Devoted to Destruction ❖ SUICIDE SQUAD

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"See, I was born with the devil's gift," Chato explained. "I kept it hidden most of my life, but... The older I got, the stronger I got. So I started using it. For business, you know, the more power on the street I got, the more firepower I got. Like that shit went hand in hand. You know, one was feeding the other. Ain't nobody tell me no." He smiled painfully. "Except my old lady."

He shook his head. "You know, she used to pray for me. Even when I didn't want it." He held out his hand, and a lady made of fire appeared. "God didn't give me this. Why should he take it away?"

As he explained the events of the night of his arrest, Athena listened wordlessly. And she understood him exactly.

"See, when I get mad, I lose control," Chato said, placing a glass cup over the fire woman. "You know, I just..... I don't know what I do..." Slowly the woman pounded on the glass until she sunk to her knees and evaporated. ".... Till it's done."

"And the kids?" Digger asked, his tone one of slight shock and horror.

"He killed them," Harley said. When Chato struggled to hold back tears, Harley snarled, "Didn't you? ....
Own that shit."

Chato said nothing and looked away in shame.

"Own it!" Athena snapped. Despite all that Chato had done for her, and how much she related to his story, she still couldn't stop herself from calling him out on his actions. "What'd you think was gonna happen, huh?!"

"Hey, Harley, Athena," Floyd said. "Come on."

"What you were just...." Harley chuckled in pity. "Thinking you can have a happy family... And coach little leagues and make car payments?"

"Normal is a setting on the dryer!" Athena said. "People like us, we don't get normal!"

"Why is it always a knife fight every single time you open your mouth?" Digger yelled to Athena. "You know, outside you're amazing. But inside...." He pointed at her. "You're ugly."

"We all are," Athena said, slamming her hand on the table. "We all are! We're all ugly as shit!"

"Except for him," Harley said, pointing at Waylon. "He's ugly on the outside, too."

"Not me, shorty." Waylon took off his hood. "I'm beautiful."

"Yeah, you are," Harley teased.

Flag finally decided to come in, sitting beside Floyd without saying anything.

"We don't want you here," Athena said, stirring her water with her finger.

Flag ignored her (apparently it was easy for everyone to just ignore her) and asked Floyd, "You get to the part in that binder saying I was sleeping with her?"

"Yeah." Floyd gave him a cocky grin. "I never been with a witch before. What's that like?"

Athena growled like a tiger at him, making both him and Floyd jump in surprise. Chato put his arm on her shoulder, but she hissed at him, and he quickly jerked it back.

"Apparently that's why the creatures chase him all the time," Floyd said. "'Cause the witch is scared of him."

"Wait a sec," Digger said, catching their attention. "Why is it that.... When Flag here explained all the reason for all this crap...." He gave Athena a scathing and questioning glance. "Crossbones here was the only the one who didn't seem surprised?"

"Because she knew." It was Chato who spoke. "She knew about all this all along."

"You knew?" Floyd said to Athena, who surprised them all when she flinched. "You knew about this the entire time, but you didn't bother to tell any of us about it?!"

"Or was that too much work for ya sarcastic lil' ass?" Digger hissed.

"Hey, back off, Deadshot," Flag said.

"Shut up, Flag!" Floyd snapped. "The adults are talking."

"But it's not her fault," Flag insisted. "If anyone's to blame for her not telling you, it's me. I threatened to kill her if she told you."

"Since when has threats stopped her from doing whatever the hell she wants?!" Floyd said. "She doesn't listen to anybody cause she doesn't care about anybody!"

"That's not true!" Harley yelled. "And all ya knuckleheads know it! Theenie cares about us more than anyone else! If it weren't fa her, we'd all be dead'n that damn helicopter! Rememba that?!"

"ALL Y'ALL SHUT UP!" Waylon roared, silencing the room. "Behavin' like babies over some witch not tellin' y'all what happened! Get a grip!" Waylon gestured to Flag. "Now, Army Boy, finish your story, if there's anythin' left to tell."

Flag sighed, rubbing his face. "There isn't, Croc. I'm done."

"This is my fault." Athena spoke up again, making everyone face her. "My mistakes are tearing this team apart. Flag's right, he did threaten me. But Floyd's right too - it usually doesn't stop me.... Usually. But there's a reason why it did. It stopped me now because of you. All of you. You guys needed me, whether or not you thought about it or if you hated me or not. And I need you guys because you guys are all I have."

Athena looked at Floyd and continued, "Floyd, you have your daughter. Yes, you haven't seen her in forever, but at least you had her. Harley, I'm sorry about Joker, but at least you had him. He loved you. Chato, despite what you did to them, you still had a wife. You had kids. You had a family. Even though you have firepower - literally - at least you had them, for however short it was. Each of you had people who loved you. Each of you lost your family because of things that were out of your control. However I lost mine, I'm pretty sure it was because of my ego and giant-ass mouth." She sighed. "You guys can finish the mission or not, but you can do it without me. I'm not worth bringing along."

No one moved or said a word.

"The only woman I ever cared about....," Flag said after a long silence, "is trapped inside that monster. If I don't stop the witch, it's over. Everything is over. Everything." Then he stood up and said, "You're free to go."

Without hesitation he smashed his wrist detonator on the table. As Flag passed Floyd, he dropped a huge bundle of envelopes in front of him.

"Your daughter writes you every day," Flag said. "Every single day."

Athena looked at Floyd's expression until he got up and shook the letters in Flag's face. "You had these the whole time? You had letters from my daughter the whole time?" He shook his finger at him. "I'm gonna get you there. And you're gonna end this. I'm gonna carry your ass if I have to. 'Cause this shit is gonna be like a chapter in the Bible. Everybody's gonna know what we did. And my daughter is gonna know that her Daddy is not a piece of shit."

Floyd stood up and left the bar. When he was gone Harley grabbed her bat and followed.

"I'll come." She stopped and gave everyone a confused glance. "What? You got something better to do? Come on!" Her last word before she exited was "Pussies."

Flag started to follow, but Athena transported herself in front of him.

"Crossbones, look, I get it," Flag said, "but there's nothing else you need to apologize--"

She cut him off when she gave him a tight hug, which was so uncharacteristic of her that it took him completely by surprise.

"I'm not," she said. "But I am reminding you of your promise to June." When his eyes widened she smiled and added, "I did a few checks right after you picked us all up. I found out a lot about your relationship with her." She gave him a friendly shove. "Now, get out of here, dumbass. You have a world to save."

Flag nodded. "Thanks."

Everyone left the bar. But Athena only went and sat back down again.

"It belongs to you, anyway," she said to herself.