The hallway was small and cramped, with no doors to peek into or clues to tell the pair that they were getting closer. But Renee knew that they were getting there. The uneasy feeling that she’d cultivated over the years was creeping into her, the signal that things were soon going to get a lot worse. And there was a familiar and always unwelcome smell in the air.
Renee flung out her hand suddenly at a sharp noise, but she needn’t have bothered. Zatanna was already flat against the wall in the shadows, and Renee hurried to join her. Somewhere nearby, a door had opened, and a body had fallen hard against a tough ground. The door slammed, and several pairs of footsteps faded away from the scene. Renee and Zatanna didn’t move until they had left completely.
“What do you think?”
“Worth checking on,” Zatanna whispered back, and the two heroes crept toward the source.
Renee noticed quickly that the quality of the building had improved dramatically since the busted back door. Then she drew in a quick breath to see what this room held. There was a large metal box that Renee soon recognized as an old freezer sitting in the corner the large room, and growls and angry sighs were floating out of the small cracks.
“Oh god.” Renee hurried for the door and went to wrench it open, but it wouldn’t budge. She looked more closely, to see a thick chain winding around the entire freezer, and a heavy lock weighing it down.
“What, forgot something?” A voice snapped from inside. “Any more delightful little jokes for me?”
Renee didn’t believe who she was hearing. “Ivy?”
“Who’s out there,” she asked more urgently, the voice closer to the door than it had been before. “What do you want now, who are you?”
“It’s….it’s okay,” Renee covered herself, shaking the shock out of her head as Zatanna inspected the freezer. Beneath the black cowl, Renee felt her face growing hot. There was no need to go crazy here…but she couldn’t just leave a victim, especially not one who might know better than they did what was going on. “We’re…gonna get you out.”
*****
“But Mister J, you couldn’t just give her a teensey little break? Maybe just…maybe just put ‘er out for a little bit, but not kill her? Please, Puddin’? For me?”
The angry spring coiled tightly in every fiber of the Joker’s being was palpable enough for even Harley to remove her head from his shoulder, and scamper across the room.
“What,” he began, shaking with fury as he stepped slowly across the floor to her, “gives you the idea that you have any right to tell me what I should do?”
“I-I’m sorry, Mister J, really, look, I won’t say anythin’ ever again, I promise!”
“Maybe I should put YOU in that freezer and just wait for the perfect time to—“
“No, Puddin, no!” Harley was shaking just as badly, her breath coming fast in fright, as the Joker’s tight grip dug into her arm.
“Boss—“
“Stay out of it!” The few minions who remained still watching their unconscious partners were keeping to the corner as the scene progressed.
“Apologize, you useless little—“
“Mister J, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I am, I’m sorry, I love you!”
The door sprang open, and the scene froze. The eight men it had finally taken to hold Ivy down were standing in the doorway, all still heavily bruised and bleeding, while the others looked on from the corner. Harley was sliding and scrambling to get back on her feet on the concrete floor, her arm still tight in the Joker’ grip. He stood over her glaring down, and for a very long moment the entire room stood silent, waiting to see what he would do.
One final intake of breath and a sneer, and the Joker let Harley fall to the ground. “Get out. I’m not in the mood.”
She whimpered softly and went for the door, a plan half-forming in her mind. If she would just have the courage to go through with it…there was no denying it any longer; if Harley didn’t do something, no one was going to.
Harley fought the urge to look back over her shoulder at him. She couldn’t let him see the tears welling in her eyes, or the way her own painted smile was drooping. But she let her eyes fall on one of the henchmen…Baby blue eyes filled with tears, oh-so-subtly beckoning him to follow.
The man looked around to be sure it was safe before he made any move. The Joker was pacing around a far corner, obviously not to be disturbed, and the henchman slowly snuck through the door that Harley had left open, letting it close to leave them alone in the hallway.
She was wiping at her eyes, looking up every few moments to be sure he was paying attention, and covering the pause with an extra-loud sob.
“Are…uh…are you alright?”
Harley looked up with another few sniffles and quickly scanned him. She had to stop herself from smiling when she saw the key sticking out of his pocket. Bingo.
“Yeah…it’s just so hard and all, being the only girl around,” she started, careful to keep wiping her eyes, smearing her make-up all over her gloves. “Mister J’s great to me, honest. Just gets in a mood sometimes…you understand right?”
“Yeah, of course.” He lowered himself to sit against the wall next to her, and Harley could see the real caring in his eyes. She looked away and shook herself out of it. That was a look she hadn’t seen in months. “Is…is there anything I can do?”
“Weeeell…” She chanced another look, and this time let him see her eyes wander to his pocket. “Y’see…Ivy’s just about the only friend I’ve got…it’d mean so much if I could get her out. I just need…” Harley’s fingers trailed up the man’s leg to get to his pocket, but he scrambled back before she could get the key.
“I-I don’t know…I got orders, I’m not gonna just let ‘em go.”
“Oh…I get it.” She looked away again, but left her hand on his leg. “Well yeah, sure. Don’t want Mister J gettin’ mad at you. Even if I have to be sad…”
“Hey, listen, it’s okay…” he hesitated, but softly reached a hand to brush across her cheek. “Uh…I know you’re, well, you’re the boss’s girl but…well if you ever need…anything…”
She had him. Harley let a soft, coy smile spread back out, and before he knew what exactly was happening, she had thrown herself onto him and locked her lips to his. When she felt him relaxing, Harley brushed her fingers over the seam of his pants, up closer, and closer…
She gasped loudly and pulled herself back, an exaggerated motion to hide the sight of her fingers scrambling to slip the key up her sleeve. “Oh no! I shouldn’t have—I have to go!” She cried, and bolted down the hallway before he could blink.
*****
“Hang on now, let’s not get too carried away,” Zatanna said softly, dragging Renee away from the makeshift cell and looking her in the eye. “Did you say Ivy? As in, poison?”
“Yeah, I know. But what do you want from me, she’s obviously a victim here!”
“And I suppose that cancels out how many years of making victims?”
“Look, that’s not what this is—“
“I can hear you whispering, you know.” Ivy’s voice drifted out of her prison. “Batgirl again, is it? Well look, don’t waste your time. I’m perfectly able to take care of myself, and I don’t need your help to get out of here.”
“Great. Saves me the trouble. Now where’s the Joker?” Zatanna demanded.
“Big room, maybe five minutes down the hall. Big place, this time.”
Zatanna blinked. “Well then. I was expecting more of a ‘why should I tell you, goodie-two-shoes scum,’ but that’ll do.”
“It won’t take long to bust through this lock,” said Renee, who had knelt to inspect it. “Not sure what your plan is, but we could do it in three seconds flat.”
For a moment there was silence. “And then in return, you want me to help you round up the worse of two evils?”
“That’d be nice of you. It’s not like you’ve got any love of Joker either.”
Another silence, and Zatanna began to move for the door. Renee held up her hand for the other woman to wait, and then finally, they had their answer.
“I’ll do it. Now get me out before I change my mind.”
“What? Now hang on, nobody asked me if we could take on a supervillain!”
“Zee, please, she’ll be such a help,” Renee whispered to her. “She’s more powerful than me, we need all the hands we can get, and she’ll be pissed off and on our side.”
Zatanna thought for a moment, and finally broke into a grin. “Well, you do make a convincing argument. Kcolnu Kcol!”
The padlock sprang open and the chains fell to the ground, and a small push from inside sent the door of the freezer falling open. Ivy brushed herself off and stepped out, although still weakened and worn from the action. “Alright, just this one time. I might as well take one more stab at the Joker while I’m here.”
“Yeah, that’s the hero spirit we always look for,” Zatanna rolled her eyes.
Renee looked at Ivy from behind her mask, taking as short a moment as she could to be sincere. “Thank you.”
Ivy shrugged. “Hey, whatever. Just don’t take it personally if I run off on my own. You haven’t done anything I need to repay you for.”
“Fair enough.”
It was then that the door to the small prison room flew open, and all three women snapped to the defensive. Zatanna’s fingers sparkled with magic, while Renee and Ivy stood almost to cover each other, both braced with arms up for any attack.
Out of breath and leaning on the doorway, Harley looked up at the three of them. “Oh….Hi.”
“Harley?” Renee and Ivy asked together.
“Who’s this clown?” asked Zatanna, dropping her guard.
“Nice to see you care,” Ivy said bitingly, folding her arms as Harley stepped slowly forward into the room. “Sent to fetch me for your master?”
“No, Ivy, c’mon, look, it’s not like that,” she insisted, her jingling jester’s cap lopsided and falling off her head.
“Then what is it like?” Ivy tried to keep her face from softening, noting Harley’s smeared make-up, and something different in the way she held herself.
Harley took a deep breath, and tore the cap off of her head. “Mister J wanted to keep you here an’ kill you later….but I came to rescue you.”
Harley’s words echoed in the air, as all three of the other women stared at the blonde girl with the running make-up.
“You came to what?” Renee asked incredulously, breaking the silence.
“You stay outta this!” Harley snapped to Batgirl, fierce even with the make-up flaking away from her face and her hat jingling in her hands. “And you stay away from my Mister J!”
“Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on?” asked Zatanna, resting her hands on her hips.
“This is, ah, ‘doctor’ Quinn,” Renee started to explain. “Who I think has a nice roomy cell waiting for her back at Arkham,” she added pointedly.
Harley wasn’t listening. “C’mon Ivy, let’s go, you gotta get outta here or they’re gonna do worse to you, but now you’re free and you can go so let’s go!”
“And you’re just so eager to save me from your precious psychopath, aren’t you?” Ivy’s voice was laced with venom as she pulled her wrist out of Harley’s grip. “Remind me Harley, where were you when I was risking my goddamn life to get you out of there?”
“I was…Ivy c’mon, you know…I mean I couldn’t do anything!”
“You could have tried,” Ivy spat back, heedless of the two heroes watching the friends fight. “Yeah, you give a damn about me, of course you do. That’s why you left me to the dogs. I don’t know why I ever wasted my time trying to help you.”
“Ivy, no, don’t be like that!”
“I’ll be whatever I want.” Ivy glanced over to the two other women, and calmly stepped toward them. “Let’s go then. I am so much more than ready.”
Renee and Zatanna looked at each other and shrugged. Zatanna reached up to fix the angle of her top hat, grinning. “About time. All this sneaking around shadowy bit works for Batman, but I like a little more action in my show.”
“If we get him by surprise, we might be able to take him out quick,” said Renee. “But I’m not sure how much I like the odds of surprising the Joker.”
“Wait! Ivy wait you can’t!”
Ivy flicked a strand of red hair away from her neck, not even turning to look at the girl who had run up behind her, even as the two heroes stared.
“Ivy no, you gotta just go, I’ll get Mister J to stop, I will, honest, it’ll be all over soon anyway!”
“What do you mean?” Renee asked quickly.
Harley clapped a hand to her mouth, but lowered it slowly. “It’s…it’s 2:30 now right? And school’s out at three.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Renee cursed loudly. “And what happens when he’s had enough of this?”
Harley shook her head, even nervously giggling as Batgirl came face-to-face with her.
Renee’s fist clenched tightly, but she held herself back, satisfying herself with the mental image of the Joker behind bars again as she turned back to Ivy and Zatanna. “We haven’t got much time. We need to act now.”
“Then let’s stop wasting time.” Ivy’s face was set in a determined glare, and she began to walk out of the room without even waiting for the next person to speak.
Zatanna folded her arms and turned to Renee. “You know, I thought I was your partner today.”
“You are,” said Renee, her brow furrowed as she watched Harley, who had begin to nervously pace in a corner of the room. “I guess we’re just a threesome now.”
“Kinky.”
Renee snapped out of her watching and turned quickly to face Zatanna. “Can’t you be serious for just three minutes?”
Zatanna held up her hands and chuckled. “You said it yourself, we don’t have a lot of time to waste. So let’s get going. She doesn’t seem all that dangerous to me.”
Biting her lip, Renee nodded and spared another glance at Harley, who had now slumped against the wall and seemed to be in no mood to move for quite some time. “Alright. Let’s go. Maybe we can still get some surprise in, if we hurry.”
The two women met each other’s eyes, and both nodded before rushing off to catch up to the angry redhead already halfway down the hall.
*****
“Well then. Well well well. Go check it out then, I don’t pay you to stand around and look pretty.”
“Uh, Boss…you don’t—“
The new henchman’s buddy elbowed him sharply before he said another word, hissing something into his ear. The two men rushed off together, neither of them wanting to look the Joker in the eye for any longer than absolutely necessary.
The moment he grew tired of appreciating having minions to run and do his footwork for him, the Joker’s twisted mind sprang into action. Someone had gotten into his new base, and by the looks of things, they hadn’t been subtle. He didn’t need to be a Braniac to guess who might have come knocking.
And it was really about time, he thought with a shrug. He’d run out of terrified victims for the moment, but he couldn’t bring himself to go out himself to fetch more. The occasional new soul was dragged in by the henchmen, but there was something missing in their terror when they were already afraid. The Joker lived for the look in the eye when a victim walked willingly into a trap, and realized how little time they had left.
But by now the steady flow of screams had dried up to what little he could manage out of his new minions without rendering them completely useless. The Joker’s long hand reached up to support his pointed chin, and he pouted.
“There’s no fun around here,” he complained to the room at large, currently holding another few henchmen. They all jumped immediately and turned to face him. “Where’s Harley run off to, we could get her to play fetch or something.”
The minions looked at each other, and all shrugged. One spoke up, daring even to make eye contact with his boss. “No one’s seen her, uh, sir. Not since you kicked her out.”
The glare from the sunken eyes made the henchman turn his face away without having to think.
“Do you, uh…do you want me to get her?”
“No I don’t want you to get her!” he snapped, slamming his hands on the desk and shoving his chair back with a rough scrape against the concrete floor. “Get out of my sight. All of you!” The minions fled the room with all of the cowardice that made them so eager to follow him, and the Joker was left alone once again, with his brilliant plan ground to a halt all around him.
But a smile spread once more across his stretched lips as his eyes fell on the clock.
“Not too much longer,” he said to himself softly, regaining all of his deadly calm and control. And with the news he’d gotten, it was looking like he would have the very best of company for his big finish.
Well, there would be company at any rate. He could only hope at this point. And he hoped with all of the childish glee left in his mind that it would be Batman.
