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Chapter 229: The Task Force
Although the interrogated minion knew nothing about the finer details, the information he provided was enough for Orin Vale to understand. He now understood why Intergang—or rather, the Apokoliptians likely directing them from behind the scenes—was turning super-prisons upside down all over the world, and who the alien they were searching for was.
The emblem the henchmen received for the mission was the answer.
A circular badge with a green background and a red "X."
It was the identity emblem once used by the Martian Manhunter, one of the founding members of the Justice League, also known as "Uncle Jiong."
So these guys are looking for Martian Manhunter?
It wasn't impossible. According to canon, Martian Manhunter should have arrived on Earth long before Superman made his debut. He was a survivor of the destruction of Martian civilization, and in many versions of his story, he was immediately captured by the military upon his arrival on Earth and imprisoned in one of their facilities.
If Apokolips knew Martian Manhunter was in human hands, it was plausible they would be interested in him. In the early days, before the writers retconned things and Martians became more common, Martian Manhunter was established as the last of his kind. And the innate talents of Martians are in no way inferior to those of Kryptonians. Powers like invulnerability, super strength, and super speed are just the basics. Martian Manhunter also possesses abilities including, but not limited to, telepathy, heat vision, phasing through walls, body size manipulation, and shapeshifting.
If one were to compare which founding member has the widest and most diverse range of abilities, Martian Manhunter would definitely be a strong contender. Moreover, he has long served as the chairman of the Justice League.
Martian Manhunter was captured by humans the moment he landed, which already made for a terrible first impression. If the enemy got to him first, especially Apokolips, which excels at corrupting and brainwashing people, then the founding chairman of the Justice League might really be turned to the other side.
However, when it came to finding things on Earth, it was far easier for Orin Vale than for a bunch of criminals from Metropolis.
After returning to the Laboratory, Orin Vale had Pal directly access the A.R.G.U.S. database. When it came to matters involving the imprisonment and handling of aliens, even if A.R.G.U.S. wasn't directly responsible, their database would most likely have a record of it.
Then, he entered a keyword: Mars.
Sure enough, in a deeply hidden section of A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters, he found a top-secret project codenamed "Martian Creature."
"Pinpoint the location."
"Already on it, sir."
Pal was extremely efficient, quickly marking a building on the map.
"Belle Reve Prison in Louisiana, sir."
Belle Reve Prison.
It was impossible for Orin Vale not to remember this place.
It was A.R.G.U.S.'s personal prison, one of the most heavily guarded super-bases in the world. More importantly, this was the resource pool for Amanda Waller's infamous "Suicide Squad" program.
Gathering the most vicious and irredeemable supervillains and forcing them to do dirty, off-the-books jobs.
It was indeed possible that Martian Manhunter, being an alien, was imprisoned in a facility under A.R.G.U.S.'s control. And Belle Reve's security level was certainly high enough, especially with its numerous countermeasures designed for metahumans. It had radar to counter Superman, Speedster sensors, facilities constructed entirely from anti-x-ray materials, force field shielding, an anti-phasing barrier...
In short, it was virtually impregnable.
But it didn't matter.
Orin Vale strolled right in through the main gate.
After all, he was the high-ranking A.R.G.U.S. agent, Mike Williams, with sufficient authority.
Don't let the impressive series of countermeasures fool you. In American comics, the sole purpose of building a prison is for it to be blown up one day.
The most famous examples are Marvel's four major prisons and DC Comics' own Arkham. They're hyped to the heavens, but their actual philosophy is basically "Is it not a delight to have friends coming from afar?" All who come are guests, and whether they're human or not, they're all welcomed as if they were home.
Anyway, whenever readers see a major prison riot in the comics, their first thought probably isn't, "Wow, how could such a formidable prison be so easily broken into and out of?" but rather, "Wow, this piece of junk has been broken into and out of again, as expected."
His entry was completely unobstructed; some of the guards along the way even saluted him.
The upper levels housed B- and C-list metahuman criminals, few of whom Orin Vale could name. Going down a level, familiar faces began to appear. No heavyweight characters, but at least a few were well-known.
For example, Deadshot, whom he and The Flash had taken down in Central City, was imprisoned here.
As he came down, he happened to overhear the prisoners in the adjacent cells mockingly pointing at Deadshot.
"The famous Deadshot! You'll never guess how he ended up in here... Pfft, hahaha, it's killing me."
"I heard this guy snuck from Gotham to Central City and got nabbed by Batman the moment he came ashore. He asked how Batman had found the clue, and guess what?"
"Batman said that after finishing the job, the idiot forgot to delete his crime plan. The crime route, the escape route, even the vehicle itinerary—it was all written out clearly. Batman just followed his notes like he was auto-pathing in a game and ambushed him at the docks. Hahaha, I'm laughing my ass off..."
A group of large men doubled over with laughter. Only Lawton lay on his prison bed, his face ashen, seemingly still unable to figure out how he could have made such a stupid mistake...
Of course, Orin Vale knew the truth. Because that wasn't what really happened; Lawton's memory had been altered. He was actually caught by The Flash, but because he had discovered The Flash's true identity, the speedster used a pot to bribe the "world's greatest wizard" to brainwash him.
And so, this became the story of how Lawton was captured. The world's greatest marksman would probably never live down this stain on his reputation.
A few steps further, he saw the even more famous Harley Quinn.
Originally a psychiatrist with a Ph.D. at Arkham Asylum, she was assigned to treat the Joker after Batman briefly captured him a month ago. However, after only a few days of treatment, the doctor herself went mad. She became the Joker's obsessive fangirl, breaking him out after he had been institutionalized for only a week to go on a rampage with him.
Now, the Joker had escaped, and she was the one who got caught. After only a few days in Arkham, Amanda Waller secretly had her transferred to Belle Reve.
"Hey, handsome~"
Harley's pretty face was pressed against the prison bars, and she gave Orin Vale a sweet smile like the girl next door.
"Wanna come and play?"
Orin Vale ignored her and walked straight past.
"So cold~ Well, wanna know how I got these scars?"
"Not interested? How boring. What about this one?"
"I'll let you in on a little secret. I've got a scar between my legs, too. Wanna know how I got it?"
"Hahaha..."
Orin Vale disappeared at the end of the hallway.
Harley's laughter stopped abruptly, and she pouted.
"So boring."
Captain Boomerang peeked out from the next cell. "That scar you were just talking about... can I see it?"
"You're too ugly. Not interested."
Captain Boomerang: "..."
Orin Vale walked past without a word, but though he remained silent, he took in everything he saw.
Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and Captain Boomerang... a strangely familiar lineup.
They were all inmates who had recently been transferred from super-prisons in various cities.
This already gave him new intelligence.
Because these were some of the most well-known members of the Suicide Squad.
From the looks of it, was the Suicide Squad program about to be activated?
If this was true, it meant Amanda Waller had some important business to attend to. Something likely dangerous, highly difficult, and that couldn't see the light of day.
In short, it was not a good omen.
(end of chapter)
Although the interrogated minion knew nothing about the finer details, the information he provided was enough for Orin Vale to understand. He now understood why Intergang—or rather, the Apokoliptians likely directing them from behind the scenes—was turning super-prisons upside down all over the world, and who the alien they were searching for was.
The emblem the henchmen received for the mission was the answer.
A circular badge with a green background and a red "X."
It was the identity emblem once used by the Martian Manhunter, one of the founding members of the Justice League, also known as "Uncle Jiong."
So these guys are looking for Martian Manhunter?
It wasn't impossible. According to canon, Martian Manhunter should have arrived on Earth long before Superman made his debut. He was a survivor of the destruction of Martian civilization, and in many versions of his story, he was immediately captured by the military upon his arrival on Earth and imprisoned in one of their facilities.
If Apokolips knew Martian Manhunter was in human hands, it was plausible they would be interested in him. In the early days, before the writers retconned things and Martians became more common, Martian Manhunter was established as the last of his kind. And the innate talents of Martians are in no way inferior to those of Kryptonians. Powers like invulnerability, super strength, and super speed are just the basics. Martian Manhunter also possesses abilities including, but not limited to, telepathy, heat vision, phasing through walls, body size manipulation, and shapeshifting.
If one were to compare which founding member has the widest and most diverse range of abilities, Martian Manhunter would definitely be a strong contender. Moreover, he has long served as the chairman of the Justice League.
Martian Manhunter was captured by humans the moment he landed, which already made for a terrible first impression. If the enemy got to him first, especially Apokolips, which excels at corrupting and brainwashing people, then the founding chairman of the Justice League might really be turned to the other side.
However, when it came to finding things on Earth, it was far easier for Orin Vale than for a bunch of criminals from Metropolis.
After returning to the Laboratory, Orin Vale had Pal directly access the A.R.G.U.S. database. When it came to matters involving the imprisonment and handling of aliens, even if A.R.G.U.S. wasn't directly responsible, their database would most likely have a record of it.
Then, he entered a keyword: Mars.
Sure enough, in a deeply hidden section of A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters, he found a top-secret project codenamed "Martian Creature."
"Pinpoint the location."
"Already on it, sir."
Pal was extremely efficient, quickly marking a building on the map.
"Belle Reve Prison in Louisiana, sir."
Belle Reve Prison.
It was impossible for Orin Vale not to remember this place.
It was A.R.G.U.S.'s personal prison, one of the most heavily guarded super-bases in the world. More importantly, this was the resource pool for Amanda Waller's infamous "Suicide Squad" program.
Gathering the most vicious and irredeemable supervillains and forcing them to do dirty, off-the-books jobs.
It was indeed possible that Martian Manhunter, being an alien, was imprisoned in a facility under A.R.G.U.S.'s control. And Belle Reve's security level was certainly high enough, especially with its numerous countermeasures designed for metahumans. It had radar to counter Superman, Speedster sensors, facilities constructed entirely from anti-x-ray materials, force field shielding, an anti-phasing barrier...
In short, it was virtually impregnable.
But it didn't matter.
Orin Vale strolled right in through the main gate.
After all, he was the high-ranking A.R.G.U.S. agent, Mike Williams, with sufficient authority.
Don't let the impressive series of countermeasures fool you. In American comics, the sole purpose of building a prison is for it to be blown up one day.
The most famous examples are Marvel's four major prisons and DC Comics' own Arkham. They're hyped to the heavens, but their actual philosophy is basically "Is it not a delight to have friends coming from afar?" All who come are guests, and whether they're human or not, they're all welcomed as if they were home.
Anyway, whenever readers see a major prison riot in the comics, their first thought probably isn't, "Wow, how could such a formidable prison be so easily broken into and out of?" but rather, "Wow, this piece of junk has been broken into and out of again, as expected."
His entry was completely unobstructed; some of the guards along the way even saluted him.
The upper levels housed B- and C-list metahuman criminals, few of whom Orin Vale could name. Going down a level, familiar faces began to appear. No heavyweight characters, but at least a few were well-known.
For example, Deadshot, whom he and The Flash had taken down in Central City, was imprisoned here.
As he came down, he happened to overhear the prisoners in the adjacent cells mockingly pointing at Deadshot.
"The famous Deadshot! You'll never guess how he ended up in here... Pfft, hahaha, it's killing me."
"I heard this guy snuck from Gotham to Central City and got nabbed by Batman the moment he came ashore. He asked how Batman had found the clue, and guess what?"
"Batman said that after finishing the job, the idiot forgot to delete his crime plan. The crime route, the escape route, even the vehicle itinerary—it was all written out clearly. Batman just followed his notes like he was auto-pathing in a game and ambushed him at the docks. Hahaha, I'm laughing my ass off..."
A group of large men doubled over with laughter. Only Lawton lay on his prison bed, his face ashen, seemingly still unable to figure out how he could have made such a stupid mistake...
Of course, Orin Vale knew the truth. Because that wasn't what really happened; Lawton's memory had been altered. He was actually caught by The Flash, but because he had discovered The Flash's true identity, the speedster used a pot to bribe the "world's greatest wizard" to brainwash him.
And so, this became the story of how Lawton was captured. The world's greatest marksman would probably never live down this stain on his reputation.
A few steps further, he saw the even more famous Harley Quinn.
Originally a psychiatrist with a Ph.D. at Arkham Asylum, she was assigned to treat the Joker after Batman briefly captured him a month ago. However, after only a few days of treatment, the doctor herself went mad. She became the Joker's obsessive fangirl, breaking him out after he had been institutionalized for only a week to go on a rampage with him.
Now, the Joker had escaped, and she was the one who got caught. After only a few days in Arkham, Amanda Waller secretly had her transferred to Belle Reve.
"Hey, handsome~"
Harley's pretty face was pressed against the prison bars, and she gave Orin Vale a sweet smile like the girl next door.
"Wanna come and play?"
Orin Vale ignored her and walked straight past.
"So cold~ Well, wanna know how I got these scars?"
"Not interested? How boring. What about this one?"
"I'll let you in on a little secret. I've got a scar between my legs, too. Wanna know how I got it?"
"Hahaha..."
Orin Vale disappeared at the end of the hallway.
Harley's laughter stopped abruptly, and she pouted.
"So boring."
Captain Boomerang peeked out from the next cell. "That scar you were just talking about... can I see it?"
"You're too ugly. Not interested."
Captain Boomerang: "..."
Orin Vale walked past without a word, but though he remained silent, he took in everything he saw.
Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and Captain Boomerang... a strangely familiar lineup.
They were all inmates who had recently been transferred from super-prisons in various cities.
This already gave him new intelligence.
Because these were some of the most well-known members of the Suicide Squad.
From the looks of it, was the Suicide Squad program about to be activated?
If this was true, it meant Amanda Waller had some important business to attend to. Something likely dangerous, highly difficult, and that couldn't see the light of day.
In short, it was not a good omen.
(end of chapter)
