Suicide SKWAD

Chapter 1: Welcome to Belle Reve

You'd have to be insane to take a job at Belle Reve Penitentiary. For starters, it's a government run prison, so the pay is shit. It's also in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by swamps in good ole' Lousiana. It's a pain to get to, and the closest town is an hour away. For those reasons alone, most people would choose to find work elsewhere. Most people see that they aren't getting the best deal in the world before you add in the fact that Belle Reve is home to the world's worst supervillains. Griggs wasn't most people.

Captain Griggs was in charge of Belle Reve, and he ran it however he pleased. His heart was full of hate, probably more so than some of the prisoners he tortured. He didn't exactly believe in rehabilitation or redemption. He believed that mercilessly abusing inmates was right; he believed they deserved to feel like they were in hell. It was the perfect job for him; he was sadistic as they came. Within weeks of receiving a new inmate, he had found the perfect way to push them to their limit. He was talented, that was something everyone agreed on whether they liked Griggs or not. 

Virtually every long-term employee of Belle Reve shared the trait of sadism with Griggs. It was not a job one could handle if they didn't enjoy inflicting pain. You have to understand, not everyone hired for the job realized that. Most who were hired were gone by their second week, either by resignation or an "unfortunate accident" involving an inmate.   Griggs had been in charge for years already, and he wasn't going anywhere. He was one of the few constants at the penitentiary, one of the few things the inmates could always count on every single day.

Griggs sounds intimidating. If you heard of him and had no idea what he looked like, I'm sure you would make some assumptions. Tall, very muscular, clean shaven, buzzcut. Typical military type. You would be wrong on nearly all counts. Griggs was tall, but he wasn't particularly muscular. His physique wasn't something that was intimidating in itself- he was rather average looking. His hair was dark, but not too short. He had a mustache and goatee, but his cheeks were bare. He was probably somewhere in his mid-thirties, but his age was hard to tell. When off the job, he liked to wear silk T-shirts, gold necklaces, and old sports jackets. Essentially, he looked like a douchey wannabe. He didn't look scary; he just looked obnoxious. In reality, he was both. 

One of Grigg's favorite inmates was a Mr. Floyd Lawton, better known as paid hitman Deadshot. Lawton was a thirty-something black man with a shaved head and short beard. He had remained fit despite being locked up thanks to the gym equipment he was allowed access to, mainly a punching bag. He had issues with authority, something that Griggs used for entertainment. It was a regular occurrence for Griggs to provoke Lawton by taunting, which resulted in Lawton being punished for lashing out. Punishments were usually made up brutal beatings by many guards, led by Griggs. 

Second on the list of favorites was Harley Quinn, legally Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Harley was enjoyed for very different reasons. She was what many would consider attractive. Tall, slim, blonde, full lips, big eyes. And completely batshit crazy. Her physical appearance and mental instability made her an easy target for sexual harassment.  Not that she necessarily hated the attention of men, she often welcomed and encouraged it. It just depended on which if the voices in her head was speaking the loudest. Griggs enjoyed her no matter her mood, as he was ultimately in control. If she was getting too aggressive for comfort, he could immediately send her an electrical shock strong enough to knock her unconscious for several minutes. 

Not every inmate was treated with violence. Some were punished in other ways, like George "Digger" Harkness. Captain Boomerang may have been new, but he already was left to rot alone in solitary confinement, with nearly zero contact with other humans. He was simply too confrontational with everyone, always looking for a fight. It wasn't as fun for Grigg's to beat someone when they refused to show any sign of defeat. Boomerang egged him on like a frat boy. He would ask for more as if to prove something about his own strength and capacity for pain. Unfortunately for him, his refusal to show pain got him stuck in a situation where he had lost all privileges. 

Killer Croc, one of the Metahumans in Belle Reve, had a similar fate. He was too large and animalistic to restrain regularly, which meant lots of time alone in his cell. The incident where he consumed a guard's hand in one bite didn't help him out, either. Griggs and his lackeys avoided direct interaction with Croc, instead only feeding him from above, a safe distance away from the massive, scaly thug. 

Belle Reve wasn't run like a regular prison; it was run with little regard for human life. Its purpose was to keep criminals scared and trapped. Griggs ruled with an iron fist, answering to no one except Amanda Waller. 

Amanda Waller was about to have some very bad news for Griggs; his kingdom was about to be emptied out. It was time to put these criminals... These villains, to work.  The world was at risk of being attacked by evil metahumans at all times; it needed protectors. And who could protect the world better than those who enjoy causing chaos on it themselves? 

It was time for Task Force X to rise. It was time for the age of the squad. 

The Suicide Skwad. 

Note From the Author: Congrats on getting through the first part of my fic! I hope you enjoyed and continue reading on. I appreciate likes/favorites, and I always love getting comments! Have a beautiful day, you beautiful person. 

And yeah, there's gonna be romance. SOON. I promise. 

Thanks.