The screeching of the iron door was deafening as it was cut from its hinges by the unflinching power tool. Bright sparks of clashing metal were blinding and as he wielded the tool with an experienced hand, Johnny Frost kept a steady pace. Narrowing his eyes, he attempted to see through the numerous smoke bombs which had been deployed in the room and he was pleased to have been one of the few henchmen to have secured a security mask to protect him from the choking gas.
Joker, the boss, had finally decided that it was time for him to retrieve his Harley Quinn and a plan had quickly been formulated. The guards outside the room were to be executed instantly while a series of smoke bombs were set off inside to distract the inner guards from their work until they could also be executed. A bit excessive but, hey, the boss had a certain style.
The outdoor guards had been easy enough to dispatch but since entering the main room they had encountered absolutely no resistance thus far. The smoke was too dense for anyone to see more than a few inches in front of their face but if any guards were present then they would at least be shooting. The smoke effect was temporary, however, and it would disappear within the minute allowing them a better view of what was going on.
With one final steady push of his power saw, Frost felt the hinges finally give way and he pushed gently at the heavy door, watching as it fell forward and smashed loudly onto the concrete floor.
Moving to the side, he allowed Joker and another henchman to sweep past him into the cell as they waited for their vision to clear. At this point it would be a quick reunion, they would grab Harley and be out of here before reinforcements could arrive.
However, as soon as the smoke had cleared, they were confronted with a surprise inside the small cell.
Harley was nowhere to be seen.
Gulping in fear as he realised that their plan had failed, Frost watched as Joker ripped the guards mask from his face, exposing his furious expression to his crew as he came to terms with the fact that his big, dramatic rescue was not going to work out.
Snatching the throat of his nearest henchmen, Joker growled, "Where is she?" His voice was so low that it was almost unintelligible and his fingers were making a very clear indentation into the poor bastards throat as his grip tightened.
Glancing around the empty cell, there was no hint or clue as to its previous inhabitants whereabouts, and the confusion was clear in his tone as he confessed,
"Honestly boss, I have no idea."
*TWO WEEKS PREVIOUSLY*
"My puddin' taught me a lot of things," winking at the guard, Harley pressed her chest against the bars provocatively, "want to come in here and see?"
"I'd love that baby but your crazy ass would kill me before I could say a word." His tone was mocking and it raised her hackles.
Her eyes narrowed at the sadistic guard, "Coward." She had been trying to entice him into an early death for months, even before her work with the squad, but he had yet to fall for any of her tricks. At the moment he was the only one on guard with her since there had been an alert of an issue with one of the other prisoners and all extra personnel had been called to assist with it.
She hoped it was Boomerang.
He always gave them a hard time.
"Aww that hurt my feelings," the guard sighed but his expression was mean, "and here I was going to fix you up a nice steak and trimmings for your evening meal." He shook his head. "But now I think i'm gonna have to go back to the liquids. You got a flavour choice this time?"
Harley felt her stomach turn at the thought of the feeding tube but she was unwilling to show weakness to this asshole, "Do ya have a steak and trimmings flavour one? I'll also take bubblegum if that's a hassle?" She nodded, eyes wide and crazed.
Laughing cruelly, the guard narrowed his eyes as he prepared to answer but his words were cut off as all hell broke loose inside the room.
A loud explosion burst from the wall behind him and Harley shrieked in fright as she threw her hands up to protect her face from the small pieces of debris which were flying through the air. The sudden noise was causing her ears to ring and her eyes widened in further surprise as a small object came flying through the air and embedded itself in the neck of the guard, causing him to fall to the floor instantly as a dead weight.
Confused and unable to see due to the volume of dust, she scurried back to her bed and stood to the side of it, ready to fight if she needed to. Anything trying to break into this prison was either crazy powerful or just crazy.
It did not take long for a dark figure to emerge from the ruins of the wall. It looked surprisingly small and Harley followed the outline of its outstretch arm until it led up to-
"RED!" Harley squealed, tears springing into her eyes as she took in the unexpected appearance of her partner in more than just crime.
Unable to believe it and filled with a mixture of shock and disbelief, she dashed forward to the edge of her cell and reached out with one hand to the approaching figure.
This couldn't be a hallucination.
She had never hallucinated Red before.
In her preferred costume of a tight-fitting dark green catsuit, with intricate vine designs swirling up and down her limbs, Ivy was a sight to behold. Her red hair was gently curled and radiated health as it emphasised her lightly green-tinged skin. The last Harley had seen her, her skin has lost all of its vibrancy and she felt her heart jump to see it looking so good again.
Finally, reaching the bars, Ivy gave a rare genuine smile as she allowed Harley to reach out and gently trace the outline of her shoulder to confirm that she was real, "It's me baby."
"But how can you be here Red, I saw you d-"
"Shh," Ivy soothed as she reached through the bars and placed her hands on either side of Harleys' face, "it's okay Harls. I'm okay, see?" She grazed the tips of her fingers across the pink cheeks as she attempted to prevent the tears welling in Harleys' eyes from falling.
"Does he have the keys?" Ivy pointed to the guard at her feet.
"Yeah, in his front left pocket," Harley confirmed and she could now see that the object in his neck was a large thorn, one of Ivys' special items, perfect for inducing total paralysis in her victims.
Shaking her head to dispel her sadness, Harley grinned widely as Ivy retrieved the keys and quickly unlocked the door.
Throwing herself through it, she launched herself at her lover, "I missed you so much, Red. You would not believe how much trouble i've been upto! I fought a witch!"
Ivy nodded as she felt strong arms wrap around her waist and she leaned into the tight embrace without hesitation. She had missed the blonde more than she would let on. Having to wait until she was healed and strong enough to track down Harley had been torture, particularly knowing that Harley would have assumed that she was dead and would not be trying to find her too.
Winding her own arms around Harley's neck, Ivy leaned in to breath in the smell she had missed so terribly and as the scent that was pure Harley invaded her senses she felt the anxiety which had been plaguing over the last few months lessen.
But there was an issue she needed to address.
"You've been back in contact with Him."
She was no fool.
The rumours always proved to be true and it had quickly reached her that the infamous Harley Quinn had been spotted within Midway City in the company of the Joker. Very little else was known but that had been enough to cause a horrible mix of betrayal and anger to overwhelm her when she had been informed and she did not react well.
Harley loved her, she didn't doubt that, but the thought that she could return to the Joker so quickly after her apparent loss had the potential to devastate her.
She had to know why.
There had to be a reason.
A look of pure panic entered Harleys' expression as she heard the hint of betrayal which was lurking in Ivy's tone. The accusation was clear and she was self-aware enough to know that it looked bad. Real bad.
"Aww Red, please don't be mad at me," she begged, widening her eyes in pleading as she went to explain, "I had a bomb stuck in my neck and he was the only one who I knew could get it out for me." She gestured to the place in her neck where the bomb had been implanted. "I didn't want the devil lady to blow my head off cause I wouldn't dance to her tune. Please don't be mad."
Whipping her head around with a dangerous speed, Ivy bared her teeth, "You had a what?"
Shrugging casually as she recalled her predicament, Harley pursed her lips. "Bomb. Neck. Was a pain in the ass actually. 0/10 would not recommend."
"But it's gone now?" Concern in her tone.
"Yeah it's g-"
Without giving Harley any more time to speak, Ivy leaned in to catch her lips with her own in an insistent kiss.
She had no idea how close she had come to possible losing the bubbly blonde and even the thought of it left her with a deep ache in her chest. What happened in Midway City was a mystery to her but she knew that Harley would be able to tell her everything when they had a free moment. As a couple they were transparent, they didn't trade in lies.
Harley returned the kiss with enthusiasm for a few moments before breaking away with a dopey smile as she touched a finger to her lips, "What was that for?"
"I am just pleased that you are safe," Ivy confessed before narrowing her eyes slightly, "And where is he now? Your 'Pudding'? Could he not be bothered to help you out of this place?" Her hate had led to her tone taking on a more nasty edge as she mentioned the clown.
Harley's lip wobbled dangerously, "Puddin' is dead, Red."
Having to quickly hide her smile, Ivy leaned in again to make it appear that she was offering support. When her face was fully covered she muttered quietly, "I'm sorry to hear that, Harls."
Pulling back, Harleys' blue eyes met her own green ones, "You are such a bad liar, Red."
"I suppose I am."
Agreeing instantly, Ivy could not muster the strength to pretend that she would miss that bastard.
She had torn his empire to shreds in order to free Harley, to keep her safe from his influence and grasp and when she had started to track Harley down again she was aware that she would possibly have to do it again.
And she was more than willing.
However, if it was true and the Joker was finally gone then that made things infinitely easier. Her strength had returned to her but she was still too weak to be entering into another full-scale rogue war.
"Ready to leave, love?" She cooed into Harley's ear. She had a safe zone organised deep within the swamp which surrounded the prison, the flora there was very susceptible to her influence and it had reacted wonderfully. They would be safe there as they made an escape.
"I love how organised ya are," Harley matched her grin as she realised that she would soon be completely free, "but I just have one teeny-tiny thing to do before we go."
Rolling her eyes, Ivy huffed loudly as Harley walked over to the prone body of the guard whom she had been talking to when Ivy had burst in.
"Harley we really don't have time for this."
"But I was having a conversation before you interrupted me, Red!" She pouted. "This will just take a minute and my friend here hasn't been very nice to me."
Stopping just in front of the fallen guard, Harley tilted her head towards the harsh florescent prison lights and gestured to the area just above her lip.
Squinting, Ivy honed her gaze at the pale skin. In the small area beneath the nose she could just detect a faint, shadowy bruising which her own experiences in various asylums indicated only one thing.
They had been force feeding her.
Roughly.
Snarling in anger, Ivy clawed her fingers as she started to march towards the fallen guard who she now understood would have been responsible for the bruising and feeding. She was going to afflict him with a poison so terrible he would wish he was dead long before it happened and she could feel her body chemistry reacting to the thought.
Her process was halted by a soft hand on her chest which prevented her from moving any further. Looking at Harley in confusion, Ivy couldn't understand why Harley would bother stopping her. She never had any problem with her killing men before, in fact, they quite enjoyed it as a past-time.
Stopping as requested, she watched as Harley pounced on the fallen man. His body was unable to move but his eyes were darting wildly as Harley thrust her face into his.
"Hey Buddy, what where we talking bout before Pammy arrived?" She asked in mock confusion. "Oh yeah my dinner tonight. Sorry to disappoint you cause I was really looking forward to what you were cookin' cause I am STARVING but I have a prior engagement."
Bringing her hands to sit gently on his neck, Harley continued her one-sided conversation, "Aww honey, what's wrong? You can't move?" She pouted sympathetically. "Red here doesn't like it when people put me in a cage and force me to do things." A pause. "Do you want me to try and help ya?"
Tightening her grip on the neck, she pulled her hands to the side quickly and, even from her standing position, Ivy could hear the sickening snap of the bone as his life was snuffed out instantly.
Letting go of him, Harley giggled, "Oops."
"I think you've made your point," even though she was pleased to see Harley get her revenge, Ivy knew they only had a limited amount of time to flee, "can we go now?"
Bouncing up, Harley stretched her arms out before twisting her body to the ground and performing a perfect cartwheel, her lithe body sailing through the air with a practised ease, which left her standing directly in front of Ivy again.
Her grin was splitting her face and Ivy could sense her excitement, "Lets go Pammy! And just to let you know I wasn't kidding when I said I was starving." Her grin was replaced by a mischievous smile as her eyes lidded, "It's been too long since I had something healthy to chew on. I get lonely in prison and I really missed eating up all my greens."
To ensure that none of the euphemisms went unnoticed, Harley directed her gaze openly at Ivys' chest before trailing her eyes down the costume-covered body and snapping them back up again to meet her eyes.
A blush appeared high in Ivys' cheeks, she had forgotten how brazen Harley could be when it came to their sex life, "Harley..." She growled in warning, as much as she loved it, now was not the time.
A look of angelic innocence met her growl as Harley blinked at her through long lashes, "What's the matter Red? I was only saying that I missed ya!"
A pretty laugh escaped Ivy at the halfhearted protest and she gently grabbed Harleys' warm hand and began to direct her out of the makeshift exit which she had created as they started their journey to the nearby swamp.