Hawkman America's Personal Meta-Team...

“The Way Things Will Be”

Continuity Note: This issue takes place following JLA #39

Task Force X #7 - June, Year Five by Matt Hrubey
With Plot Threads by Curt Fernlund


Hawkman felt strange, not like himself.  He had come here to Belle Reeve with his comrades in the makeshift Justice League the Martian had concocted, ready to interrogate the criminals that they recently battled in the Suicide Slums of Metropolis.  There was some question as to whom Firefly and Hardsell were working for that the League, and Black Lightning in particular, were seeking an answer to.  But before any interrogation could take place, something had happened and everything had changed.

J’onn was compromised.  The psychic link that he had created between the Justice Leaguers was gone and the Martian wasn’t answering any summons.  Hawkman could care less either way.  He didn’t like having a foreign presence invading his mind and wouldn’t bat an eyelash at J’onn’s mysterious disappearance.

At his back, Hawkman could hear Beatriz DaCosta in near hysterics.  The woman was strong of body but fragile of mind.  Hawkman didn’t understand why she was reacting the way she was, but it might have had something to do with her powers being dampened by the technology at work inside Belle Reeve.

Jefferson Pierce was still futilely trying to reach the Watchtower and the Martian Manhunter but he was receiving no response from either.  He was pacing back and forth; oblivious to what was taking place around him.  He couldn’t hear Fire’s tears and he couldn’t hear the squeak of flesh on leather as Hawkman tightened his grip on the mace in his hands.

Hawkman was the only Leaguer that was still upright and coherent.  But that wasn’t saying much.  It was true he didn’t feel like himself, but he most definitely felt something.  He felt freedom.  Free to do whatever he saw fit.  And what he wanted at that particular moment was to interrogate Hardsell and Firefly.  He would get the answers the Justice League was looking for.  There was only one thing standing in his way now.

She was a big, black bitch by the name of Amanda Waller.  She was one of the current President’s most trusted advisors who tended to have her hand in anything and everything meta-human.  She had taken time from her hectic schedule to accompany and guide the League through Belle Reeve.  Now, as Hawkman took another step in her direction, Waller wished she had avoided the Justice League’s calls altogether.

“You’re not going in here,” the Wall said.  She was trying to stand tall and look imposing, a feat which she never usually had trouble with, but today Amanda found it exceptionally difficult.  There were few things on the planet that intimidated her.  Unfortunately, the overly muscled physique of Hawkman coupled with his well-known propensity for violence was one of them.  “Stand down!”

“You’re in my way,” Hawkman responded, glancing at her quickly.  His eyes and enhanced sight were scoping out the hallway, most likely searching out which cell was holding the two villains he was searching for.  He was nearly past the Wall when he felt a hand on his chest.  Looking down, sure enough, the hand belonged to Waller.  “You don’t want to do this.”

“You’re not going in there,” Waller repeated, her teeth gritted in anger.  “Your League is compromised.  And I can’t guarantee the safety of the inmates here because the power dampeners aren’t affecting you.  You need to put that mace away and clear out.”

“Get out of my way, woman.”

“No,” the Wall responded.  She didn’t know where this sudden courage was coming from, but she suspected it wasn’t going to end well.  “You will do as I say or you will—”

Amanda ducked below a mace strike that was meant to take the head from her shoulders.  The way she reacted to the attack left her open for a boot to the stomach.  Hawkman pushed and Waller was thrown backward off her feet.  She struck the wall hard, her head cracking against the cold, unfriendly brick of Belle Reeve.  Hawkman barely noticed as Waller crumbled to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

“Hey!”

Hawkman halted.  He knew that voice.  Turning, a sinister grin grew on his face.  “I thought the cow told you to leave.”

“I’m glad I decided to disobey an order,” Captain Atom said, shrugging.  He stepped into the hallway, walking past Black Lightning and Fire.  He could feel the waves of the power dampeners playing across his body, trying to sponge away the nuclear energy at his control.  The captain had no love loss for anybody on the Justice League’s roster, but Hawkman was a special case.  He rubbed Atom the wrong way.  More than Pierce, more than DaCosta, and more than most of the people that served with the League.  If the Hawk wanted a fight, the captain was more than willing to oblige.

“You have no powers,” Hawkman said, apparently noticing the way Adam stood a little less straight than normal.  “You are no match for me on a good day.  Fighting now, in this place, would just be degrading.”

“Or maybe you’re just scared,” Captain Atom suggested.  He crossed his arms across his broad chest.

That was when the battle began.  Not with fists, but words.  Though he would never admit it, Hawkman was a proud man.  He was a warrior by nature and exuded confidence with every move he made.  And now here was this guy, this tin man, who was making a mockery of him and the person that he was raised to be.  In that moment, his desires for harsh interrogation and answers were overshadowed by something more potent.

Revenge.

“No weapons,” Captain Atom said.

Hawkman nodded.  “Don’t need them.”  He placed the mace behind his back and when the field leader of Task Force X next saw his hand, the weapon was gone.

Captain Atom gawked.  Where had the mace gone?  The bird man didn’t have any pockets to speak of so where could he have possibly stored—

The captain was rocked back when Hawkman attacked.  A worn fist cracked against a silver jaw, creating a crash of violence that echoed throughout the corridor.  The captain struck the wall, leaving a crater in his wake.  The Hawk had more strength than Captain Atom had expected.  He wouldn’t be caught unaware twice.  “Is that all you got?”

“Not even,” Hawkman responded with a smirk.  “Not even close.”


Jefferson Pierce gave up.  Everything had gone belly up yet again for the Justice League and Pierce couldn’t reach the one person who would have answers.  Before the telepathic connection had been broken, Jeff had felt J’onn’s pain and anguish.  It was just a momentary sensation but it had been intense, enough so that the Black Lightning was still disoriented.  Whatever J’onn was facing, it was extreme and now there was no way to reach the Watchtower.

He looked down the corridor just in time to see Hawkman strike Captain Atom across the jaw.  Pierce thought the captain had left but it seemed he had been close by when the shouting had begun.  Hawkman was acting strangely, but that wasn’t saying much for the man who claimed to be Carter Hall reborn.  Pierce could only guess why the two men were fighting now—probably just misdirected testosterone—but he had to put an end to it before the entirety of Belle Reeve was destroyed.

Jefferson’s first move was to drag a babbling Fire out of the influence of the power dampeners.  He had faith that she would recover on her own once her powers would return to her.  For Jefferson, regaining his powers felt satisfying, but he knew he could not sit back just yet.  He ran back through the gate they had entered early and felt his powers leave him immediately.

As he moved toward a semi-conscious Amanda Waller, Jefferson asked himself why he was here.  Sure, he wanted any answers from Hardsell and Firefly that would shed light on Intergang and the 100, but he wondered why he was here with them.  Black Lightning had denied the League his membership for as long as he could remember.  What had changed that he was now counted among their number? 

The Justice League was an institution but also a full time obligation even though many of its members would say otherwise.  Jefferson couldn’t even remember the last time J’onn J’onzz had left the confines of the Watchtower.  He had a family and a life outside the costume.  Why was he here now?

He pushed aside the thoughts as he lifted Waller to her feet.  Pierce compensated immediately for the woman’s immense weight as he led her back toward Fire.

“You need to stop Hawkman,” Waller said.  Her words were slurred but she was recovering quickly.

“What are you saying?”

“Hawkman…there’s something different about him now,” the Wall replied.  “I saw something…leave him.  Like a shadow of himself.  I think Hawkman is being manipulated.”

Pierce set Waller down on the ground in an adjacent corridor.  “By who?  Who is pulling Hawkman’s strings?”

“I don’t know who but I do know what,” Waller replied, her head swaying.  Suddenly, she looked at Black Lightning, wide eyed.  She grabbed the collar of his costume and pulled him close.  “Magic,” she said.  “This is because of magic.  Something is very wrong.”

Pierce wrenched her hands free and forced to her lay back.  “You need to calm down, Amanda.  Let me handle Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumbass.  How do I turn off the power dampener?”

“No!” Waller exclaimed.  “Absolutely not!  If you turn those off, then every villain in this place will go free.  I won’t allow it.”  She rested her head back and was unconscious before she could say another word.

Black Lightning rose up straight.  She was right.  The only way this situation could be made worse was if all of the inmates in Belle Reeve went free.  Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted green flames dancing along the body of Beatriz DaCosta.  The woman was still down on the floor and her flames only lasted temporarily.  She kept trying over and over again to make her body ignite.  Pierce offered Bea a hand that she gladly took.

“I don’t like this, Jeff,” Fire said.

“Neither do I,” he replied, “but we can end this.  We have to end this.  Or Belle Reeve is going to be coming down around us.”


“Getting tired yet?”

Captain Atom threw his body at Hawkman in response, catching him around the waist.  The Thanagarian stumbled, trying to compensate for the sudden weight, but he was knocked off his feet.  His head struck the floor, cracking a few of the tiles.  His vision blackened, allowing the captain the opportunity to punch Hawkman in the jaw below the feathered cowl he wore.

Muscles tensed, Hawkman roared at the top of his lungs.  He laid both hands on the silver chest of Captain Atom and pushed.  The captain went up by no force of his own, hit the ceiling, and came back down.  Hawkman rolled out of the way and the captain landed hard.

“You should have just avoided this and stepped aside,” Hawkman grumbled.  He stepped down on Captain Atom’s spine and wrapped his mammoth hands around his throat.

“Y-you…::ach:: ::cough:: --”

Hawkman squeezed even tighter, his knuckles turning white from the strain.  Atom stopped struggling as he was deprived of oxygen.  His body felt weightless like he would just blow away on a breeze.  His eyes darted around, looking for a way out of his predicament.  Besides the occupied cells that lined the walls, the hallway was completely empty.  Atom was on his own.

He gritted his teeth.  He hadn’t intended on playing his ace just yet, but he was out of options.  Captain Atom began to glow with the power that was in his possession.

Hawkman softened up his grip.  “What?”

The glow brightened until Hawkman had to look away.  It was like he was holding a mini-sun in his hands.  The heat became intense.  And then the captain exploded.

Hawkman’s hands were wrenched free from around Captain Atom’s neck.  He flew down the hallway, skin and feathers burning, bouncing across the ground like a rock skipping on water.  Hawkman rolled to a stop, his skin smoking from the nuclear energy that had assaulted his body.  He attempted to stand but couldn’t get the room to stop spinning.

“Yes, I am a meta with superpowers,” Captain Atom said, answering the question that Hawkman was thinking.  “But I don’t have energy powers.  I am energy.  These power dampeners aren’t going to affect me like they do most.”

Hawkman rose to his feet.  His hand flashed behind his back and the mace returned.

Captain Atom’s hands lit up and twin beams of energy cut through the air and struck Hawkman in the chest.  The Thanagarian was knocked back once more, through a doorway into the neighboring wing of Belle Reeve.  He rose up to his knees, his face contorted in anger.  He ripped off his cowl and slammed the mace into the floor.  The ground shook with rage.

“You’re dead!”

The captain was walking toward him, his body still glowing.

Hawkman took a single step forward before feeling a finger tap on his shoulder.  The Thanagarian turned.

“You shouldn’t make idle threats,” Black Lightning said before the lightning that was his namesake danced across Hawkman’s body.

The winged warrior refused to cry out in pain.  He wouldn’t give any satisfaction to his supposed teammates.  They were supposed to his back.  After all, he was only trying to accomplish the goal that the League had in coming to Belle Reeve in the first place.  But now everyone involved, supposed heroes all, were standing in his way from doing what was necessary.  That wouldn’t do.

Hawkman screamed in frustration, pushing Pierce away in the process.  He swung his mace, crunching Black Lightning’s shoulder.  Pierce cried out in agony.

“Jeff!”

A wall of green flame interjected itself between Hawkman and Black Lightning.  Hawkman backed away from the flames, which seemed to follow his movements as if having a mind of their own.  As he avoided being burned, Hawkman saw Beatriz kneel beside Pierce, who was now biting his lip to keep from screaming in pain.

Sticking his hand behind his back, Hawkman replaced his mace with a metal instrument the size of a briefcase.  He hoisted it on his shoulder like a rocket launcher and turned it on.  The sound that was emitted caused all the glass in the corridor to shatter.  The effect it had on Fire and Black Lightning, however, was much worse.  For Pierce, who was already struggling to stay conscious, the sonic wreaked havoc on his eardrums.  He fell to his knees, vomiting up everything inside his stomach.  Fire had clamped her hands over her ears in a desperate attempt to keep the sound out.  She discovered quickly that she wouldn’t succeed.  Beatriz pulled back her hands and found them covered in blood.

It was only when the sonic emitter perched on Hawkman’s shoulder exploded that the onslaught ended.  Hawkman dropped the ruined piece of equipment to the ground and turned to Captain Atom, who hands were still smoking.

The captain studied the husk of metal at Hawkman’s feet and immediately recognized that it was made from technology nowhere on this planet.  He had heard Hawkman tell Waller about Nth metal before all hell had broken loose.  It was probably another tool that he had from Thanagar, his home away from home.  Captain Atom wondered just what other weapons Hawkman had hidden away.

Hawkman glanced down at the fallen bodies of Fire and Black Lightning, and then turned to Captain Atom.  The eyes of Hawkman were bloodshot and he was frothing at the mouth.  “You’re the only thing standing in my way now.”

Captain Atom shrugged.  “I’m still not moving.”


Amanda Waller started awake.

Her head was throbbing and her body ached.  She was sitting by herself in an empty hallway with only the sounds of battle to keep her company.

Though her memories were hazy, she remembered everything.  Hawkman was not himself anymore.  He had attacked her in the cellblock and now she was here, reaping the aftermath.  And the worst part was that Waller didn’t know why Hawkman was acting the way he was.  But then again, magic was never really explainable.  The world was going crazy and this was the opening salvo.

She reached for her cell phone.  Reinforcements were going to be needed, she could guarantee.  The Justice League was shattered and there was absolutely no way that either DaCosta or Pierce would be able to stop Hawkman.  They were weak and distracted by the petty details of their lives.  Fortunately, Waller thought ahead. 

“This is Waller,” she said when the call she made was answered.

Captain Atom was already on the premise, probably in the thick of things.  He was strong; a good soldier, but he needed help. 

Sometimes it helped to be paranoid and bring extra protection.

She said, “Send him in.”


They clashed like Titans, unconcerned with the effects their battle had on the interior of Belle Reeve.  The ground shook with each punch, kick, and body slam.  Walls crumbled as every pair of eyes in the cellblock attempted to discover what was happening down the hall.  The surprise came when, as the inmates attempted to see what was happening, a body of silver came flying from down the hall and skidded to a stop. 

Captain Atom shrugged off the attack, groggily rising to his feet.  “Is that all you can dish out, you pansy?” he asked, his voice weak.

Hawkman heard the words, but said nothing.  The time for words was long past over.  This man—this thing of silver—had insulted his honor and now he was going to get it back through the only language that he spoke: battle.  He sped toward the captain, throwing all of his weight into his opponent’s stomach.  As Atom was thrown back, Hawkman stretched his wings quickly, snapping them into the captain’s face.  He was seeing dots when he hit the ground.

Studying the fallen captain for a moment, Hawkman took steps in his direction.  Confident that he wasn’t moving, Hawkman stood over Captain Atom, the mace in his hand hanging lazily from its strap.

“That’s quite a number you did on him, Tweetie.”

The jeer came from the cell that Captain Atom had landed in front of.  Hawkman turned to look at the straggly man sitting on the other side of the impenetrable glass.  “Who are you?”

“I’m pretty sure I’m one of the reasons you’re here, hero,” the man said.  He rose from his prison issue cot and moved to the glass, stopping finally when his nose was all but pressed up against it.

Hawkman cocked his head, studying the man’s features.  Then the face clicked.  He had been looking through the files on the two criminals the League had come to Belle Reeve to see.  “You’re Firefly,” he said and the criminal nodded his head.  “I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to see you.”

“I can see that,” Firefly replied.

Mace in hand, Hawkman threw his body into the glass, shattering the barrier to pieces.  Firefly leapt back when he saw the attack coming.  He covered his face, afraid to be caught by a stray shard of glass.  Hawkman stepped into Firefly’s cell, glass crunching beneath his boots.

“Are you insane?!”

“More than you could possibly understand,” Hawkman said.  He grabbed Firefly by the collar of his shirt, lifting him off over his head.  “Now tell me who you were working for in Metropolis or I’m start breaking your bones one by one.  And if you don’t tell me, then I’ll kill you and move onto your boyfriend, Hardsell.  I’m sure he’s in this cellblock somewhere.”

“You w-wouldn’t,” Firefly replied, visibly shaking.  “Heroes don’t kill.”

Hawkman shrugged.  “I was never much a hero.  More of a brawler really,” he said before snapping one of Firefly’s thumbs.

The villain screamed in pain and fought to break out of Hawkman’s grip.  He failed as the Thanagarian held steadfast.

An energy blast struck Hawkman’s shoulder, burning the flesh.  Firefly fell from his hands as he spun around to see Captain Atom up to his knees.  He snared.  “You are one persistent pain in the ass, aren’t you?”

“I won’t let you—”

“Do what?” Hawkman asked.  “Hurt this poor, miserable excuse for a human being?  You’re too late, I’m afraid.”  The mace was gone, replaced by a small knife.  It was miniscule in size but made of the Nth metal that powered Hawkman’s weaponry.

“You can’t hurt me,” Captain Atom replied as he tried to get upright.  He was having a rough time but he wouldn’t stay down.  “I’m invulnerable.”

“No,” Hawkman replied, stabbing the captain in the shoulder, “you’re not.”

Captain Atom hissed in agony.  The blade had broken right through his containment suit.

“You should have just gotten out of my way when I said so,” Hawkman whispered into Captain Atom’s ear before knocking him back down to the ground.  “Right then,” he said, turning back to Firefly who was cowering into the corner of his cell, “where was I?”

Hawkman took another step and the cellblock went crazy.  The room began to rumble and for a moment the Thanagarian thought an earthquake was responsible.  His eyes darted around the room as various objects began to buckle and, in some cases, pull free from their housings.  They hovered in mid-air, circling around Hawkman, almost... waiting?  Closer inspection revealed that all of these objects had one thing in common.

They were all made of metal.

Just as Hawkman cocked an eyebrow, each item streaked toward him.  He stood still as he was struck by a few items—a watch, a metal bound photo album, and a few other personal possessions of Firefly.  He growled in irritation.  He was in no danger of being harmed by these miniscule keepsakes.  When the bed ripped from the ground and flew at him, however, Hawkman ducked and leapt to safety.  The bed frame hit the wall opposite the cell and fell to the floor.

The feathers of Hawkman’s wings felt a shift in the breeze cascading through the cellblock.  He looked over his shoulder and found yet another costume standing between him and what he wanted.  This whole exercise was tiring.

Hawkman was yanked backwards by an invisible force.  He hit the wall and broke through it, finding himself outside Belle Reeve.  His body was starting to ache from the punishment he was receiving.  The Nth metal in his harness and weaponry was being used against him now by someone who manipulated metal.

“You stepped in dog shit when you decided to lose your mind,” Doctor Polaris said.  He floated above the ground, decked out in full armor.  “You might as well end this now before I shove your mace up your ass.”

Hawkman winded up and through the mace with everything he had.  Polaris rolled his eyes as his powers turned the mace around and shot it back at Hawkman.  It struck him in the shoulder and spiraled away.  It returned a moment later and struck him in the sternum.  Then the kneecap.  Then the face.

“Had enough?”

The mace went in for another pass, guided by the power of Neal Emerson.  Only this time, Hawkman reached out and grasped the strap of the weapon as it passed by.  The action seemed like a good idea at the time but when the mace continued on, pulling Hawkman along with it, he knew that this fight had just gotten tougher.

The mace careened into the open sky before dropping like a brick.  Hawkman fell a moment before flapping his wings to keep himself afloat.

And then the battle was over.  Just like it had started, it didn’t end with fists.

A pin prick was all it took to bring down Hawkman.  He looked down at his chest and saw a syringe sticking out.  He swore out loud for letting himself be distracted enough to be taken by surprise.  Hawkman paused.  Whatever had been inside the syringe was now coursing through his body, burning him from the inside out.  He winced as the sensation grew more intense.

Doctor Polaris watched Hawkman struggle.  He was flying irregularly, up and then back down again.  It was only when he fell from the sky completely that Emerson smiled to himself.  “Apparently he had enough.”


Amanda Waller stormed through the hole Hawkman had put in the side of Belle Reeve and over to Doctor Polaris.  She found Emerson standing over the unconscious Leaguer and nodded satisfactorily.  “Good work,” she said.  “How’d you do it?”

Emerson bent down and retrieved the syringe sticking out of Hawkman’s chest.  He showed it to Waller and explained.  “It’s a little concoction from Cheshire.  It did just the trick too.”

“No, you idiot,” Waller replied.  She whacked him upside the head, the shot resonating through Polaris’ helmet.  “We needed him alive.  You can’t just go and kill a member of the Justice League!”

“The serum is non-lethal.  It’ll pass through his system quick.”  He looked straight in the Wall’s eyes.  “You can apologize any time you would like.”

Waller chuckled.  “Yeah, that’s going to happen in this lifetime.  Get Hawkman secured so he can’t wake up and go crazy again.  I’m going to go check on the rest of our distinguished guests.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Emerson replied as the Wall walked away, back through the hole.  Under his breath, he said: “It’s not like I have anything else better to do today.”


“You can’t take him with you.”

Eyes flashed with anger.  “Excuse me,” Waller said to Beatriz DaCosta, “but was that you telling me what to do?  Because if it was, you can get the hell out of here right now and go back up to your little space clubhouse.”

“No, Fire’s right,” Jefferson Pierce replied.  His eyes sparked with the lightning that was his power.  “You are not taking Hawkman with you, Amanda.  I won’t allow it.”

“You two are unbelievable,” Waller replied.  “This is not a matter of what I’m allowed to do because I can do whatever I damn well please.  This is a matter of national security.  I don’t know what came over the bird brain, but I can’t with a good conscience let him go unchecked again.”

“We’ll take him back to the Watchtower and take care of him,” Black Lightning said.

“Right, because you both did so well standing up to him this time.”  Waller fingered her double chin and snapped her fingers.  “And if I remember right, you can’t even reach your Watchtower or the Martian, can you?”

“We’ll take care of it,” Fire and Black Lightning said simultaneously.

“Absolutely not,” the Wall said with that tone of finality.  “This conversation is over.  Head back to your moon base and let me take care of Hawkman.  I’ll lock him up somewhere where he can’t hurt anyone else.”

“He’s not a criminal!”

“I believe that’s a matter of perspective but that’s a discussion for another time,” the Wall said.  She pulled out her cell phone and turned away from the Leaguers.  “Now you two can either leave Belle Reeve now or be locked up next to Hawkman in my Brig.”  When no one answered, she turned and found that Fire and Black Lightning had heeded her advice.  But how had they gotten out so fast?

Fearing she knew the answer, Amanda moved back outside, back toward where she had left Doctor Polaris and the unconscious Hawkman.  Sure enough, Polaris was standing, dumbfounded, over the spot where Hawkman had been but moments before.

Emerson spotted Waller.  “I didn’t do anything, I swear.  He just…um…disappeared?”

Waller glared at Doctor Polaris, who simply shrugged in response.  She spun on her toes and stormed back inside. 

Sometimes she hated it when people actually did what she told them to.  The League had gone back to the Watchtower, just as she had suggested they do.  With the Martian down, she hadn’t expected that they had the capabilities to teleport themselves out of Belle Reeve, much less take Hawkman with them.  Amanda had made an error.  It was a rare occurrence but it did happen.

She passed by Captain Atom, who was still shaking off the effects of battle.  The Wall said nothing to him as she moved onward.  She didn’t have time to waste fighting and it was well-known that every conversation she had with Nathaniel Adam eventually degraded into one.  Belle Reeve was battle worn and required her attention.

And then there was the question of who or what was responsible for Hawkman’s sudden transformation.  Gut instinct said magic was involved.  The thought made Amanda nervous but she refused to ever back down from a challenge.  Something big was brewing and she intended to find out what.

The cell phone in Amanda Waller’s hand rang, mildly startling her.  She saw on the caller ID who was on the other line and couldn’t help but sigh.  Just what she needed.  “This is Waller,” she said.  “Yes, Sarge, I’m…no, I am aware of what happened in Georgetown…I was going to address the situation when I returned to D.C. and…yes, Sarge, I was planning on heading back now…right…I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Waller flipped her phone shut and closed her eyes.  “Crazy old man always gets involved in my business.  Goddamn it.”  She saw Captain Atom out of the corner of her eye, staring at her.  He had probably heard the exchange too.

“Things not going your way, Amanda?”

“Grab Emerson and let’s go,” Waller ordered.  “We’re going back to the Citadel.  Now.”

Captain Atom gave a mock salute.  “Yes, ma’am.  Whatever you say.”

“Jackass,” Waller said blatantly, making no attempt to hide her words.  She was in motion again, heading for the transport that had brought Task Force X to Belle Reeve. 

Alone, Captain Atom chuckled.  “Today’s turning into a great day.”

Next Issue:  IN TASK FORCE X #8:  Cheshire broke the rules when we last saw her and now she’s going to pay the piper.  What’s her punishment?  And more importantly, what’s her reaction going to be?

Story © 2007 Matt Hrubey and may not be reproduced without permission.