The Scavenger 's lair.

            "Anybody else hear that? " Cluemaster looked around, eyes narrowed. "Seriously? Anyone? "

            "Grundy hungry, " Solomon Grundy said.

            "Not that. The other thing, " Cluemaster said. He looked at Clock King.

            "Quiet, " Clock King held up a hand. The thin man was crouched in front of the latest obstacle in their path, a convulsing hallway. It opened and closed like a sphincter every few seconds. Clock King looked up at the Key. "Four point three per. "

            "Interesting, " the Key said. He glanced at Deadshot. "The locking mechanism is out of phase with reality. Earth-3 technology. "

            "You open it? " Deadshot said.

            "Can a herring swim through six-dimensional freetime? "

            "Yes? "

            "Really? Because I was asking, " the Key said. He turned back to the lock. "I can probably get it open, though. "

            "Can you two get through there? " Deadshot asked the twin acrobats collectively called Double Dare. One of the the women stuck her head around the doorway and then looked back at her sister. A furious discussion ensued in French. Cluemaster looked at Deadshot.

            "You speak French? "

            "Non, " Deadshot said.

            Cluemaster whirled. "I heard it again. "

            "Heard what? "

            BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

            "That, " Cluemaster said. He looked around. "Everybody heard that one, right? "

            "Yep. " Deadshot raised his arms.

            "Know what it is? "

            "Yep. "

            "What? "

            "Footsteps. "

            The pale fist smashed through the wall. Cluemaster yelped and leapt away as the hulking shape of Amazo stepped into the corridor, impossible musculature gleaming, red eyes glittering.

            "SCANNING FOR METAHUMAN ABILITIES &SCANNING COMPLETE. "

            "Crap. " Deadshot snapped his fingers at Clock King. "Do something. "

            "Me? "

            "You. "

            "Personally? "

            "Quickly. " Deadshot took a stance, his arms extended, and filled the corridor with lead. Clock King looked up at Grundy and pointed at Amazo.

            "Sic him. "

            Grundy howled and charged forward, big fists swinging. Amazo stepped forward and the two giants crashed together thunderously.

            "Amazo? He 's got an AMAZO? " Cluemaster said, grabbing Deadshot. "Nobody said anything about an Ama- " Before he could finish the words, the ceiling overhead was ripped free and a marble colored hand shot through the gap, fingers clawing for them.

            "Knock-Knock. Me am no here. "

            Deadshot shoved Cluemaster aside and unleashed a salvo up through the gap.

            "Bizarro, " Clock King said. "Or rather, a Bizarro. Interesting. "

            "Interesting ain 't the word, " Cluemaster spat, scrambling to his feet. "What next? Doomsday? Rats high to the gills on Venom? "

            "Door 's open! " the Key crowed, laughing wildly. As the portal slid open with a disgusting sound, a hair-covered, thickly muscled arm shot through and clawed fingers fastened around the Key 's head. With a roar, the sasquatchian frame of the Shaggy Man stepped through and hauled the Key from his feet and slammed him backwards into the wall.

            "Oh come on! " Cluemaster said, grabbing a fistful of gas pellets and hurling them at the bestial construct. "Why do we not have a guy with super-strength on this team? "

            "Brains, not brawn, right Brown? " Deadshot said. "Use some of them brains and get us out of this. "

            "I don 't think well under pressure! "

            "Allow us- "

            "To relieve it, " Double Dare said, their twin forms bounding forward to engage the Shaggy Man. The French acrobats began an intricate series of feints and dodges to attempt to contain the beast, as Cluemaster headed for the limp form of the Key. Deadshot jumped aside as Bizarro tumbled clumsily through the hole in the ceiling, sickly features screwed up in concentration. The creature was clad in a black jumpsuit, its face unrecognizable.

            "So, you the Superman one or what? "

            "Me am not Bizarro number twelve, me am Superman! " Long fingers clawed for Deadshot and he stepped back, wrist magnums spitting. The Bizarro yowled and stumbled, though the bullets appeared to have little effect.

            "Great, " Deadshot said.

            Elsewhere.

            The Scavenger cackled madly as his nano-cameras followed the progress of his minions &deadly, each an every one of them in its own right. The Legion of the Unliving. Solomon Grundy was to be the crowning addition to their ranks, and he would be again. After he was rebuilt, of course.

            He began pressing buttons, seemingly at random, releasing some of the control memes he had installed in them. Best to make this quick, yes? Quick and messy. That was the best way. Heads on pikes in place of a 'do not disturb ' sign. He hated being disturbed. Disrupted. Discombobulated.

            Leaning back abruptly in his seat, he closed his eye and fought to control his breathing. Sweat rolled down his face. He always got too excited.  

            "Why them? Why use criminals? " he said out loud. "Why these criminals in particular? " His mind whirled, conceiving of and discarding multiple possibilities. They were cunning, yes. A clever bunch. But not really a threat. Not really-

            His paranoia-driven mind stumbled. Stopped.

            "Oh. Oh my. "

            He whirled, a snarl on his lips. His cybernetic eye flared and a pulse of energy speared out and pierced the gloom of his control room. Machinery exploded and something made of shadows leaped aside and rolled away.

            "Of course. A feint! A diversion! Occupying me while you sought to drive a dagger in my back! " the Scavenger screeched, standing, fists clenched, eye glowing. "Reveal yourself assassin! "

            Silence.

            Breathing heavily, the Scavenger let his mechanical orb sweep the room even as he cycled through optical settings-infrared, genetic, x-ray-trying to spot his attacker. If there was an attacker.

            The thought blundered into his head and he winced. He scowled. "No! No I 'm not imagining things. I 'm not- "

            Something crashed. He whirled, energy billowing from his eye. Monitors cracked and sparked. The Scavenger stumbled back, cursing.

            In the darkness, something smiled.

            The Bizarro had Deadshot 's head caught between its clammy palms. His mask began to crumple. He jammed his guns into the creature 's belly and emptied them. The creature yowled and hurled him aside.

            "That no am hurt! "

            "Glad to hear it, " Deadshot grunted, rolling to his feet.

            "Sarcasm ill-becomes you, Floyd, " Mockingbird hissed in his ear. Deadshot twitched, the babble of voices surprising him. "Especially when things are going so well. "

            "You think so? We 're getting our butts kicked. "

            "As was anticipated, my friend. "

            "Did you anticipate me running out of ammo? "

            "Yes. Duck, by the way. "

            Deadshot sank down, narrowly avoiding having his head squashed by Bizarro 's fist. Lunging forward, arms crossed over his head, he slammed into the clone-beast 's belly, and knocked it sprawling.

            "Oh well played. I remember why I hired you, Floyd. And you can stop stalling now. Our last contractor is in play. "

            "Finally. Took him long enough. "

Deadshot came to his feet, watching as Solomon Grundy tried to pop off Amazo 's head. The android was having little luck using either Green Lantern 's abilities or the Flash 's to combat the beast. Strengthwise, they were dead-even. The lasso had already been torn to pieces.

            "You am go somewhere! "

            "Crap! "

            Bizarro hauled him backwards, grinning idiotically. The grin faded into a look of stupefication and its grip slackened.

            "Me won 't-won 't-won 't- "

            "Spit it out, " Deadshot grunted, trying to pry fingers off of his windpipe.

            "Me am not friend. "

            "You certainly aren 't. " Clock King looked up at Deadshot, his hands fiddling with the device he 'd plucked from Grundy 's head. "Put him down, by the by. "

            "What 'd you- " Deadshot began as he was set down. Clock King cut him off, looking up at Bizarro.

            "Deal with the hairy fellow. "

            "Me am no smash! " Bizarro grinned and hurled himself at the Shaggy Man.

            "Good man. " He looked at Deadshot. "It was Brown 's idea. He theorized that the same technology was used to control all of these monsters- "

            "I get the picture. Can you get control of the other two? "

            "It will take time, " Clock King said. "I only got our friend here 's frequency through judicious application of luck. "

            "How about we just leave them to it? " Cluemaster said, supporting a dazed-looking Key. Double Dare followed a few moments later, both looking distinctly winded. Cluemaster nodded his head towards the thunderous battle shaking the corridor. "They 'll keep each other occupied long enough for us to get out of here! "

            "Right, only we ain 't leaving, " Deadshot said. He pointed to the door the Shaggy Man had come through. "We 're going that way. To the control room. "

            "Look, you do what you want! But me? I 'm- "

            Deadshot jammed his wrist under Brown 's nose. Cluemaster 's eyes narrowed.

            "You 're out of ammo. "

            "You sure? "

            "Pretty sure. "

            "Really sure? "

            " &no. "

            "Guess we 're going through that door then. You first. "

            Moving quickly, the group left the corridor, leaving it to the battling quartet. Beyond the ruined door was only an empty corridor stretching into darkness. The lights were dim and weak.

            "Smells like a trap, " Cluemaster said. Deadshot shook his head.

            "Not if our sixth recruit did his job. "

            "Sixth? We already got six! " Cluemaster said. "Me, Tocky, this lump here and the girls- "

            "We count- "

            "-as one, " the twins said, each holding up a finger. "Twins. "

            "That is completely idiotic. " Cluemaster turned to Deadshot. "So who 's six? "

            The Shadow-Thief oozed through the control panels, leading the Scavenger on a merry chase. Energy blasts followed him, destroying everything in their path. Destroying everything that needed to be destroyed. Or at least what Mister Mockingbird was paying him to destroy.

            Easiest job ever, he thought, swimming through a bank of control panels just ahead of the blast from the Scavenger 's power staff. Sliding to a stop, he turned and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.

            The Scavenger stormed towards him, energy roiling off of him.

            "YOU! "

            "Nope, " Shadow-Thief said, pointing. "Them. "

            The Scavenger whirled, jaw dropping.

            Deadshot raised his wrist.

            Mockingbird 's asexual form shimmered into being, featurless head cocked slightly.

            "Scavenger, I presume? It 's so hard to tell through your grid defenses. "

            "Who- "

            "A friend. Who comes to you in the spirit of friendship, " Mockingbird said. "We are Mockingbird, Scavenger. "

            "You invade my sanctum, disrupt my defenses, leave me open to attack by me enemy and dare to call yourself my friend? "

            "Only to show you how easily a man on his own can be defeated, my friend. " Mockingbird held out an ethereal hand. "But a man with friends is not so easy prey. "

            The Scavenger stepped back, frowning.

            "I- " he began. He fell silent and lowered his staff. "Yes. "

            Mockingbird laughed, an eerie, electronic sound.

            "Good. It is so much better to be friends, don 't you agree, Lawton? "

            "Yeah. Pals, " Deadshot said. He pulled up his mask and stuffed a cigarette into his mouth. He smiled sourly. "I love making new friends, me. "

TO BE CONTINUED

Next Issue: A new story begins as a new team of Six is gathered for a 'BUNGLE IN THE JUNGLE '! Be here in thirty!