I present to you the first chapter of my new story "The Tie that Binds" a sequel to my story "The Road to Hell." I highly recommend you read part one before taking on this story, otherwise the dynamic between the characters won't make much sense. Also the history of my OC Anarky, the Joker's teenage daughter with his late wife Jean, is really going to be important in later chapters.

To help with a visual here is my dream cast for my OC's and the new characters I'm introducing as well as returning ones from "The Road to Hell"

All Suicide Squad cast stays the same,

Anarky - Aubrey Peeples

Alice/Jen - Juno Temple

Oswald Cobelpott the 3rd - Robin Lord Taylor

Damian Wayne - Chase Crawford

Hush - Ian Somerlander

Mad Hatter - Peter Dinklage

Scarecrow - Cillian Murphy

There you have it, enjoy!

2 MONTHS LATER

Safe House of the Joker and Harley Quinn

Undisclosed Location

"Thank you for tuning into Action News live from Gotham City, I'm Becky Narita. The search continues for Alice Geneviève Cobelpott, wife of billionaire heir Oswald Cobelpott the 3rd. Mrs. Cobelpott went missing more than 2 months ago after a night out with her husband where they had been celebrating their elopement. So far there have been no developments in the case and police say they have no suspects so far but the family sent out a quote that reads.

'We will never give up the search for our beloved Alice until she is found and brought home.'

Our hopes and prayers are with the Cobelpott family during this difficult time.

In other news, a string of child kidnappings across the city have police scratching their heads as they seem to occur so discretely, the parents of the victims did not realize their children were missing till hours later. All of the children taken have been young girls between the ages of 8 and 12 and all from families living below the poverty line. Police are urging parents to keep their children in sight and in their homes until the kidnaper can be found. As crime in Gotham seems to be on a steady rise, the people are asking, where is Batman in all of this?"

The Joker turned off the TV and returned to his book. He sat in a flowery arm chair that came with the house he and Harley had been sequestered to. The book he was reading the only one he hadn't already read during their stay. The artwork on the cover of an ominous silver neck tie in free form like it was photographed under water was enough to make his roll his eyes but he said screw it and opened it up.

The house was a sea side cabin decorated in a cute cheery ocean theme with hints of floral patterns. With his green hair, tattoos and metal teeth he fit into the atmosphere of the house as much as a rabid pit-bull fit in with a room full of fluffy bunny rabbits. They'd been there for 2 whole months and he was starting to go out of his mind… more so than usual. When he made the bargain with Amanda Waller to join her little pet project he though there would be more going on than all this waiting. They still hadn't found his daughter and part of him was glad for it. For starters, she would be going a crazy as he was in this Martha Stewart nightmare. Secondly, he knew she was alive and well based on the news reports that started a few days ago. She and Captain Boomerang appeared to be an item and had been robbing banks in the suburbs surrounding Gotham and Metropolis. Her rise to crime made him proud though he was slightly disappointed that her activities were fairly small potatoes but it was a start. Waller hadn't showed up once since the night of Crow's party so he couldn't interrogate her on why no one seemed to be looking for Anarky. But so long as the news reports kept coming he'd know she was safe.

As his eyes tracked the words on the page he groaned with unimpressed frustration,

'This feels different than the last time—so carnal, so … necessary. He caresses my behind with his long-fingered hands, and I'm helpless, trussed up and pressed into the mattress, at his mercy, and of my own free will. He hits me again, slightly to the side, and again, the other side, then pauses slowly as he peels my panties down and pulls them off. He gently trails his palm across my behind again before continuing my spanking. I surrender myself to the rhythm of blows, absorbing each one, savoring each one … I moan loudly as my body takes over, and I come and come, convulsing around his fingers.'

"Fucking amateur," he said out loud.

Harley skipped into the living room with a fishbowl full of seashells. She loved the house. It reminded her of the vision from the witch, 100% normal. Who cared if this version of normal came equip with ankle monitors and armed guards that rotated out every 6 hours? She sure as hell didn't.

"Afternoon Puddin!" She paused noticing the book he was reading. "Are you seriously reading 'Fifty Shades'?"

"Not like there's anything else to do around here." He kept reading as Harley made her way reorganizing the hobby sail boats and plastic bouquets. When Anastasia Steel started crying over Christian not spending the night with her, the Joker couldn't take it anymore. He made a gaging sound and threw the book across the room. "They made 3 of those?"

"MmHm, and movies."

He let out a deep breath "This world needs to end if softcore pantyhose porno like that is what they're calling provocative these days."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. Placing the bowl of seashells on the mantle she had an idea. "How about I start a fire? Then maybe you can show me some provocative in front of the fireplace?"

He showed no enthusiasm. It had been fun the first 2 weeks being hold up here. All they did was fuck and eat and fuck some more. But the more time passed the more board he became. At this point even the prospect of nailing Harley's sexy ass in ways that would make good old Mr. Grey run for cover wasn't enough to get him motivated. He hadn't pitched wood in over a week and was secretly entertaining a break for it, even if it meant leaving Harley holding the bag. He'd come rescue her of course like he did the last time and she'd forgive him like she always did and they'd live happily ever after again. Whatever he chose to do needed to happen fast.

Harley interrupted his thoughts, "By the way Puddin, there's something I wanted to talk to you about. Something that's kind of a big deal."

A large vehicle pulling into their driveway stole Mr. J's attention. As the passengers got out He was amazed at how glad he was to see Rick Flag walk up to their door with a file in hand.

"About fucking time." Joker said to himself as he leaped out of his chair and met Flag at the door.

"Mr. J," Flag greeted the Joker

"I could fucking kiss you right now." The Joker spat.

Flag looked fairly weirded out, "I would much rather you did not." Flag tossed the file he was carrying in the Joker's hands, "Get your shit, Waller sent you two a mission. You got 5 minuets." With that, Flag exited the house and returned to the SUV.

Thrilled he had something to do the Joker shouted, "Harley, we've got work to do!" They dressed for a fight and came outside. The solders outside bagged and cuffed the couple before seating them in the black SUV.

The ride to their next destination took exactly 1 hour and 4 minutes. Joker could head muffled voices coming from the driver and whoever he needed to clear their entry. A faint whistle of a turbo engine told him they'd either arrived at or were close to an airfield. The car started up again and he could tell the distinct moment the SUV entered a structure as the rumblings began to reverberate. It was an airplane hangar for sure. Again, the SUV stopped and they were escorted out. Cuffs were removed, bags came off and The Joker saw a hand full of the world's elite criminals. Some he knew well and had done business with previously and some he knew of but didn't actually know.

Flag was the one to address the riffraff. "Welcome one and all to the first ever government funded freak show. Some of you have been to this rodeo before and some are joining for the first time. To clear up all expectations We are going someplace very bad to do a job that will get you killed. After my last few trips with some of you I will say that while you are still my problem until then, I will put slightly more effort into keeping you alive. If we are successful, you will get time off your prison sentences and maybe one or two perks to make prison life a little more pleasant. Time for roll call:

First off, we have Mr. Floyd Lawton a.k.a. Deadshot: he is a master marksman and the most sought after mob assassin this side of anywhere.

To his right is Waylon Jones a.k.a. Killer Croc: super human strength, with amphibious lungs and a monster appetite

Unless you desire to prove your daddy wrong when he told you, you weren't gonna amount to be shit, I recommend not pissing him off. He's a known cannibal and pissing him off will end up with you becoming shit, his shit.

Next on the roster of return customers is Miss Harley Quinn…"

"That's Mrs. now Ricky." Harley corrected.

He continued, "Yeah, I had heard congratulations were in order. We'll throw some rice for you later. Moving on,

Next to her is her husband, Waller's prized turkey and one of the two new additions to this band of bastards, The Joker. I'm sure his reputation is well known enough so I won't waste a lot of time talking him up. All you need to know is he's a master manipulator, genius, murderer and all around psychopath. Basically, the two of them together are a match made in Satan's anus.

Our last new addition is Mr. Thomas Elliot. Another genius manipulator/marksman with unmatched surgical skills and can ever perform surgery on himself. He's killed over 45 people including his own parents and orchestrated the largest coalition of Gotham's criminals the world has ever seen in a failed attempt to take down the Batman…"

"Allegedly," Thomas Elliot interjected cocking one eyebrow. He wore an orange prison jumpsuit that looked like it had been tailored to his frame and looked way too young to have criminal resume like that. With his black hair, chiseled jaw and navy blue eyes Harley couldn't help but notice how much he looked like the kid who asked Anarky to dance at Crow's ball, Damian Wayne.

Flag corrected himself, "That's right, in the end all they could get him on was insider trading and identity theft. But we all know the truth. Don't let that baby face fool you, he's older than I am but like I said he can perform surgery on himself, plastic surgery being his specialty. He likes to go by the alias Hush. Now that yall know each other, here's the mission,"

"Where's the iPad with Queen B?" asked Deadshot.

"Waller is taking a back seat on this one until further notice. Do not let that comfort you, she still has her eyes everywhere with a twitchy finger on the button that will blow your heads off."

The Joker looked around. Part of the deal he made with Waller was no nanite implant for himself and Harley. Though he was sure no one here was aware of that little arrangement except perhaps Flag. But he'd find out soon enough. This was the time to keep your mouth shut and observe.

"Here's the deal, for 2 months some crazy mofo has been collecting little kids. Twenty four in total. All girls, all in the pre-teen age group. There seems to be no pattern as to the type of child other than they come from poor families and are in the same 8-12 demographic."

"Sounds like a case for DCFS to me." Hush said unimpressed.

"It would be except at all the scenes of the kidnappings, a distinct chemical compound was found that rendered the parents paralyzed during the actual crime. This compound also causes memory loss so the families had no idea what happened once they were out of the paralyzed state. We've been hoping Batman would step up on this one as Gotham is his turf but he has been radio silent on the whole matter. Going further someone posted this video on social media last week." Another solder handed Flag an iPad that was qued up with a YouTube video.

A rendition of 'Thank Heaven for Little Girls' that sounded like it was being played off a rundown music box began. Under the music, the sound of children crying started low then rose louder and louder till the volume matched the music box tune. Little voices begging for their mommies and to go home. Then it all stopped and a deep male's voice took over.

"Your city is failing, these little angels lived in utter squalor with no hope of achieving more than their whore drug attic parents. Children are a gift who should be worshiped and nurtured. But what are you doing Gotham to insure the next generation? You are letting the fall deeper and deeper into wretchedness. So, I have chosen to save them. Say goodbye to your daughters Gotham and know they are better off with me than they ever were born from you. You are welcome…"

The Joker recognized the voice immediately but didn't say anything. He needed to play his cards right and knowing the identity of the little shit who made the video might be his ace in the whole. Until he learned more there was no need to play that hand right the second.

Flag turned off the iPad and loosed at the squad. "One thing I know about you all is while you're all hardened criminals, none of you like the idea of kids getting hurt. Some of you are even parents yourselves." He looked at Deadshot. "So, I am confident you will all take some pleasure in bringing the prick down."

"Any idea where he's holding up?" Deadshot asked.

"We've traced the chemical compound to a closed down refinery at the edge of Gotham City called ACE Chemicals but upon searching the premises we found no trace of the children or the sick fucker who took them. Now I'm gonna ask you all, any idea who might be responsible for this?"

Show time, "His name is Jervis Tech, he's a midget with an itch for little girls and an Alice in Wonderland fetish. He's from England but he's masking his accent in the vid. Calls himself the Mad Hatter." Everyone looked at the Joker.

"And how do you know this?" asked Flag.

"He hitched a ride with us from Europe when we returned to Gotham."

"Wait, you brought that sicko here?" asked Hush.

"We had a business agreement, my end was helping him find his long-lost niece who ran off the Gotham a few years ago. Looks like he found her all grown up and wasn't satisfied with just her." The Joker explained unapologetically.

"What niece?" Flag pressed.

"Anyone go missing lately with a Disney name? Particularly someone with a name from said fairytale?"

"You're talking about the Cobelpott girl." Flag pieced together.

The Joker grinned, "What'd'ya know, brains and brawn."

"Ok Mr. J, any idea when we can find this Mad Hatter?"

"Check any flight plan heading overseas with unusual AIW associated names. He won't be far behind."

Flag nodded to one of his men who immediately started typing away on a laptop. "The clown's right sir, there's a cargo flight plan here under the name of Lewis Carroll bound for Belgium,"

"Who the hell is that?" Flag questioned his man.

The Joker answered. "I take back the brains compliment. Lewis Carroll was the author of the book Alice in Wonderland."

Flag nodded, "When is it set to take off?"

"It already did Sir, day before yesterday at 0600 hours."

The Joker continued looking up like he was contemplating something complex. "That's a seven-and-a-half-hour flight I'm betting they called in for an emergency landing about… one hour and 45 minutes before their scheduled landing in Belgium somewhere around northern England."

"He's right again Sir, the plane called in engine failure and requested emergency landing in a private airfield in Yorkshire."

"His private airfield."

Flag's face looked like he was using all his willpower not to slug the Joker on the spot. "Don't you just hate being the guy who knows less than the one you really wanna hit? Makes the urge to knock his teeth in almost unstoppable. I bet you can practically feel my choppers cutting into those callused knuckles right now can't ya?"

Harley laughed loudly and clapped her hands like a little girl. She loved watching her man work.

"Let me get something into that thick scull of yours clown. I'm in charge here and what I say goes. If you pull anything I will personally empty a clip into that smile of yours and not think twice."

"Oooo, now we're talking. Come on solder boy show me what you got. Right here," he pointed to the Damaged tattoo on his forehead. "Come on, shut me up right now."

Flag got right in the Joker's face. "Grab what you need smart ass, we got a flight to catch." He walked away from a still grinning Joker and grabbed a cellphone that was resting on a crate.

Deadshot came to him, "Hey Flag, any chance you'll let me use that to call my daughter before we head out? I was supposed to see her tomorrow and I wanna let her know I'm not gonna make it."

Flag hesitated. "Make it quick." Handing Deadshot the cellphone he took a few steps away to give the man some privacy. Truth was he like Floyd Lawton. While he was a criminal, Flag had gotten to know him on the missions they'd been on before this one and learned that at his core Deadshot was a good man and a loving father.

Not long after Lawton started the call however, it was clear the conversion was not going well.

"Susan calm down, what do you mean she's gone?.. Did you call the police?.. Are you fucking kidding me?.. You worthless fucking druggie bitch! I swear to Christ when I get out of here I'm gonna make sure you never fucking see Zoe again!" he hung up and made a beeline towards Flag and put one of his wrist guns in Flag's face.

"Did you know?!" He screamed.

"Calm down Floyd,"

"Don't tell me to calm down Flag did you fucking know?!" the solders surrounding them all withdrew their weapons and aimed them at Deadshot.

"I don't know what you're talking about but unless you wanna go home in a body bag I suggest you calm down and tell me what's going on."

"He took her, that sick fuck took Zoe! He took my fucking daughter! Now answer me, did you know?!"

Flag looked shocked. "I didn't, Floyd, I swear to you I didn't know."

"Swear to me on June's life you didn't know."

"On everyone's life! I didn't know. Now put the gun down and tell me what happened."

Deadshot lowered his gun and Flag gave the ok for the solders to lower their guns as well. "My ex told me Zoe went missing 3 days ago. She didn't report her because she was getting high with her boyfriend when Zoe disappeared. She was hoping when they found the kids they'd find Zoe too. That fucking bitch, I can't fucking believe her."

As a group the Squad members including the Joker had looks of concern on their faces. Harley's and covered her mouth in disbelief at how a mother could be to selfish and how scared little Zoe must be right now. Joker remembered when he was looking for his daughter and how horrible it felt not know something so simple as when she'd eaten last or where she was sleeping and for one second whatever percentage of his heart that was still human went out to Floyd Deadshot Lawson.

Deadshot sagged and trembled with rage and fear for his daughter. Flag put his hand on Deadshot's shoulder, "We'll get her back, I swear to you we'll get her back."

The collective vibe in the room went from irritated at having been forced into this mission to pumped at the chance to kill the twisted fuck you took the child of one of their own. Looking at one another it was clear that things had switched from business to personal in one devastating phone call.

...And chapter 1 is in the books, literally.

There will be more with Anarky and Digger coming in the next installment which I hope to complete later today. I hope you all liked it and please let me know what you think in your reviews!

~SL,