[Insert time-of-day greeting] fellow readers,
Welcome to my first Suicide Squad story! I really hope you will enjoy it. As mentioned in the summary, the story is set to before and during Suicide Squad. The "before" will include the scenes between Harleen Quinzel and The Joker. Moreover, I hope to include the extended scenes as well!
A reminder that this is a JokerxOC story. I will explore the HarleyxJoker pairing, but ultimately, I want to introduce by character as a "love" interest for the Joker.
I am attempting to stay true to the SS characters. I am big into the Batman comic books/animated series, so I may use them as reference for other things.
All in all, please feel free to send me a message and review!
"Now we're slipping near the edge, holding something we don't need. Oh, this delusion in our heads is gonna bring us to our knees" - James Bay
The marking on the lined paper was progressively fading as it reached the right side of the page. A sigh escaped a pair of blue-ish red lips, creating a small cloud of condensation. Dark brown eyebrows furrowed. The petite woman holding the pen and notebook set her things on the bleacher beside her. For the first time in over an hour, she looked up to survey her surroundings. In front of her, about twenty teenage boys were running back and forth across a large field. They sported black and yellow jerseys and matching helmets. She heard shouting coming from a burly man near the sidelines but couldn't decipher what was being said. Beside her, bleachers stretched out to the length of the field. A few people populated the benches. They were wearing big, puffy coats and covered themselves with thick blankets. She allowed a shiver to travel down her spine. She had been so concentrated on her work that she hadn't noticed the sun setting and the temperature dropping. She cursed herself for choosing such a thin coat and rubbed her hands together in hopes of regaining some feeling in her fingertips.
"Ah, I see Dr. Carson finally decided to join us!" an older woman with blonde, chin length hair smiled, holding two paper cups of hot coffee. She handed one of the hot beverages to the woman in the bleachers.
"Mom. Don't call me that" The brunette gave a timid smile and gladly accepted the warmth of the coffee cup, taking a huge sip. She could feel the hot liquid traveling down her throat, sending a sense of comfort and coziness throughout her body. "My pen ran out of ink." She nudged towards her notebook and pen neatly placed beside her.
"That doesn't surprise me one bit. By golly, Dakota! You've been scribbling in that thing since the practice began!" The young woman wrinkled her nose as her mother sat down next to her.
Dakota pulled on her ponytail, tightening the elastic around the thick strands of chocolate-coloured hair. "I just want to make sure I have everything in order. The university should be contacting me any day now to let me know where I've been placed. Lucas will now have my undivided attention". As she spoke, Dakota scanned the football field to find her younger brother. He had recently joined the Gotham Wildcats and he begged her to come see him play. She promised him she would do so once she settled in her new apartment.
Dakota had recently transferred to Gotham State University to complete her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Although she had known Gotham as her home for most of her life, she had opted for a change during her first few years of post-secondary education. In fact, she had planned to stay away from the ominous city altogether after graduating from Gotham High. However, her objective was drastically altered when she received the call informing her of her father's sudden death. As soon as she could, Dakota put in a request to transfer to GSU in order to move back to Gotham and support her grieving mother. Two weeks following the shocking announcement, Dakota found herself back in Gotham. She was lucky enough to be able to rent a small, decent apartment. Her mother had hoped she'd move back into the family home, but Dakota was set on having her own place. The last thing she wanted was to keep her mother and brother up during her all-night study sessions.
"I wonder where you'll end up" her mother pondered. Prior to the transfer, Dakota was going to intern at a children's mental health hospital in Metropolis. Now, she had no idea where she was going to be placed. It was extremely last minute and she had to practically beg GSU to take her on as a student.
Dakota stretched her arms above her head and looked up at the darkening sky, "I am happy with whatever I can. I just want to be able to work." As though her thought had been a cue, her cell phone let out a high-pitched ding. She fished her phone out of her coat pocket. The screen indicated an unread email from Gotham State University's Faculty of Clinical Psychology. Dakota could see her mother peer over her shoulder to see the cellphone's screen. They both inhaled deeply. Gotham was known for its...peculiar mental health institutes and it was well known that many Ph.D. students dropped out at an alarming rate during their first day of internship. But, as Dakota mentioned, she was desperate. She had worked her ass off to get where she was and she was determined to become an expert in her field. She'd be damned if she let some loony-bin nutjobs get in her way.
Dakota clicked on the unread email and waited for it to open the message. She felt her heart racing and despite the freezing temperature, her hands felt clammy.
Dear Miss Dakota Carson,
The University Gotham State is pleased to inform you that you will be interning at the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. You will be under Doctor Harleen Quinzel's supervision. Please bring all necessary documents this coming Monday.
"Fuck"