The Amazonian Embassy, New York.

            Captain Cold ducked behind column as twin beams of crackling red energy burned through the curling bannister of the stairway. Down below, the android known as Amazo met the full fury of the Rogues of Keystone City with his own inimitable brand of violence. Green power constructs shattered every mirror and reflective surface in the hall, sending Mirror Master scrambling. Super-speed kept Amazo one step ahead of the Weather Wizard's indoor lightning bolts. Superman's heat-vision kept the other four members of the group pinned down.

            "Heatwave," Cold said. "You ready?"

            "Might not work," the white-costumed Rogue said, crouching behind his own column. "Thing's as tough as Superman, or nearly as."

            "Only way to know is to do it," Cold said. He looked over to where Captain Boomerang and the new Trickster were keeping low. "You two, get the thingamajig we came here for."

            "Think we can manage that, yer?" Boomerang nudged the Trickster. "Let's go, boy."

            "Don't call me boy, Kangaroo Jack," the Trickster said, a tiny black sphere popping up and down on his blue-gloved palm. "But yeah, lets."

            "Right," Boomerang said, shooting to his feet, even as Heatwave swung out from around his column, his heat-gun aimed at Amazo. Heatwave was, by nature, a tinkerer. He, like Cold, couldn't resist attempting to improve his trademark weapon. And he had recently begun experimenting with precision heat application. Instead of accelerating molecules in a given area, the beam would concentrate the acceleration to a pinpoint beam. The heatgun bucked as he pulled the trigger, keeping the barrel aimed dead at the center of Amazo's mass.

            Amazo's internal sensors registered the beam of pure heat three seconds before it pierced his endoarmor. He staggered back with a scream, unleashing a wild blast of heat-vision that sliced through the columns keeping the stairwell up.

            The stairwell tumbled, sending Cold and Heatwave scrambling for the room where their objective lay. Amazo clutched at his wound, as Weather Wizard and Mirror Master tried to capitalize.

            Lightning slammed into the android from multiple sources, dazing him. He fell to his hands and knees, smoke curling off of him. The heat from the lightning had turned the tile of the floor to something resembling glass, and Mirror Master gave a gap-toothed grin as he looked up at Amazo.

            "Guess you're just about out of luck," he said, reaching up to pull Amazo down through the floor!   

Issue # 18

'PURPLE HAZE' (Young As You Feel, Pt. 2)

            Deadshot dodged between columns, his wrist-guns buzzing. An Amazon stumbled back, blood sprouting from her leg. She hurled her spear, and Deadshot cursed as the blade skinned over his back, tearing his costume and the flesh beneath with ease. He rolled to his feet, keeping the triggers pulled back, forcing the Amazon to seek cover. Above, on the balcony that ran the length of the front garden, more Amazons moved into position, carrying bows.

            "Great," he murmured.

            A geyser of water smashed into the balcony, ripping it free of its moorings. New Wave laughed wildly as she scoured the Amazons from their perches. Deadshot grunted, impressed. He'd figured the Masters of Disaster for cannon-fodder, but they were putting up a good fight.

            Beneath his feet, the ground shuddered. Shakedown was putting his vibratory talents to good use, obviously. Heatstroke danced through the air, burning arrows to ashes seconds after they were fired. Deadshot tapped the comm-bead in his ear.

            "Amazo. How we doing?"

            A squeal of static was his only reply. Lawton cursed again. Then, "Duke? You still online?"

            "Yeah. But-" the Duke of Oil said, his voice like the grinding of metal on stone. "I'm busted up some. We got commancheros, Lawton."

            "What?" Deadshot swung out from behind the column and fired. An Amazon pitched backwards, her scream cut short.

            "Somebody got here before us! Looks like those jackasses out of Keystone!"

            "Cold?" Deadshot shook his head. "Fine. Great. Can you take them?"

            "Probably. But Amazo-"

            "If he ain't answering the comm, then he's probably junk. Get what we came for. Kill anybody that gets in your way."

            "Easy for you to say, you sociopathic-" the Duke bit off what he'd been about to say and heaved himself up off the floor. He'd been letting his systems repair themselves, hoping Amazo would save him the trouble of having to trade punches with the Rogues. Nothing for it now, though. He'd have to get his hands dirty.

            Easy enough.

            He'd been blown clear of the fight earlier. The Rogues weren't expecting him to come back this quick, most likely. He slid into the gallery even as Amazo disappeared into the floor. Acting swiftly, the Duke bounced forward, his spurs jangling, and jumped, one hand fastening around Weather Wizard's ankle. The green garbed villain looked down, startled, and reacted instinctively, lashing out with lightning. The Duke grinned as the electricity shuddered through him and through his fingers into the other man's body. The Weather Wizard screamed and bucked.

            He tumbled through the air, smoke boiling from his pores. The Duke bounded away, the glass floor crunching beneath his feet as he headed for the stairs.  Individually, the Rogues weren't that intimidating, not for somebody like him. But together?  

            Grimacing, he bounded over the banister and charged up the stairs. The balcony was in bad shape, but as long as it could take his weight-

            He caught the edge of the doorway and swung himself through.

            The room had been nice once. An office, perhaps. Now it was full of iced-over Amazons and colorfully clad Rogues. One of the Rogues, the youth they'd called 'Trickster', was trying to open a spherical safe set into the wall. As the Duke entered, the other Rogues turned.

            "Get that thing open! Now!" Captain Cold barked over his shoulder as he moved to block the Duke's path. He fired from the hip and ice formed on the Duke's shoulder. The Duke grunted and charged forward, letting his limbs lose cohesion and lengthen and spread into flailing hydras of steel plates and wire.

            "Gave me a mighty big surprise earlier, boys! But you can't beat the Duke the same way twice!" the Duke said as he swept Cold aside and punched Heatwave in the chest, sending him flying.

            Captain Boommerang cursed and avoided a looping kick. He rolled across the floor, slinging a trio of 'rangs as he came to his feet. They caught the Duke in the chest, sinking into the steel plates. He stepped back, frowning.

            "I almost felt that, partner," he said.

            "How about this, ya bloody tin can?" Captain Boomerang tapped a spot on his glove and the 'rangs began to hum. The Duke looked down, puzzled.

            "What?"

            The 'rangs exploded, hurling the android backwards with such force that he went through the wall and tumbled towards the gallery below.

            "Not again," the Duke muttered seconds before he hit the floor. Even as he hit, amongst the shards of shattered glass that lay scattered everywhere, a hand surfaced. It groped blindly for a moment, then planted itself firmly on the floor. Seconds later Amazo hauled himself up, hauling Mirror Master behind him. He had been momentarily disorientated when Mirror Master had pulled him into the mirrors, but his advanced adaption systems had eventually compensated. And the Rogue, for all his cunning, was still only a man in a funny suit. He had panicked when Amazo had grabbed him, allowing the android the precious seconds to analyze and copy the unique technology he possessed.

            Dropping the orange and green garbed criminal, Amazo looked around, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the Duke's crumpled form.  From above, a splash of purple light suddenly burst from the doorway of the office.  Amazo's sensors screamed a warning as an energy surge registered. Acting with inhuman swiftness, Amazo activated his newest ability and dove into the glass shards on the floor.

            He surfaced from the reflective surface of the icy coating covering an Amazon, his eyes turning crimson. Captain Cold, who had been standing nearby, immediately added another layer of ice, trapping Amazo half in and half out of the reflection. He kept adding additional layers, until the only thing visible was a pair of pale red spots.

            "That's not going to hold him for long," Cold said. "Pick that thing up and lets go."

            "I-ah-" the Trickster hesitated. Inside the safe sat a softly humming orb of purple matter. "What is that?"

            "Purple ray matter," Heatwave grunted. The others looked at him and he shrugged. "I read. Get over it."

            "Whatever it is, Immortus wants it. Put it in the container he gave us and let's go," Cold snapped. "Digger, go get the others. I want to get out of here before whatever is going on outside ends and we get an army of angry Amazons on our tail."

            "Yer, yer," Captain Boomerang muttered. He went to the door of the office, frowning. While he tried to be an optimist, sometimes the world simply refused to make things easy. Such as now. What were the odds that others would show up, at the same time, looking for the same bit of sparkle as the Rogues?

            His time in the Suicide Squad had taught him a few things-one of which was that there was no such things as coincidences. Unless of course, you were fighting Mr. Coincidence, a third-string super hero who worked out of Seattle. And that only happened by accident.

            "Oi, get your asses up here!" Boomerang yelled down into the gallery. No one answered him. He looked, then cursed out loud.

            "What?" Cold said. Harkness turned.

            "Out like lambs, the both of 'em."

            "Damn it." Cold holstered his pistol and looked at the others. "Guess we do this the hard way. Heatwave-"

            "Already on it," Heatwave said, spraying the room with liquid fire. Cold grabbed the Trickster by the nape of his neck. The boy had a round container clutched in his arms. "Axel, get going. Digger, go with him and collect those two idiots on your way. See if you can get them on their feet. We'll be down in a minute."

            "What happens if-" Boomerang began.

            "Kill them. Whoever it is, kill them," Cold said. "And don't let the kid out of your sight."

            "Hey! What, I ain't gonna-" the Trickster began, but fell silent as Cold stared at him.

            "You're right. You're not. Watch him."

            Outside the embassy, New Wave watched the Amazon struggle in her grip and grinned. The woman thrashed as the oxygen in her lungs began to dissipate and New Wave felt her grin blossom into a full fledged smile. Arrows pattered against her liquid flesh, disappearing into her depths, but she barely noticed, so intent was she on enjoying the woman's death throes.

            As the Amazon went limp, New Wave dropped her and turned, seeking a new victim. These days she had to concentrate to keep a human form, and it was nice to just let go sometimes. Her form had ballooned, spreading and growing into something only just barely human-shaped. She swept a watery paw through a column, sending Amazons running.

            "Come on! Come on!" she shrieked, pouring herself after them. Above, Heatstroke shook her head. New Wave was getting worse. Shakedown denied it whenever she or Darryl brought it up, but it was true nonetheless. Water on the brain, latent psychopathy, whatever you wanted to call it, she had it and she was getting worse. Like a storm becoming a hurricane.

            Whether they got out of this caper alive or not, this might just be the last stand of the Masters of Disaster. An arrow cut her reverie short and she caught it just before it entered her chest. Reducing it to ashes, she turned her attention to the embassy itself. She tapped the comm-bead. "Lawton. What're your feelings on property damage?"

            "Love it," came the terse reply. Heatstroke grinned and flexed her fingers. Fire erupted from her pores, descending onto the roof of the embassy.

            Down below, Shakedown  swung his fists, shattering brick and tearing the ground apart with every gesture. He was trying to avoid directly hurting anyone, which, with his powers was surprisingly easy. Essentially a localized earthquake, he could just stand in one spot, wrecking everything around him until he got the sign to stop, or someone punched him.

            He winced as New Wave swept around the edge of his vision, pursuing a fleeing Amazon. Like Heatstroke, he had noticed that she was becoming more and more erratic. More vicious. But there was little he could do. She wouldn't listen to him, and he couldn't bring himself to hurt her-not that he could. Not permanently.

            Shakedown fell into a crouch and caused a wall to topple. The fleeing Amazon leapt and fell into the garden. Possibly hurt, but out of Becky's grip. She whirled, looking for another victim. Shakedown smiled.

            The building was burning. Heatwave smiled, his eyes half closed. "So beautiful," he said. Cold grunted.

            "Glad you think so. Time to go, though."

            "I-yeah," Heatwave said, shaking his head. "What about that?" he said, pointing at the growing sphere of ice containing Amazo. Cold added another layer and gestured to the doorway.

            "Hopefully we can get out of here before he gets through. Otherwise, we fight. Go!" he said. Heatwave moved towards the door. The ice began to crack as Captain Cold stepped back. "Damn it."

            Heatwave clambered down the wrecked stairwell, Cold only two steps behind him as the ice finally gave way and Amazo staggered free. His epidermis was damaged and his systems fought to compensate for the extremes of temperature. He bounded towards the doorway.

            On the floor below, Captain Boomerang slapped Mirror Master into wakefulness. "Up! Up ya bludger!"

            "Geroff," Mirror Master grunted, shoving Boomerang aside. "I-"

            "Get up," Weather Wizard said, limping towards them, helped by the Trickster. "We need you to get us out of here!"

            "I don't-" Mirror Master clutched his head. "I-"

            "You'd better mate, 'cause I don't intend to cark it here!" Captain Boomerang snarled, hauling Mirror Master to his feet. "Do yer thing!"

            Amazo landed in a crouch nearby, even as Captain Cold and Heatwave hurried towards their teammates. "Digger! Get him up!" Cold said, spinning on his heel and firing his gun. A block of ice formed around Amazo's head and the android stumbled back, clawing at its face.

            "No, don't go," New Wave gurgled, wrenching the front wall apart in a shower of burning debris and steam. "Not when I'm finally tired of drowning women." She lunged for the Rogues, and the Trickster hurled a blue sphere at her. It exploded with a pop and New Wave found herself covered in a flour-like substance. She screamed and fell, confined in a doughy mess. Deadshot leapt over her thrashing form, his wrist magnums spitting. The Trickster staggered, shrieking and clutching at his bloody arm.

            Deadshot slid to a halt, facing Cold. "Cold."

            "Deadshot," Cold said. "Dibs?"

            "Doesn't work like that," Deadshot said. "Hand it over."

            "To you and what bloody army, Lawton?" Captain Boomerang said, grinning. Deadshot didn't look at him.

            "I don't need an army, Boomerbutt. I've got Amazo," Deadshot said. The sound of cracking ice filled the room. Amazo brushed the remaining flecks of ice from his face.

            "And we've got McCulloch," Captain Cold said, firing his gun at the ground. Mirror Master laughed and the Rogues sank into the floor even as the ceiling finally caved in.

            Amazo lifted a hand and formed a green shield overhead, blocking the burning debris that tumbled down. The emerald light curled around the group and Amazo took them outside, even as the embassy collapsed in on itself. He looked at Deadshot. "They're gone," he said.

            "Right. You do your bit?"

            "Of course," Amazo said. The Duke staggered to his feet, his body finally beginning to repair itself.

            "Hell he did! They took it!"

            "Took what?" Deadshot said. "I just wanted Amazo to slap a tracking device on one of them. And he did."

            "Mirror Master. I have also adapted his technology, making their final location easily accessible." Amazo crossed his arms.

            "This was all a feint?" Heatstroke said. She landed nearby and began to burn the adhesive off of the cursing and struggling New Wave. Deadshot nodded.

            "Of course. If our employer had wanted that mcguffin the Rogues took, don't you think I'd have put together a sneakier group? No, you boys and girls did your part. Made things look messy and confusing. Cold is going to be wondering what happened. He's going to be upset. And when a bastard like Cold gets upset, bad things happen."

            "Y-y-you're r-recruiting someone else," Shakedown said. Deadshot turned.

            "You're smarter than you look, baldy." He made a pistol with his fingers and mimed shooting the other man. "Keep it under your hat."

            "Who is it? The guy who hired the Rogues?" Heatstroke said. "Who are we going up against? You owe us-"

            "I owe you nothing, babe," Deadshot said. "Suffice to say, he's taken pains to hide himself. We know in general where he is-" He laughed. "'scuse the pun. But not exactly. Which is why we needed to confront the Rogues."

            "B-b-because they'll lead you right t-to him," Shakedown said.

            "Us, Fatty. Us right to him," Deadshot said. 

            "So, what now?" the Duke said, flexing his hand, watching sparks snap between his knuckles.

            "You got one more gig, kids. Major property damage. Right up your alley, in fact." Deadshot rotated his wrists, his guns clicking into place. "We're going to Monaco &"  

TO BE CONTINUED &

Next issue: Next stop-sunny Monaco! The Rogues confront General Immortus even as Deadshot's Six follow them through the Mirror Universe, and someone betrays everyone! Be here in thirty for 'BACKSTABBING FOR FUN AND PROFIT'!