It was bigger than any of them had thought it was. Bulkier too. It was black and blue, and stood taller than all of them. A glass dome was fitted where the head would go.

This was the infamous Freeze Suit. All of them knew what it was and who it belonged to. You had to be deaf and blind not to know that, and even then that wasn't a certainty. It was intact too, as far as any of the Squad could figure. It was inoperable at the moment, no doubt left that way intentionally by the owner. None of them would be able to use it, that was for certain.

Waller had sent in a couple helicopters and they had loaded the suit onto one of them, splitting the team in two so that way they boarded as well. Now they were back at Belle Reve and their own owner was staring at the suit, calculating what it could possibly mean for her.

Yeah, Lawton knew the only interests Waller ever had in mind were her own. She could make all the pretty little speeches about protecting America, yadda, yadda, but at the end of the day, she was the one that ultimately profited from their hard work and eventual deaths. This suit was practically treasure for her.

"It seems you numbskulls finally found something useful," Waller said after several moments of admiring the suit. It was strapped onto a gurney since that was really the only thing that could carry it. The damn thing was a heavy bastard and it took all of them, from the Squad to the retrieval team to get it in one of the helicopters. After all the effort and strain, one had to consider it a miracle the damn helicopter managed to life off with it. That was an exaggeration to be sure, but you would think the same thing while loading the fucker. They really missed Major Force's strength for this, the poor bastard.

However, one thing that bothered Lawton about the suit was that he didn't see a gun anywhere. Everyone had heard about the Freeze Gun, but this suit lacked any such gun. Was it possible it was at another location? Perhaps that was what it was.

Then Waller asked the $64,000 question. "Do you have any intel on where the owner is at?"

"No," Lawton bluntly answered. There was no point in trying to hide that. "We didn't really look either. As your retrieval team can tell ya, it was a frozen hell out there. It's amazing we survived out there at all."

"Only five of you came back," she observed, finally tearing her eyes away from her prize. "What happened?"

"Team 2 fucked everything up," he told her. "That facility we went to is trying to revive an old Soviet supersoldier program. Basically, the end goal was to make a whole bunch of guys just like KGBeast. Not sure if you know who—"

"Former KGB operative-turned-assassin-for-hire," Waller interrupted him. "Had no qualms for collateral damage; was last seen in Gotham in the employ of Bane." She gave him a side look. "Which means you worked with him for a time, isn't that right?"

"More like we worked alongside each other. He did his business in one part of the sandbox and I did mine in another," the sniper told her. "He's dead, by the way."

"I know that too. Obtained surveillance footage of that for confirmation. The commie bastard just had the luck of running into Lady Shiva of all people. What can you tell me about this program and its current status?"

"They haven't produced anyone of KGBeast's caliber yet, but they're getting close," he said seriously. "Team 2 somehow activated them and got demolished. My team was able to hold them off long enough to get a plane ride out. That's when the MiGs came and shot us down. You don't have to worry about Slipknot, just so you know."

"I figured." Waller returned her attention back to the suit. "We cannot let that program continue. I want you to lead a team there to dismantle it, once we figure out where they move it."

Yeah, that made sense. The Russians no doubt would want to keep that project a secret, so they would be abandoning the facility they were using for another one, probably another offline Soviet base again. Waller and the intelligence community would keep their eyes open for that and once they located it, then Task Force X would be sent in for clean-up duty. No doubt they'd be taking as many destructive heavy-hitters they had to level it.

You know, the ones that were left anyways.

Naturally, that was when the other shoe dropped.

"In the meantime, I want you to take a team back to the Arctic and find me Victor Fries."

Deadshot snapped his head towards her. "Are you freaking nuts? We almost died up there! We—"

"And I don't care how many of you die, so long as I get what I want," Waller interrupted him, shooting him a hard look. "You know the rules, Lawton, I suggest you accept them."

Yeah, he knew the rules. He hated the rules, but he knew them. Already he could feel the back of his head itching, no doubt where that nanobomb was. If it wasn't for that goddamn bomb…

"At least give us some time to rest and make sure none of us has frostbite," the sharpshooter relented. "You're not gonna have a successful mission if we're all exhausted and having to lose body parts."

"You have the rest of the day off," Waller told him. "Then you're back in the field at 0500 hours. You either find Victor Fries, or you die trying. One way or another, I will have someone's frozen body in my possession. It's up to you if that body is yours or Fries'."

"I'll need a new team too," he also said. "Not everyone on my current one is useful."

"You're referring to Killer Frost." Why should he be surprised that she knew who he was talking about? "Agreed, she's practically useless up there. I'll look into more capable men for you."

That was something at least. If he was going to have to run this stupid ass mission, he at least wanted the chance at succeeding. "Harkness and Diablo will be going with you naturally."

"Naturally," he sighed. Just great, he had to take that loud mouth, complaining ass, Aussie with him. At least Diablo would be of some use, even if he didn't do any fighting.

He could only imagine what other slubs Waller would dig up for him.

Now he just had to let Harkness and Diablo know of their next mission. He could already imagine how that conversation would go.

"You're right out of your own mind if ya think I'm going back to that frozen wasteland!"

Yeah, he was expecting as much.

"We nearly freakin' died up there and they want to send us back?" Harkness continued to rant. "No way! No how! They'll just have to blow up the bomb in me head if they think I'm settlin' for that!"

"You seriously think Waller won't?" Lawton responded, arms crossed over his chest, an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, I know that bloody old bitch will do it in a heartbeat. Thing is, I also know she don't have many choices now for competence," the Aussie said. "I'm too valuable to be blown up right now, not after all that nonsense with the bloody Terminator."

"And that is what'll get you killed," the sniper muttered. He glanced over to Diablo, who was just watching the two passively. All three of them were in a little storage room, one primarily used for their armaments. Diablo had no need for weapons since he was a living weapon—even if he hardly used his powers—so he just sat off to one side. Harkness was busy looking through the various boomerang models they had and supplying himself accordingly. Lawton would be doing the same with his guns in a bit, but his briefing needed to happen first.

"I won't do it," the man continued to defiantly protest. "I freakin' won't do it. Tell her to send someone else."

"Like you said, there's not a lot else," Lawton countered. "And we just lost Team 2 and Slipknot, so her options are dangerously low. There's no one else she'll trust to get this done."

"Trust? That bitch doesn't trust anyone!"

Well, he had a point. The nanobombs were proof of that. Hell, Lawton wanted to go back to the Arctic just as much as Harkness did, which wasn't at all. It was a miracle that they had survived. In retrospect, when Frost spotted the Freeze Suit, they should have just left it be. If they didn't report it and bring it back, Waller would have no reason to send them back.

Hindsight was 20/20.

He sighed. "Look, don't shoot the messenger. We don't have a choice in the matter. At 0500, us three will be on a chopper heading back there, so get some rest. We're not going to be in for a good time."

"I'm gonna talk to Waller about this," Harkness continued to grumble. "I'll make her take me off of this."

"Good luck. You have just as much of a chance at changing her mind as bringing back Mars."

The Aussie's eyes glazed over as he stared into space, then he too sighed. "Fuck me, I'm right buggered."

"We all are."

"Why do we need to find this man?" Diablo suddenly asked.

The two men turned their heads to look at the bald, tattooed man. He just looked back at them expectantly. "What, you for real?" Harkness questioned.

"I am," Diablo confirmed.

"You sayin' you don't know a thing about the Iceman?"

"That is what I am saying."

"Bloody hell," Harkness murmured. Then he glanced to Lawton. "You want to take this?"

Yeah, because that was how all of this goes down. Everyone looks to him for leadership, to handle all the unpleasantries that went with that role. How he missed being a solo operator.

"Fine," he grunted back before speaking directly to Diablo. "Victor Fries, aka the Iceman. Before the Justice League was a thing, this guy was one of the first heroes on the ground. He and the Bat were competing with each other to see who could take down the most mafiosos. Then one day, the Iceman loses his mind and tries to turn Gotham into a giant ice cube. He goes to jail, no one hears about him until all those freaks and psychos have a war with each other in Gotham. He breaks out of prison, gets into the fight, then just vanishes. Most people hoped he was dead, and now we have definitive proof that he isn't."

"Seriously, how do you not know about this?" Harkness asked incredulously.

"Because I was in a gang in a different part of the country," Diablo simply answered. The question had been rhetorical, but apparently the gangbanger here was oblivious to that, or felt an explanation was needed. "I had different priorities than caring what was happening in another far away city."

"Let it lie," Lawton told Harkness, cutting off whatever response he would have. This wasn't a matter worth wasting breath on. "Anyways, that suit we brought in is a living weapon. It keeps the Iceman safe while allowing him to kill his enemies. Now, I'm certain this isn't the original suit because that one had a freeze gun. Just think of him like Killer Frost, but he uses weapons to do what Frost can do."

"And we need another person that can freeze people?" Diablo raised an eyebrow.

"Waller wants anyone and everyone that the public would sooner forget. You think I'm the only sharpshooter here? Or that you're the only pyro guy? No, she takes anyone and everyone she thinks she can use. The Iceman is some sort of genius, so no doubt she wants his mind as well as his tech."

"He's that smart?"

"Bloody hell," Harkness groaned. Clearly, he was done with Diablo's ignorance on the subject. "Look, he built his own refrigerated suit and a gun that freezes people. That ain't the work of your average high school dropout. I'm willin' to bet his have ."

"He's also figured out how to survive in the Arctic," Lawton was quick to point out. "And as we can all attest, that isn't easy."

"Yes," Diablo agreed. "Then is it just the three of us? Or is the entire team going again?"

"No, we're supposed to have a couple other team members."

"Wait a bloody second!" Harkness interjected then. "Why are we supposed to go, but the ladies don't?"

"Because Killer Frost is next to useless up there and Waller wants us to bring the Iceman in alive. All Plastique can do is blow stuff up. Does that sound like a good pairing on a capture mission?"

"It sounds like I need to be useless or go overkill if I want to have missions off," Boomerang grumbled, sullenly crossing his arms over his chest.

Well, that was one way to look at it. However, before they could continue, the door to the armory was kicked open.

"Hey there, Pussies!"

It was not often that Waller felt her mind spin, but this time seemed to be one of the exceptions. What had turned into a disaster had become quite the boon.

If nothing else, it continued to make an argument for patience and restraint, holding back from hitting that button and returning to business as usual. That had not been part of the initial scheme where each member of Task Force X was expendable.

That suit, abandoned in a frozen wasteland, and the only other intel had it placed in the middle of a warzone in Gotham; there could only be one reason it was there. Either the owner had abandoned it deliberately, or it was hidden there in case it was needed again. The conclusion from that could only mean that the owner was still in the area, not far away, but far enough to have some credible distance.

Flag had to be called in. There were multiple reasons why and getting him up to speed with these developments was incredibly important.

"How can he still be alive out there?" the Colonel asked, frowning.

"Harsh as that environment is, there have been humans who have been able to settle in it. Survival is not high on my list of priorities. Even if a corpse is found, I want it." Waller was keeping her eyes glued to her monitor, her finger clicking on a mouse. "There is much that could be learned from Victor Fries, and I will know his secrets, all of them. From the basic information I was able to obtain from Blackgate, the man can't survive outside of a subzero environment. The Arctic satisfies that requirement easily."

"And if they do find him, what if he puts up a fight?" Flag continued to question.

"If Diablo knows what's good for him, that fight will be a short one. This man managed to make his way to the frozen north in a walking refrigeration suit without being spotted once. Outside of some national security concerns I have about that, obtaining the infamous Iceman would make for an exceptional squad member. He could finally put that brain of his to use."

Flag crossed his arms, putting some wrinkles into his uniform. "I have my concerns," he said bluntly. "There's no intel that he would make for being a good team member. Everything about him places him as a lone wolf."

"With one exception." Waller allowed a slight smirk to escape her. "This was years ago, but when he threatened to detonate a bomb during the Night of Ice, he had recruited three individuals to help him. A person like that has to have some abilities to mesh with a team, whether it's following or leading."

"I don't know." Crossed arms uncrossed and a hand wiped at the army man's face. "I have a bad feeling about him. There's too much unknown. What if he doesn't want to cooperate?"

From a smirk to a snort. "Getting people to do things they don't want to do is my job." Dark eyes flickered up to Flag. "Everyone has a price, a breaking point, and I will find it. Fries has reshaped this world, and not in the positive, and I am going to make sure he pays the price for that."

Flag shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "When are you going to inform the Director about these developments? Tracking down and capturing someone like Fries is something she's definitely going to want to know about."

He wasn't wrong. With how high-profiled a man like Victor Fries was, this was a matter that Bordeaux would love to know about. However, they only had a suit. There was no sign of the man himself just yet. There was also the possibility that Bordeaux would cut short any and all search missions, probably deeming that if the man was hiding himself in the middle of a polar icecap, leaving him there would be far more preferable than dragging him back to civilization.

It was too short-sighted to do that. You did not lose track of a man like that and not have any information on what he was doing. By all accounts, after the accident that put him into his current circumstances, Fries had hidden himself away for years until emerging without warning and leaving behind a trail of destruction.

No, leaving him alone was a horrible idea.

"For now, let's keep this under wraps. When I have Fries' cooperation, one way or another, then we can inform Bordeaux and not a second before. That includes the suit. I want to know everything about it first. All of its capabilities, its functions, everything. When we understand how it works, we can develop the means of defending ourselves from it."

Flag gave a nod, indicating his acceptance of the decision. He may not agree with it, but the man was a soldier, a damn good one, and he followed orders.

"Make sure to have the team prepared before sending them out. You'll be in charge until I get back," Waller said, giving the last of the instructions.

The soldier narrowed his eyes. "You're leaving?"

Rolling her eyes, "I've been subpoenaed to go to Capitol Hill. The Senate is holding hearings on this facility, and you can bet some short-sighted career politicians want to take advantage of it. While I deal with them, you will handle things in the meantime. I trust you're up to the task."

The Senate hearings were just more fallout from bringing those damn children here. Should have knocked them out and planted the bombs in their heads first. Thanks to them and the damage they did to Belle Reve, hearings and inquests were being done on what was exposed. Try as she might, she couldn't styme all attempts to investigate.

There would be questions about why this facility existed, what its purpose was, and who knew, maybe questions about the rumors of Task Force X. It was going to be a media frenzy, but she wasn't that worried. She could keep Task Force X buried for as long as needed, including up to and just after the end of eternity. She would need to be able to give answers without giving answers.

That was another thing she was qualified to do.

"Hey, there, Pussies!" the loudmouth bellowed for all to hear. Since they were in a confined room, it was only the three active Suicide Squad members, along with the messenger and his entourage.

The messenger, in this case, was a giant ass known as Peacemaker. The guy was so full of himself, Lawton wouldn't be surprised if the guy shat out shit shaped like himself. He was a loud patriot, a braggart, and someone that had a chip on his shoulder the size of Texas.

He also forwent the sound advice of making friends in prison. Pretty certain the only reason this guy hadn't been shanked yet was because of the isolated cells.

"What the hell do you want, Smith?" Lawton asked, not the least bit thrilled to see the idiot.

"Special delivery from the boss," Peacemaker told him. Behind him were two men, one about the same size as the "ultimate patriot," the other with a more fit, athletic body. The bulky guy looked as if he enjoyed a couple bar brawls based off of the faint scars on his face and signs of a broken nose. He had on a green, full-body suit that looked as if it were made of a thick rubber. The fit guy was clearly black, and wore a purple and black Kevlar suit. Neither man looked thrilled to be here.

"And who are these blokes?" Harkness questioned.

"One of them is called Black Spider, the other the Electrician. I don't care who's who," Peacemaker shrugged.

"That's Electrocutioner," the bulky guy growled, glowering at the braggart.

"It's a dumb name," Peacemaker shot back.

"You won't be saying that after I blast you with my electricity."

"Oh, bring it on. I've been waiting for a fight!"

"Shut it, Smith," Lawton groaned. He had to resist the urge to press a hand to his face out of exasperation. "These two are on the extraction team with us?"

"That's what I said," the idiot responded. "Boss lady said she wanted to ensure you bring the popsicle guy in alive."

"And what exactly can you two do?" At this, the sniper directed his question to the two newbies.

"I am a master of electricity," the Electrocutioner said. "I am also a former member of the Seven Men of Death."

That caused Lawton to raise an eyebrow. "You were on the same team with Vertigo?"

"Yeah. We served the same master."

Huh, the sharpshooter wasn't certain what to make of that. Count Vertigo hadn't talked much about his past, letting loose little snippets here and there. Over their time together, he had mentioned the Seven Men of Death exactly once, and never again. To have a former comrade of his plopped into his lap had to mean something, or it was just one large cosmic joke at his expense.

And speaking of a cosmic joke.

"Master? What were you, a slave?" Smith exclaimed.

This earned him a dirty look from Black Spider. Smith caught the look, though. "What?" he asked dumbly.

"I ain't even a Yank, and even I know just what a dumbass question that was," Harkness retorted. "Do you even know your country's history, or did you sleep through that class?"

"Careful, you piece of Canadian trash," Smith shot back.

"I'm Australian, you daft wanker! Not bloody Canadian!"

"Same difference, you suck from the same nipple, and have the same old broad on your money. You're nothing next to the great U.S. of A!"

"Everyone, shut up!" Lawton shouted. "You've got better things to do than get into a battle of wit with an idiot," he directed to Harkness. Then to Smith, "And you're just a pain in my ass. Get out of here so I can brief my team."

Peacemaker just shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, do your thing. I've done mine." He then turned to face the door and shoved his way between Electrocutioner and Black Spider, both men shooting looks of disgust and anger after him.

"Eyes on me, gentlemen," the sniper ordered, which caused the two to return their attention back to him. "You're Black Spider," he then addressed the second man. "What can you do?"

"I kill people by any means necessary," the black man told him.

"With powers or your bare hands?"

"Hands, guns, knives, and just about anything that can be made into a weapon."

So they had their hand-to-hand fighter and an electricity specialist. Those were certainly people that could be used to restrain their target. Waller seemed intent on capturing Fries instead of accidentally killing him.

"Welcome to the team, gentlemen," Lawton then said. "I'm Deadshot, and the two behind me are Captain Boomerang and Diablo. I don't know what your experience is like, but I'm certain that we'll get along fine as long as you do what I say, when I say it."

"And what exactly is it that we are to do?" Electrocutioner questioned.

"It's a simple snatch-and-grab that isn't all that simple."

Black Spider snorted in disgust. "This is what I've been reduced to? A kidnapper? I've killed high-profiled mobsters and criminals; I don't do kidnappings."

"Would you call Victor Fries, the Iceman, high-profiled enough?"

That startled the black man. Yeah, he had his attention. No two-bit mobster could compare to Fries. "Our mission is to find Fries, capture him, and bring him back to Belle Reve," Lawton continued when he saw his newbies firmly at attention. "The problem is that Fries is somewhere in the Arctic, a hellscape of ice, snow, and below-zero temperatures. We're to stay there as long as it takes, until we either find him, freeze to death, or Waller gets too impatient and blows our heads off."

"What proof do you have that the Iceman is even in the Arctic?" Black Spider quickly questioned.

"We found his suit stashed in a cave up there. The moment Waller saw it, she wanted the man who uses it. We're to be airlifted to the location at 0500. In the meantime, you can use this armory to get yourself fully armed and ready. I suggest getting some sleep because the next few days are not going to be fun."

"You can say that again," Harkness grumbled.

Black Spider looked around the room. "I believe I will take you up on that suggestion," he said.

"I just need my gauntlets," Electrocutioner grunted.

"Gauntlets?" Harkness piped up. "What for?"

"They allow me to discharge electricity."

"I thought you said you were a master! What, you don't produce it yourself?"

The big man took a threatening step towards the Aussie. Lawton couldn't help but sigh. Even without Peacemaker here, there was friction. Never throw in the towel on Boomerang to not make a situation intolerable.

This mission was going to suck.

A quick note: Electrocutioner was last seen in Genesis, making life difficult for Hawkgirl. I know it's been awhile since he's made an appearance, but he's finally re-emerged from whatever hole he had been shoved in.