancestors. Bruce, I didn't mean it like that.
Batman: I understand. In fact, as I said, I agree with you.
Black Canary: Remembrances aside, what are we working with here?
Batman: I'm not sure what Brainiac needs with Fear Gas exactly.
Sizzle: Maybe he's just curious about its chemical composition. I know I am.
Harley Quinn: Should we be worried about that?
Sizzle: Maybe, maybe not.
Batman: Even if it was just curiosity, I doubt he'd need as much as trying to get. The amounts I've seen are enough to gas a city the size of Gotham.
Leroy: Then I'd say Blaze made the right call in bringing me along. I'll show Crane who the real Master of Fear is.
Blaze: About that, didn't Crane die even before Metropolis got nuked?
Batman: Turns out he surprised his encounter with the Joker.
Leroy: I wonder if he still has that trademarkable grin beneath his burlap hood?
Harley Quinn: Maybe you'll get the chance to find out.
Leroy: (Cackling devilishly) I relish it.
Blaze: Okay, now that Leroy's through freaking me out, does anyone know how far out the swamp is from here?
Batman: Should be only about 10 klicks.
Blaze: In any case, I'd like a word with Bruce before we land. Alone.
Harley Quinn: We can arrange that.
(With that, Harley Quinn hits a button on her control panel, generating holographic yet sound-proof walls that separate Blaze and Batman from everyone else.)
Batman: What's this about, Blaze? I thought you trusted me again.
Blaze: I trust your intel, Bruce. I have my reservations about trusting you. Especially because I don't know why you let Superman escape when you had him cornered.
Batman: Are we really going to do this now?
Blaze: I'm just trying to re-establish our friendship because Doctor Fate warned me to. And until I can trust you again, that's the only reason.
Batman: And you can't trust me until you know.
Blaze: Exactly.
Batman: (Deflecting the topic) You're about to start your descent into Slaughter Swamp.
Blaze: You said we were about 10 klicks away!
Batman: I can't park the Batplane right on top of them. I'm going to have Harley set you down about five klicks away. You'll have to walk the rest of the way, so as to preserve the element of surprise.
Blaze: Don't think you can get out of this so easily, Bruce!
(At this point, Batman hurriedly hangs up the communication, making Blaze even angrier as the walls separating her from the rest of the group come down)
Blaze: Verdammt, Batman!
Sizzle: (Recognizing a pattern here) If you're swearing in German, that's a sure sign things went badly.
Blaze: That's one way to put it. (To Harley Quinn) Sounds like you'll be getting an order to bring things down, Harley.
Harley Quinn: (Seeing a notification on the main comm line, dictating exactly that) How'd you know that?
Blaze: Bruce told me, in no uncertain terms. Looks like we'll be walking the rest of the way.
Green Arrow: (Sarcastically) Great, just when I thought I could keep this suit clean.
Black Canary: It's not like you're the one doing laundry this week.
Blaze: Okay, I'm going to address the elephant in the room here. Are you two sure you're okay to work together?
Green Arrow: Why wouldn't we be?
Black Canary: There is the fact that when Superman escaped, you kind of sided with Blaze here instead of with me.
Green Arrow: I've already explained myself on that front, pretty bird.
Black Canary: Doesn't mean it didn't sting.
Leroy: As much as any of us would love to play marriage counselor here, we really don't have the time to. So I'm just going to say this. If you two can't keep it together for the mission, then try to stay on friendly terms for your son. He's taking this just as hard as you two are, if not more so.
Sizzle: (Looking at her brother, confused) What on earth are you getting at?
Leroy: You know neither of us took it well when our parents died. I tried my best at raising you. I don't want their son to go through what we did with his parents.
Sizzle: Our circumstances are completely different from theirs. For one, they're both still alive, and Connor's not a male Wednesday Addams.
Blaze: Okay, that's enough. We'll settle this later. Right now, we've got to put a stop to whatever Scarecrow's up to in the swamp. Hopefully before Solomon Grundy shows up. Because we don't need an immortal swamp zombie getting involved in this.
Harley Quinn: About to touch down, let's get moving folks.
(And as the Batplane touches down about a mile or two from a water exit to the swamp, our tale ends for today)
And that looks like a good spot to wrap up. And it looks like the divide between the Legion and Insurgency is still present, even if the two factions are getting along for now. Green Arrow and Black Canary are honestly going to be my favorite way to set this up, considering their split into different factions was about as close to a divorce as I've seen these two get, correct me if I'm wrong. So, what awaits in the depths of Slaughter Swamp? Tune in next time to find out! Same time... same channel!