Secret Six Scandal Savage leapt with unearthly grace, her black and silver costume hugging her body as she went up over the wall. She scanned her surroundings warily as she hit the grass, eyes narrowed, then nodded slightly as she reported, "We're clear." "I should hope so," Lady Quark said coldly, the white haired young woman flying over the wall beside her, her bodysuit shimmering with unearthly energies. She was an exile from a dead world, once a queen and now a refuge, but still driven by her sense of nobility and honor. Knockout leapt down beside Scandal, the taller woman giving Quark a fierce frown. "A bit more respect to Scandal, please," she said, red hair flowing down over her back, a green costume and domino mask covering her body. "Easy love," Scandal put a gentle hand on Knockout's arm. "You know, one of these days I'm going to try and sneak a camera into your bedroom," Deadshot said calmly, dropping down beside them. There had been a Deadshot with the Secret Six for years, ever since Mockingbird first formed the squad, but this latest incarnation was a mystery. All most of the team knew was that he wore the red and silver costume of Deadshot and, oddly, was fiercely loyal to Scandal. "And I'd break your back once I found out," Knockout joked. "You two worry me at times," Huntress commented mildly. Lian Harper wore a simple red costume, styled after Green Arrow and Arsenal's costumes, the lady now in her late thirties. "So what's next?" she asked. There was a rustling sound as grass and vines twisted and pulled together, a body swiftly forming to look like a woman, roses granting the illusion of red hair over the green skin. "What's our objective, Scandal?" Dryad asked. "Oracle has a job for us," Scandal said simply, "it seems that someone claims to have the technology belonging to Prometheus, as well as several major artifacts. She wants them recovered or destroyed, whichever is easier." "Prometheus?" Deadshot kept a wary eye out as he continued gruffly, "He was the guy who took out the whole JLA that time, right?" "He would be a worthy foe, then," Lady Quark noted thoughtfully. Silently and stealthily they moved from the outer perimeter wall, cutting across the massive property on the edge of Coast City. While it looked like a ordinary mansion the entire property was littered with security devices, from motion sensors to thermal imaging, and one by one they neutralized them and moved on. "Are we dealing with a paranoid?" Knockout whispered, crushing a remote controlled security drone in her hand. Huntress tapped her wristband, accessing the Oracle network. "According to this the property belongs to Carol Ferris," she noted as they crouched within sight of the main building, a California style mansion, low to the ground and rambling outward, "Star Sapphire..." Scandal murmured. "Huh?" Deadshot asked. "Rumors were that she was the Green Lantern villain Star Sapphire," Scandal said thoughtfully, scrolling through additional data on her Oracle link. "So this is a trap?" Knockout asked. She only sounded curious, not worried, knowing that they'd gotten out of worse scrapes before. "Oracle's never deliberately sent us into a trap before," Dryad pointed out. 'There's always a first time," Lady Quark said darkly. "The only way to know," Deadshot said simply, "is to go in. I volunteer, of course." "You really need to get over that deathwish," Huntress said to him dryly. Scandal just ignored that interchange, instead looking over at Dryad. "Can you get in?" she asked her softly. Dryad closed her eyes, reaching out with perceptions that were very different than human ones. "Yes," she confirmed, "there's plants inside." "Go," Scandal ordered. Dryad seemed to unravel, the plant matter that composed her returning to the earth itself even as she consciousness reached out... ... to a lily in it's pot. The stone shattered as the plant rapidly expanded, dissolving the rock as it absorbed nutrients to swell out into a similar copy to the Dryad who had stood outside, lily's as her hair rather than roses. Gracefully she walked to the window, checking for security devices before sliding it open. "All clear," Dryad said calmly. She frowned slightly, "There's much less security in here compared to the outside." Huntress had her bow ready, a arrow on the string almost as soon as she climbed in. "Then there's probably human guards," she said warily. Scandal accessed the Oracle network as she took her place just behind them. "The network is surprisingly mute on the subject," she said mildly. "Why am I not surprised?" Knockout asked, looking around warily as she moved protectively to Scandal's side. "Easy, beloved," Scandal rested a hand on her shoulder. "Let's find what we're looking for and go," Lady Quark bitched, she and Deadshot following them in. As a group they moved forward through the eerily quiet, well decorated home, a place with an odd feeling of neglect. "Dust," Deadshot murmured as he ran a finger on a dresser, the air stale and dead. "The lily was nearly all dried out," Dryad noted, "I had to suck moisture out of the air just to make it grow." "So why was the place abandoned?' Huntress asked as they found the concealed door in behind a book case. The map Oracle provided them was perfect, as usual, but she couldn't shake a feeling of unease about this job. "Good question," Scandal pressed a switch, the door chugging open slowly. The shockwave of the explosion blew them back, but the six responded like a well oiled machine. Lady Quark threw out a energy bolt to counter and lessen the blast even as Dryad yanked plant matter from the earth, forming a shield. Dead shot and Huntress took up firing positions while Knockout shielded Scandal, their field leader. Knockout smiled faintly, looking down at Scandal fondly laying beneath her, "This is almost distracting, love." Scandal surprised her by lifting slightly, pressing their lips together. Then she was all business as she demanded, "Everyone, call out!" "Here, but annoyed," Quark growled. "Got clipped," Huntress admitted. "Burned," Dryad was not happy at all. "Alive," Deadshot almost sounded disappointed, "but we've got company." Scandal blinked as she saw the purple clad woman, a gem shining in her brow as long brown hair fell around her. "That's Star Sapphire, all right," a movement of her wrists unfolded the weapons on her arms, the Lamentation Blades. "What are you doing in my home?" Sapphire demanded, floating a foot above the ground. Scandal held up a hand to hold her comrades back, noting that Deadshot, Huntress and Lady Quark were all ready to jump the woman. "We're here for the weapons you've acquired," she said simply, "such as Prometheus' helmet." "Are you more fools from the Injustice League?" Sapphire asked coldly. Huntress raised a eyebrow, "They've been busy." "No," Scandal said firmly, "you could say we're subcontracting for the other side." Sapphire hesitated, floating there at the end of the stairs, then she nodded slightly. "Get them out of here, then," she said coldly, "and be glad I'm letting you leave with your lives." "Too bad," Deadshot muttered. 'So what does Oracle want with these?' Scandal wondered a short time later as their transport soared into the night. 'And do I really want to know?' To be continued... Notes: The Secret Six have existed in various forms over the years in DC Comics, but the latest was introduced in Villains United, a six issue miniseries. Scandal was revealed to be a lesbian in issue five and being involved with Knockout in #6.
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