1. Team Penguin Begins

The fortieth floor of the facility was fortified by almost every security measure in the book. Keypads, retina scanners, fingerprint scanners. If someone wanted to raid the informational servers at its core and decided to take the main route, they would have to figure out ways to circumvent every single one of these obstacles.

What the building's architect had not accounted for, however, was the idea that someone might want to simply cut right through the wall from the outside. And that was exactly what was happening.

A circular section of wall fell away, tipping off the side of the skyscraper and tumbling to the street below. Firefly knew he only had precious few minutes before somebody noticed it and figured there was foul play in the sky. He zipped inside the server room, his feet touching down on the carpeting. The thought of alarms crossed his mind as well; how long did he have before his presence set one off?

Taking a flash drive into hand, Firefly connected the small device to the servers, crossing to the monitor. A few dollars had changed hands among the criminal underworld, and the password to this very computer had come into Firefly's knowledge. Unlocking the monitor, Firefly initiated download to the flash drive.

Somehow, miraculously, the download completed just as Firefly heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He plucked the now full flash drive from the servers, knowing full well that the crime would be attributed to him. Who else burned their way into buildings from the highest floor? But it wasn't as though it mattered; if they wanted to touch him, they'd have to catch him. And he was currently supposed to be serving time in prison anyway. It wasn't as though he would become any more of a wanted man.

He took to the air with a metallic buzzing sound, zipping around the tops of the Gotham skyscrapers. The sun gleamed off the glass and chrome; he was hardly used to conducting his work in broad daylight. This particular audition, however, had been scheduled for an odd time.

Left, left, right, left, right, right; Firefly even threw a few circles and backtracks into his pattern to assure he wouldn't be followed. Being caught would be bad enough, but if he happened to lead the authorities to his new boss, he would be in incredibly hot water, so to speak. Finally, he reached the point where he'd thrown in enough twists and turns to make any pursuer dizzy, and made a beeline for the alley where his new cohort was waiting.

Even though Firefly's helmet covered his facial expression, he exuded smugness as he landed before the short, rotund man who awaited him. "Profiles on most of Gotham's premier politicians," he bragged, tossing the flash drive up and down in his hand. "Including all the scandals they don't want you to know about." He flung the drive at the man across from him. "So do I make the cut, or do I make the cut?" He finished off by removing his helmet, giving a sly smirk.

Little did he know that he and his new employer were being watched by a third entity. This watcher had heard much about Firefly and his skills with sabotage by fire already; that was impressive. Yet seeing the pyromaniac in person was something altogether different. He was cool, he was confident…he had a beautiful face. The watcher, tucked away in his hiding place, felt his heart begin to race.

The Penguin caught the flash drive, fumbling it with both hands briefly before it came to rest in his palm. "Not bad," he remarked. "Consider yourself part of the team!"

"Nice," Firefly hissed.

"And here I thought I'd need the likes of Joker or Riddler to make this scheme work," Penguin laughed to himself. "But the three of us are tearing up this town already!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Firefly replied. "Three? I just count you and me. Unless you've got somebody hiding in that hat."

"Hat?" Penguin was suddenly made aware of the breeze toying with his orange hair. "Where IS my hat, anyway?" He turned around to see it standing upright on the ground behind him. "Now how did that get there…?" Penguin bent down and reached for the hat, sure it had just fallen off.

The hat responded by scooting a foot out of Penguin's reach.

"HEY!" Penguin made another grab for the hat; it fled again. Firefly had absolutely no idea what was going on, but seeing Penguin grow more and more frustrated as he swiped again and again at the hat, which appeared to be moving with a will of its own, was utterly hilarious to him, and he couldn't stifle a chuckle at the sight.

"CUT THAT OUT!" Penguin yelled, now just trying to punch the hat, which refused to sit still long enough for him to land a blow. "GET OUTTA THERE!"

Then, to Firefly's utter shock, a pair of feet emerged from beneath the hat, followed by a set of spindly legs. An entire human being, clothed in a skin-tight suit that looked to have been patched together from thrown-out rags, unfolded himself from where he had been concealed within, swiping the hat off his own head at last and rolling it from the back of one hand across his arms down to his other hand playfully.

Penguin bitterly swiped the hat out of his other associate's hand. "Don't do that," he huffed.

"So…there actually WAS somebody in your hat," Firefly stated, utterly flabbergasted. He turned his attention to the other man; "What were you doing in our boss's hat?"

The other man shrugged. "Just getting comfortable."

"Firefly, meet Ragdoll," Penguin said by way of introduction, perching the top hat back atop his head where it belonged. "Ragdoll, Firefly. You two, as the second and third founding members of Team Penguin, are going to be associates, so you better get along."

Ragdoll bent over backward until he'd rolled himself up into a wheel-esque shape; Firefly was pretty sure most human beings were physically incapable of doing what he'd seen Ragdoll doing without dislocating every joint in their body. When Ragdoll unfolded from the wheel, he was mere inches away from Firefly, still bent over backward so that he was looking up at Firefly upside-down. "You, my friend," he remarked, "are HOT."

And it was true. For all of the thirty seconds that Ragdoll had seen Firefly, it had become obvious that the latter was the most attractive human being the former had ever come across. However, the trouble started when Firefly, knowing any teammate of his would have been briefed on his pyromaniac tendencies, took the compliment perfectly platonically: "Heh…yeah, literally." He held up the arm that wasn't busy cradling his helmet, displaying his wrist-mounted gauntlet. He activated it briefly, shooting a couple jets of flame into the air to show off. "Hottest guy in Gotham for sure. So. You know what I do. What's your schtick?"

"Me?" Ragdoll straightened up and spun a quick pirouette, turning to face Firefly head-on and right-side-up this time. "I guess you could say I…have a knack for BENDING the rules." He bent one arm up behind his back, turning around to demonstrate to Firefly that it was turned at an angle that, on most people, would indicate a severely broken limb. He proceeded to bend his other arm into a symmetrical position, winding both arms around each other. Then, as quickly as they had tangled, his arms untangled, and now he was lifting one leg behind his back and over his shoulder, nudging his own face with his foot.

"Nice!" Firefly complimented. "So I take it you don't have any problems with it when the boss asks you to be flexible."

That pun caught Ragdoll off guard; he planted both feet solidly on the ground and gave a high-pitched laugh. He did indeed like Firefly very much. "It must be destiny that saw us together on the same team!" he remarked.

"That," Firefly replied, "and the fact that Ozzy apparently cuts a good paycheck."

"Only if you pull your own weight around here," Penguin snapped. He was, however, glad to see that Firefly and Ragdoll were getting along; he had half suspected, knowing his luck, that the first two villains he was able to pull together would want to kill each other. "Now come on. I've got a third applicant on the line, and he's overdue for his audition."

"You want me to get the car?" Ragdoll asked, and Firefly could already tell he was just a little too excited about that prospect.

"Yeah, sure, get the car," Penguin said with a dismissive wave. Ragdoll folded back up into a wheel and rolled out of the alleyway.

"Yeah, so…he's weird," Firefly remarked as he watched Ragdoll leave, "but I like him. That bendy stuff has gotta be useful." He turned back to Penguin. "So. What exactly are you pulling this little team together for, anyway?"

"You'll see," Penguin said cryptically. "Just trust me. I have big plans for us in Gotham. Really big plans."

Before Firefly could press Penguin further on the subject, Penguin gestured behind Firefly; "Our ride's here."

Firefly performed an about-face to look at the vehicle parked outside the alleyway and immediately snorted. "No. NO. THAT IS NOT WHAT I THINK IT IS. YOU ARE NOT DRIVING WHAT I THINK YOU ARE DRIVING."

From the front seat of what was inarguably an ice cream truck, Ragdoll waved.

Firefly broke down into complete laughter then, doubling over as he stumbled toward the truck. "An ice cream truck? Our getaway car is an ICE CREAM TRUCK? WHY IS OUR GETAWAY CAR AN ICE CREAM TRUCK?"

"Don't ask me," Penguin huffed. "I wanted something with class. The ice cream truck came as a package deal with Ragdoll." He made his way around to the driver's seat as Firefly clambered in the back, still convulsing from laughter. "Outta the way, Bendy," Penguin commanded, shooing Ragdoll with an impatient wave. "I'm drivin'!"

Ragdoll slipped back over the seat into the back of the truck, somehow managing to look graceful rather than awkward. Penguin settled himself in the driver's seat and threw the ice cream truck into gear. "Next stop, Gotham harbor," he muttered.

Finally calming down from his laugh attack, Firefly made himself comfortable sitting on the floor, legs stretched out over the truck floor and gas tank detached and set aside; Ragdoll took a seat on the floor next to him, legs folded into more of a pretzel. "Okay, so you know what I'm gonna ask," Firefly said. "Why an ICE CREAM TRUCK?"

Ragdoll shrugged. "It was left unattended and I needed a car. How could I pass it up? You know, this is THE ice cream truck that was used in the police chase after Cosmo Krank. Nobody paid any attention to it after that."

"Yeah, but an ICE CREAM TRUCK? Didn't you have literally ANYTHING else with wheels?"

"I had a very nice scooter," Ragdoll answered. "But the Batman and the Catwoman made scrap metal out of it."

"Ugh." Firefly leaned back against the wall. "Tell me about the Batman. I'd be sitting pretty right now if that guy would just stop getting in my way. At least you got Catwoman with him. She's got it goin' on."

"She is a doll, isn't she? But she has the worst habit of getting in your way when you're trying to mind your own business and steal something. She just can't leave well enough alone."

Firefly felt Ragdoll's eyes fixed upon him; he turned to look his new cohort in the face. While Ragdoll's hood covered most of his face, it left his mouth open to view, and since Firefly had first laid eyes on Ragdoll, he swore that the same silly smile hadn't left the man's expression. "So, tell me more about the infamous Firefly," Ragdoll asked.

"Not much to tell," Firefly replied, finding himself smiling ever so slightly; it was contagious. "I'm just trying to score enough big hits that I can blow this town."

"You want to leave Gotham?" Ragdoll reiterated. "What's there to hate about Gotham?"

"What's there NOT to hate about Gotham?" Firefly retorted. Then, after some thought, "Do you…even hate anything? You don't seem like the kind of guy that hates things. It's that stupid smile."

"Hmmm…do I hate anything?" Ragdoll thought it over. "Not at the moment, no. But you, on the other hand…"

"Feel like nobody in this town gives me any respect," Firefly explained. "Half the time, when my crimes get reported on the news, I get credited as 'Dragonfly' or 'Wasp.' 'Wasp' doesn't even sound like a guy OR a villain name. It's like all anybody ever does here is get in everybody else's way. Before I took up arson, that's just what happened to me every day. People got in my way. Cutting in line, bumping into me on the street, throwing their gum on the ground right where I'd step on it…and don't even get me started on the other villains I've tried working with. Here's a tip: if Mr. Freeze ever calls you up with a contract, DON'T take the gig."

"I take it you found Penguin significantly less bothersome of a prospect to work with."

"It's Penguin," Firefly said with a smirk. "He's annoying, but I thought at worst I'd get a few laughs out of the deal."

"I can hear you, you know!" Penguin snapped from the driver's seat.

"Besides, like I said, the paycheck on this one was too big to turn down," Firefly went on. "I was a little skeptical about the whole 'team' aspect, but again, it's Penguin."

Penguin made a dissatisfied sound reminiscent of a honking bird.

"And you're cool so far," Firefly reassured Ragdoll. "Really, REALLY weird. But cool."

Firefly didn't think it was possible, but Ragdoll's smile actually grew wider. "Ice cream truck and all?"

"Ice cream truck and all," Firefly laughed.

"What about your personal life?" Ragdoll asked, eager to know the answer to one question in particular. "Wife and children?"

"NO," Firefly replied vehemently. "I am SO over falling for any of that relationship crud. From now on, it's me, myself, and I, and NO one else."

It was like a pair of screeching brakes; so that was why all of Ragdoll's flirting had hit a brick wall.

"What about you?" Firefly asked. "Wife and kids?"

"None to speak of," Ragdoll answered.

"Couple of bachelors, looting Gotham for all the money it's worth," Firefly said with a grin, holding out a fist. "I think this is the beginning of something pretty good."

Ragdoll's own clenched fist collided against Firefly's. "I would have to concur!"

It was obvious he wasn't getting anywhere romantic with Firefly, but Ragdoll was still quite enamored with him. Besides, he knew he had someone he could call and count on to give him solid advice about where to go with his unrequited affections.

The truck screeched to a halt. "We're here, boys," Penguin announced, hopping out of the driver's seat.

"Showtime!" Firefly settled his helmet back over his face (and what a shame to see such a pretty face go back under wraps, Ragdoll thought). "So. What's your money on: the new guy being a loser, or the new guy showing us both up?"

"He won't be anything special either way," Ragdoll theorized.

"I'm betting on 'loser,'" Firefly resolved as he shifted about to begin getting to his feet and reattaching his tank. Ragdoll was on his feet first – no surprise to Firefly – and extended a hand downward to his armor-clad associate. Taken somewhat off guard, Firefly just said "Hey, thanks" and briefly clasped Ragdoll's hand for support as he straightened up; he half expected to accidentally just pull Ragdoll off balance, but the man was surprisingly strong for being rail-thin. Once at full height, Firefly reattached his fuel tank and threw open the back doors of the truck.

Penguin's gaze was fixed upon the horizon, where a small boat was coming into the harbor. His infamously flipper-shaped hand was pressed to his brow to counteract the effects of the sun on the water, a blinding dapple of flecks of light. Firefly and Ragdoll strode up to either side of him, following his gaze. "What are we looking at?" Firefly asked.

"The other guy said he was gonna do somethin' out in the harbor," Penguin explained. "Said I'd know it when I saw it, whatever that means."

"Here we go," Firefly said, and Ragdoll could hear the smirk in his voice; "this guy's gonna crash. And. Burn."

"My money's still on mediocrity," Ragdoll reiterated. "Besides, he couldn't crash and burn. We're at the harbor. He'd sink and drown."

"Point!" Firefly agreed.

All three kept their eyes glued on the approaching boat, not sure what else to look at. For a moment, it seemed too much time had passed, and they'd been set up for fools. Then, in the distance, a dark, hulking shape leapt up out of the water and onto the boat. An outcry of anger rang out from the boat; it was soon replaced by screams of terror as the crew came into contact with the interloper, their limp bodies being flung out into the water. None of them surfaced after being pitched in. Then there was silence as the boat continued its course.

"Well," Ragdoll remarked, "looks like we both lost money on that one, Firefly."

"He showed us up!" Firefly cried in part outrage and part awe. "He actually showed us both up!"

The boat parked at a dock, and Penguin, Firefly, and Ragdoll all rushed to see what monstrosity could possibly have disposed of the crew of an entire boat so quickly. At the same time, a tall, broad-muscled figure with the skin and face of a crocodile molded into the stature of a human exited the cabin of the boat. "How y'all doin?" he greeted coyly. "Knew there'd be a shipment of valuable electronics comin' in today. Thought you might want 'em. They're all here on this boat. Go get one of the crates downstairs if you don't believe me."

Penguin, Firefly, and Ragdoll all rushed to the lower level of the small boat – which, save its reptilian driver, was completely devoid of life – and tore into one of the crates to see layers of neatly packed laptops. "Completely showed us up," Firefly sighed.

The reptilian man made his way downstairs after the trio. "So," he asked, "how am I farin' for that little team y'all're puttin' together?"

"How'd you fare?" Penguin repeated. "I wish these two knuckleheads had pulled off something that gruesomely valuable!"

"HEY!" Firefly balked.

"I'm guessing this is your revenge for us talking about you in the back of the truck, isn't it," Ragdoll sighed.

"Welcome to Team Penguin, Mr…" Penguin faltered.

"Croc," the newcomer introduced. "Killer Croc. You, of course, need no introduction, Penguin. And come to think of it, I recognize one of your teammates already." He approached Firefly. "Ain't you Hornet?"

"Do I LOOK like a Hornet?" Firefly groaned. "It's Firefly. FIREFLY. FIRE." He blasted another short jet from his wrist. "FLY." He hovered half a foot off the ground. "GET IT?"

"And you?" Killer Croc looked Ragdoll up and down. "What are you supposed to be?"

"I'm Ragdoll!" Ragdoll introduced enthusiastically, twisting his left arm behind his back and extending it past his right side to offer to Killer Croc to shake hands.

Killer Croc just gave a snort, looking at the hand with derision.

"With your muscle, Firefly's talents with fire, and Ragdoll's flexibility, we'll be unstoppable!" Penguin boasted. "All we need is to find one more villain willing to join the cause, and Team Penguin will be complete!"

"We're not seriously calling ourselves 'Team Penguin,'" Firefly commented.

"I have a few suggestions for alternate names," Ragdoll volunteered.

"We're 'Team Penguin,'" Penguin growled. "End of story."

"So," Firefly wondered out loud, "how hard do you think it'll be to come up with a fifth member who totally kicks butt?"

As the advent of Killer Moth would show them, it was harder than any of them suspected.

...

As Dr. Harleen Quinzel, "Harley" for short, walked out onto the stage of her widely popular talk show, she was greeted by a rousing cheer from the studio audience. "Awww, thank you!" she gushed. "You're too kind, really!" She made her way to a plushy red couch in the midst of her scenery, which was built to resemble the interior of a cliché Valentine's Day card. "Hi there, everyone," Harley began as the cheering died down, "and welcome to another Heart 2 Heart with Harley! Are you ready to start talkin' matters of the heart?"

A cheer let Harley know she had the audience in her grip, and she sat down, utterly ecstatic to begin the day's work. It always pleased her to delve into matters of romance; to her, the prospect of that sort of love was what made life worth living. "Let's take our first call, shall we?" She leaned over to the table in front of her and pressed a button on a speaker. "You're on Heart 2 Heart with Harley! What's your heart achin' for?"

"Hello, Harley," a solid and confident voice emanated from the speaker. "I'm an occasional viewer, but a first-time caller, and I was hoping you could steer me in the right direction."

"Of course, puddin'!" Harley said sweetly. "What can I call ya?"

"My name? Peter."

"And what can I do for ya, Peter?"

"Well, Harley, I've just met literally the hottest person in all of Gotham."

"Awwww!" Harley cooed. "She must be flattered to know you think of her that way!"

"Actually, it's not a 'her.' It's a 'him.'"

"Ohhhhhhh," Harley realized. "I gotcha! Don't worry; I ain't gonna judge! Anyway, I got three words for ya – "

"Before you mention anything related to candy or flowers, Harley, you should perhaps hear me out," Peter explained. "You see, I've been dropping hints here and there that he has me completely enchanted. However, the object of my affections has professed his disillusionment with all forms of romance. I haven't even asked the question, and I've already gotten a 'No.'"

"You know how I feel about that word, 'No'!" Harley interrupted, firing a well-timed wink at the camera.

"To tell you the truth, I don't even think he swings the way I would need him to, if you catch my drift," Peter went on. "I do know I've heard him speak very positively of the figure of a female…mutual acquaintance."

"That don't mean he don't do both!" Harley replied. "Y'know what I think, Peter? I think this is no time to be givin' up! Your guy probably doesn't know how good he would have it with ya! Oh, don't go all modest on me; I can already tell from the sounds of your voice that you're a great guy!"

"I wasn't about to go modest," Peter said somewhat smugly. "I know a good thing when I see one in the mirror." This got a few "Wooooo"s from the audience.

"That's the spirit!" Harley encouraged. "Just keep thinkin' like that, and hang in there with your hot guy! He'll come around to seein' ya the way ya want; I just know it! In the meantime, ya gotta treat him like a prince! …Normally, this is the part where I'd tell you to go on ahead with the flowers, but most guys ain't into that sorta thing."

"I think I can manage without flowers," Peter stated in such a way that Harley could already tell he was coming up with ideas of how to impress the one he admired. "Thank you ever so much, Harley. You don't know how much of a help you've – ooh! Gotta go! Toodles!" The line disconnected.

"We'll be rootin' for ya, Peter!" Harley told the camera, and her audience cheered in response. "Okay, next caller!"

As much as her day-to-day calls were tickling her heart, Harley was more excited for things to come. She was in deep planning for her show's Valentine's Day special, and, almost more importantly, she'd somehow managed to book Bruce Wayne as a guest for an upcoming episode. If that didn't put her ratings through the roof, she didn't know what would.

...

Penguin stormed around the street corner, looking for the wayward member of his team; the first real mission was nigh, and one had already gone missing. He found the absent Ragdoll huddled up to a pay phone, obviously deep in conversation.

Penguin cleared his throat loudly, and Ragdoll turned to look at him; as soon as he spied Penguin, the spindly villain cut off his speech with an "Ooh! Gotta go! Toodles!" and slammed the receiver down on the hook.

Penguin sighed. "I know I'm gonna get tired of askin' this question real soon, but…Ragdoll, what are you DOING?"

"Trying to have a conversation," Ragdoll answered, "and I would appreciate a little privacy." He wore the same smile as ever, now enigmatic.

"Whatever," Penguin sighed. "We're up for our first mission. Get in the ridiculous car and let's go."

...

The ride toward the first target warehouse took some time, and it was time that Killer Moth decided to use to make conversation. "So," he remarked, "now that we're teammates, we should probably know each other's real names."

"No," Firefly snapped. "That is not how it works."

"Drury Walker," Killer Moth stated. "You guys?"

"Don't care," Firefly sighed.

"Well, we all know Penguin is Oswald Cobblepot," Killer Moth pointed out.

"Only because he points out he's a Cobblepot every chance he gets," Firefly brought up.

"And don't you forget it!" Penguin snapped from the driver's seat.

"If it'll get you to shut up," Killer Croc sighed, "Waylon Jones."

"Nonya," Ragdoll volunteered.

"Nonya?" Killer Moth repeated. "That's a weird – "

"It's short for 'Nonya Business.'" Ragdoll's signature smile dripped with smugness.

Firefly snorted, then immediately regained his cool.

For the rest of the ride, Killer Moth was unable to get a real name out of either Firefly or Ragdoll. Firefly was sure Killer Moth had heard his on the news at some point, though: probably credited as the identity of supervillain "Lightning Bug." He didn't point this out, though.

...

The escapades of Team Penguin went as horribly wrong as could possibly have been expected. Penguin's grand scheme had amounted to purloining a bejeweled statue of a penguin, as his associates quickly realized they all should have been able to guess from day one. The arrival of the Batman, the Batgirl, and Robin had put a new damper on the plan, and said trio managed to incapacitate the entirety of Team Penguin and deliver them into custody of the Gotham Police Department. As Firefly, Ragdoll, and Killer Croc were cuffed and loaded into the cramped backs of police vans, the prevalent thought on their minds was that they were never, ever going to work for the Penguin again. Killer Moth was more open to the idea, but had a feeling he wouldn't be invited back onto any teams anytime soon.

But then the prevalent thought in Ragdoll's mind became something new: the officers that had him in custody directed him into the back of the same van as Firefly. If that wasn't destiny, he thought, he didn't know what was.

The doors slammed on the pair of apprehended criminals, and the van roared into motion. "Well, that couldn't have gone any worse," Firefly sighed.

"Once again, I have to concur," Ragdoll sighed.

"It's ALWAYS the Batman. Why is it ALWAYS the Batman?"

"Apparently he has literally nothing better to do than ruin our lives," Ragdoll suggested.

Firefly looked toward him and was taken aback. "How…HOW are you still smiling?"

"Because you and I both know the game isn't over," Ragdoll reminded Firefly. "When's the last time prison actually held you, and when's the last time Arkham actually held me? They might as well put us in cardboard boxes."

"You go to Arkham?" Firefly reiterated. "Huh. That makes sense. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're…uh…"

"Eccentric?" Ragdoll filled in.

"Yeah."

"Oh, yes, to be sure, but I don't yet know that they've actually managed to diagnose me with anything," Ragdoll clarified. "The first time, I know I ended up there because Hugo Strange wanted to cross-examine me sixty different ways. I had a good bit of fun with him. I think I was actually the only one who sat still long enough to answer questions for his D.A.V.E. AI project."

"How is playing along with him having fun with him?"

"Because I thought it would be amusing if he claimed his AI had the psychological profiles of Joker and Penguin, but my voice came out of it." Firefly was getting used to telling the difference between Ragdoll's default smile and the one he wore when he was altogether too proud of himself; now, it was the latter.

"Double points if it snarked off to people and did fancy acrobatics?" Firefly suggested.

"I don't see how an AI could pull off any feats of physical incredibility, but yes," Ragdoll confirmed.

"…Question," Firefly said suddenly, something having occurred to him.

"Yes, Firefly?"

"Are those handcuffs ACTUALLY able to hold you? Or can you do some weird twisty thing with your hand to get out of them?"

"You mean like this?" Ragdoll waved his hand, free and uncuffed, in Firefly's face (or at least in front of his helmet), bending each spindly finger. "Don't tell anyone." He replaced his hand behind his back innocently.

"I knew it," Firefly muttered. "Well, at least one good thing came out of this."

"And that would be?"

Firefly paused before stating, "No. I was gonna say something, but it's too sappy. I'm not gonna go there."

"Oh, but now that you've brought it up, you HAVE to tell."

Firefly thought it over, and he decided there was no harm in letting his guard down just this once: "I made a pretty good friend."

"Oh, really?" Ragdoll's smile was back to smug. "I hadn't realized you'd gotten that close to anyone. Was it Killer Croc? He didn't seem like your type, but – "

"You know it's you, R.D. Also, you're a jerk."

"I know." Every time Firefly thought Ragdoll's smile couldn't get any more smug, he was proven wrong. "I like you quite a bit myself, Firefly. I think we're all in agreement that we're never going to work under the name 'Team Penguin' again – "

"Ugh, TELL me about it."

"But if the opportunity ever arose to ally with you under different circumstances, I wouldn't pass it up," Ragdoll said casually.

"Same," Firefly replied. "Maybe this time, we can actually be the Gotham Gangstas."

"Villains United or nothing."

The van came to a slow halt. "End of the line for us, I guess," Firefly commented. "Good luck at Arkham."

"Good luck to you too, Firefly."

Ragdoll was certain of one thing: the spell remained unbroken. Firefly still retained a grip on his heart, and if fate didn't find a way to reunite them, then Ragdoll would just have to do it himself.