2.

How 'Bout a Show?

Diamante was sitting against the far wall of her cell when they came for her. Lifting her head from where it had rested against her knees, her feet bloody but healing, her shining green eyes looked up like electric lights as the slot of her door opened, eyes peaking in quickly. A snarl came to her face, contorting her beauty as she snarled silently at their presence. The slot closed again, but she could hear them moving outside, moments before the familiar pop and sizzle of the grid lit up beneath her. Hissing against the pain, back arching against her control, Diamante grit her teeth to the point her jaw threatened to crack.

They went longer than usual, the hot pain coursing through her body as she trembled and threw her head back against the metal wall, trying to push away the feeling of her brain about to explode. Right when she began to see blackspots along the edge of her vision, the grid turned off and her collapsed to the side, hitting the titanium floor hard.

"Go! Go! Quickly!"

Hands grabbed at her, taking her arms and legs and hauling her from the floor as her body hung limp. She couldn't even bring herself to twitch her fingers, her body struggling to recover from the prolonged exposer to the grid. She could hear the creak of rubber, realizing that the men carrying her were all wearing protective suits in case they had to light her up while they were in the room.

Growling weakly, she was barely able to open her eyes as she was messily carried from her cell. Waiting outside was a gurney, her body immediately dropped to its surface as a metal collar was strapped around her neck. The collar hummed with heat, just like her floor had done, moments before another course of volts were sent through her body for a few seconds.

"Alright, enough, they need her coherent," a man ordered gruffly, sounding oddly concerned as he stood back from the others, not wearing the protective rubber. She recognized the voice of Griggs, who'd come to taunt her endlessly whenever he had the time.

"Man, what do you care? You used to watch her dance on the floor for the hell of it," another one of the guards sneered, tightening straps at Diamante's wrists so she wasn't able to move. "Come on, faster we get this bitch loaded up the sooner we get to leave."

More straps were tightened around her body, Diamante only having the time and strength to take hold of a finger in her mouth before a gag was forced to take its place, the man screaming in the background, and another leather strap stretched over her forehead. Green eyes blearily watched the lights pass overhead, her entire body bound down with the electric collar keeping her in check. She wanted to shift just to get rid of the pain, the burning discomfort that wouldn't go away.

She probably had internal damage. She remembered the last time she'd had some crushed organs from a building collapsing with her inside, only her diamond body relieving the pain and giving her the chance to heal from the life-threatening injuries.

"Never seen her look this pathetic," one of the younger guards laughed, standing near her head as she was wheeled down the halls. A weak growl was his answer, her eyes glaring at his silhouette against the light. A short beep was the only warning she had before her collar switched on again, her body jolting against the confines as volts shook her to her core. "Aw, did I touch a nerve," the man taunted, the sneer audible in his tone.

Diamante didn't even have it in her to glare at him again, just looking up again to watch the lights slowly pass above her, one by one.

"Got one more for you!"

"Last injection."

A hand came to Diamante's neck, pushing aside her hair and pressing something cold and metal just beneath the metal collar. The sharp pain of a needle stabbing into her skin drew a muffled shriek from her gagged mouth before a hiss forewarned of the injection she had just received into her throat. Trying to struggle against her bindings as she shouted into the gag, her anger bleeding into her body, Diamante wanted nothing more than to rip them apart.

"Location verified."

"Load her up!"

Continuing to shout and scream, the sounds barely reaching down the hall because of the gag, Diamante refused to calm herself even with the threat of someone activating the collar. No more. She wished she'd bitten that damn guard's finger clean off, it might have relieved some of the pent up rage that had her thrashing in her binds. "You either calm down, right now, or I'm gunna have to tell your girlfriend's keeper you're not cooperating."

Girlfriend. Harley.

Growling again, Diamante's eyes narrowed dangerously at the guard that leaned over her prone form, her struggles ceasing nearly immediately. She refused to be the one to cause Harley pain. And those sons of bitches knew that. "Good girl," the man cooed mockingly, stepping away from her with a sharp tap to her cheek as though in praise. Her jaw locked on the gag. How she just prayed she had the chance to bite this asshole.

Then they were outside, the rainy sky above drawing Diamante's attention immediately. Green eyes opening wide, the diamond woman was left the marvel at the sight. She didn't have windows in her cell; not for natural light, or air or anything. It was one solid box of metal. This was the first glimpse of the outside world that she had gotten in over six months. Inhaling through her nose, the moist scent of rain was accompanied by the stench of metal, leather and jet fuel.

She couldn't turn or crane her head because of the straps, but she had a very strong feeling they were wheeling her toward a plane or helicopter.

A familiar face appeared above her, the natural light finally allowing her to see more than just silhouettes. "You're being transferred, I don't know why or where. Harley's gunna meet you there," Griggs was speaking, his words hushed and fast as he looked around skittishly.

Daddy J, Diamante thought in pleasure. He'd gotten a hold of this man, and he'd had some fun. She wanted to smirk, she wanted to laugh, but instead she just looked up to him with narrowed eyes to let him know she was listening. He was sweating in fear, so the Joker must have only threatened something instead of actually torturing him in some way. This guy probably thought he was going to get away with what he did, doing whatever Joker had told him to in order to spare him.

No, the Joker didn't forgive. Especially not when it came to those who'd wronged Harley and Diamante. He'd castrated men just for looking at them too long or too sexually before.

"Harley's got something from Mr. J, he'll be in touch." Finally, a malicious grin broke across Diamante's face, hidden by the gag, but he could see the rise of her cheeks and the squint of her eyes to tell him she was smiling. "You…you'll tell him I took care of you, right?" She didn't nod, she couldn't, but she did begin laughing against the gag, her eyes falling closed at the force of which the haunting sound expelled from her lungs.

Oh, Daddy J, please wait until we're there to kill him. I want to join you.

"Wha—Dia? Diamante? Why are you laughing? Diamante!"

Bathe in his blood. Eat out his heart. Grind his bones into dust!

Griggs was left behind as the gold-blonde woman was wheeled through the protective fencing around Belle Reve, the familiar engine of a helicopter roaring to life beyond her. They guards had to lift the board she was strapped to onto the helicopter, the wheels and legs folding beneath it like the gurney of an ambulance would. Soon, the chop of the blades rang above her head as Diamante was left to stare at the ceiling, the guards strapping the gurney down against the back of the helo.

Her eyes rolled up, looking toward the window, as the machine began to shake and rattle as it lifted from the ground. She didn't know where she was going, or what Waller was going to have her doing, but she was looking forward to losing the bindings and the straps that were keeping her immobile, as well as the damn shock collar humming against her throat.

She was all for the kink, but this was far from fun.

The guards were gone now, soldiers taking their place. They didn't even look at her, more professional in the sense that they didn't abuse the fact that she was tied down to beat on her. There was only one man there from Belle Reve, one she recognized now and then when they needed to remove her from her cell. The shock collar was a new thing; usually they just attached some wires to her that they'd activate when she acted out. He must have been the one holding the remote all these times; he'd probably also be the one to take it off, so she decided it was for the best not to try and kill him until after the collar came off.

Assuming that this wasn't going to be a short trip, the woman exhaled through her nose before she closed her eyes and tried to focus on something other than the pain in her head and chest. Did they damage her heart? That many shocks would definitely do it, but she wasn't sure. At least she wasn't having too much trouble breathing right now. Although, that was going to be kicking in soon. Her feet still burned from the shocks that had singed the skin, but her arms and legs had stopped trembling and her muscles weren't cramped up. There was some internal damage, the pain told her that much, but all she needed to do was morph onto diamond form and she'd be pretty much good as new.

She'd learned that one early on, after the building collapse. Her body wasn't made to be a weapon, as much as the Government was convinced that was her purpose. The lab had accidentally made a weapon, and there had been some weapons testing happening there, but Diamante is a defense. She was the perfect defense—or her mutated cells were at least. She could make herself impenetrable, and the shift to her diamond body mended her organs at an accelerated rate, healing minor wounds instantly and fatal ones a bit more gradually.

The bounce and shake of the helo kept her awake, but Diamante chose to relax to the best of her ability as she ignored the presence of the soldiers and guard, listening to the chop, chop, chop from the blades overhead.

Her breaths left her in wheezing rasps, painful with each movement of the organs expanding and contracting. Her head was pounding, the familiar sensation of blood oozing along her skull forewarning her of a wound somewhere near the back of her skull. Her chin touched her chest, her head collapsed forward, and her legs were tucked beneath her. The air was filled with debris around her, thickening the air and coating her lungs with a pasty layer of dust.

Bleary green eyes opened tiredly, unfocused gaze landing on her bloody thighs, what used to be white scrubs stained with the dark hue.

Tiredly, she tried to swallow against the dryness in her mouth, but that only drew her attention to the coppery taste on her tongue. Something was bleeding…her lip? No, she'd feel that. Her tongue felt fine, all of her teeth were still intact and in place. Lifting her head, the woman cringed at the pain in her neck as she lifted her head, the world abruptly spinning around her, before her eyes moved around the fogged room, metal, rock and drywall surrounding her.

Where was she?

Straightening her back caused blinding pain to shoot through her stomach, a strangled, dry scream escaping almost soundlessly from her lips as she immediately hunched over again, wanting to stop the pain. Blood rushed from her mouth once it was opened, pouring down to blend with what already stained her legs.

She hurt all over. There wasn't a single limb on her body that didn't ooze pain.

Her eyes burned against the dust, tears building to try and remove the intruding particles from her sensitive eyes. Why did she hurt? What happened to her? Where the hell was she? Trying to look again, this time without straightening her torso, green eyes scanned the room that had been masked beneath the caved ceiling and walls. As the dust began to settle and clear, the red became visible. Next, the coppery stench of blood reached her senses, breaking through the layer of dust that had clogged her nose and throat. The blood on her lap…wasn't hers.

Her eyes followed the trail of red to the body a couple of feet away, mostly covered with the ceiling, but the dead eyes and gaping hole in the chest told her that the man was dead. Had she done that? Did she kill him? Or was she trying to save him? If it was his blood on her, she must have done one of the two. Yet…she felt no remorse at the sight of the dead man. Instead, warmth filled her chest and her lips twitched as though wanting to smile.

Who was he? Did she want him dead?

Looking down at her lap again, her limp right arm soon drew her attention.

It was clear. Glittering and shining in the faint light, it looked like glass. But she knew that it was more than that. It was stronger than that. Squinting her eyes, she forced her arm to move, turning her hand over, to reveal the human heart that was still clutched in her palm. A dry, pained laugh soon began to ring from her chest, tears of pain bleeding from her eyes, as she realized that yes, she had killed him.

And it made her happy.

The cold feeling that enveloped her arm soon began to spread as she continued to laugh and cry, blood spilling from between her lips with no sign of stopping. Only when the cold reached her chest did the pain in her lungs fade, allowing her to breathe easier, then travelling to her stomach, up her neck, along her spine. Everywhere the cold touched, the pain was chased away. The glass-like appearance of her hand soon overtook her entire body, even the strands of her hair falling like strings of delicate crystal.

Throwing her head back, a full blown laugh roared through the fallen building as she crushed the human heart in her hand, cold blood spraying out over what remained of the white in her clothing.

The jolt of the helo brought Diamante from her thoughts, green eyes opening to see that it was sunny outside the window. They were landing. The straps kept her from being too jostled, the soldiers moving back to her and beginning to unbuckle the gurney from the floor. The door opened, hot, moist air rushing into the space and making Diamante stretch to try and see where she was now.

"Guess that makes everyone," a male voice stated from somewhere nearly as Diamante's gurney being wheeled away from the helo with her eyes closed against the blinding sunlight. "Let her out."

The guard from Belle Reve appeared above Diamante's face. "You try anything, I fry you. Understand?"

She couldn't very well nod her head, so Diamante raised an eyebrow at the main, her pain making it impossible to do more, but he seemed to get the message and stepped away to let the soldiers begin removing the straps on her body. She could hear others being unlocked as well, telling her that there were others present. Griggs had mentioned Harley, and the thought of the other woman being so close made Diamante's stomach tighten in anticipation.

Whatever hell was about to take place would be a lot more fun with the Queen at her side.

Exhaling, Diamante held still as the soldiers took away the leather straps one by one. One of them jostling her torso made her flinch, pain blooming across her chest as a cough worked its way up her throat. She could see the guard twitch, nearly activating the collar, but the woman forced herself to hold any other reaction in. The strap across her jaw and forehead came off last, allowing her to finally breathe properly, and she slowly lifted herself from the gurney.

Across the mass of soldiers, Harley was watching with bated breath as the woman rose into a sitting position, revealing the person she'd been waiting to see. However, any show of excitement was cut short when she saw the woman's appearance. Blood was dripping from her nose and she trembling, pain etched into her expression as she forced her body to move, pale and sweaty. Anger immediately bled throughout Harley's entire body, clouding her vision red.

"What did you do to her?" she shrieked, taking off at a run for the guard near Dia. The other blonde looked up at the sound of Harley's shriek, green eyes catching Harley's as majority of the soldiers in the area turned their guns on the Queen of Crime.

"Hey, get back in place," the Colonel of the operation ordered Harley, but the blonde stayed frozen where she'd been stopped, a look of murder on her face as she looked at the men around Diamante.

Rick Flag realized that there was no chance of Harley cooperating until the other woman was handed over. He'd been warned about them, and their close relationship that paired with the Joker. The three of them were an inseparable knot of insanity; it's easier to just let the girls have one another and use them against each other if need be. Somehow, that thought made Flag uncomfortable. He'd rather threaten to blow the nanite in their neck than to use a loved one against them, even if they were insane.

Diamante wanted nothing more than to run to Harley as well, but the hum of her collar kept her still.

"Take off that damn collar," Flag finally ordered, noticing that it was an extra means of keeping her in check.

"Sir-"

"She's here because of her abilities. What the hell good is she if that thing's shocking her all the time? Take it off." The guard was reluctant, but he moved over to the metal collar around Diamante's throat and used the key and code he was given to deactivate and unlock it. The latch popped open and he pulled it from around her throat, leaving nothing but reddened skin behind from the volts she'd received earlier in the day.

The second the collar fell away, Diamante's entire body shifted into diamond and her fist snapped out, colliding with the man's face. His head immediately jerked to the side with such strength and speed that a sickening snap echoed amongst the soldiers, the man flying back with a scream of pain as his cheekbone broke through the skin of his face, blood gushing from the torn flesh and around the protruding bone.

Straightening up and cracking her neck, Diamante turned to the soldiers that had their guns now trained on her. The ones that weren't aiming their weapons at her were staring in complete shock, trying to comprehend the blindingly bright woman that was standing directly in front of them. The sun bounced off her diamond body enough to cause anyone not wearing sunglasses to look away.

"Oh, I dare you," she purred, "we'll see how many ricochets it'll take for you to realize you bullets don't do shit," she snapped. "He had it coming, don't act like none of you've punched someone before." Gradually, the men lowered their weapons. Only when all guns were down did Diamante's body return to flesh and bone, wiping the blood from beneath her nose and spitting the rest at the feet of the soldiers. Most of the pain was gone now, her head was clear, she was breathing okay and her muscles felt good as new. Her stomach still felt off, but that would only take a few minutes more in her other form to heal.

"Listen up!" Flag shouted, "In your necks, the injection you got, it's a nanite explosive. It's the size of a rice grain but it's powerful as a hand grenade." Flag looked over the reactions of the convicts, the worry clear in their eyes but they did well to mask their expressions. "You disobey me, you die. You try to escape, you die. You otherwise irritate or vex me, and guess what? You die."

"Just as a forewarning," Dia began, raising her hand at the same time Harley did.

"We're known to be quite vexing," Harley finished.

"Ladies, shut up!" Both women scowled, but went quiet. Diamante's lips only twitched again when the pained groans of the guard reached her ears, other soldiers carting him off to a medic.

"This is the deal; you're going somewhere very bad to do something that'll get you killed. But until that happens, you're my problem." Staring at the man directly in front of him, with quite a beard growing in and a shaved head, Flag looked entirely pissed off with his own situation.

Deadshot hummed, scratching at his head as he asked, "So was that supposed to be a pep talk?"

"Yea, that was a pep talk." Pointing over to the left of the gathering, Flag continued to speak as he stared at Deadshot. "There's your shit. Grab what you need for a fight. We're wheels up in ten."

Before he could leave, Deadshot held a hand out to stop him. "You might want to work on your team motivation—you ever heard of Phil Jackson? He's like the Gold Standard, okay?" Lifting his hands, he connected his thumbs and his pointer fingers, making a triangle shape. "Triangle, bitch. Study."

Once the last word was said, the convicts dispersed in the direction of their crates. Harley made a mad-dash for Diamante, the woman already standing closest to their things, and jumped once she was close enough. Diamante was the same height as Harley, but she was a bit strong than her as a human and could support her weight easily. Catching Harley in her arms, the two women were laughing as they embraced tightly, Harley's legs squeezing around Dia's hips to keep her as close as possible.

Just in the time she'd been diamond, she already looked remarkably better and it made Harley gleeful to see.

El Diablo stepped away in surprise, Harley having flown passed him at top speed, and watched as the women embraced as though life itself was slipping away from them. Harley then pulled back enough to claim the other woman's lips with hers, hands grasping at Dia's hair and holding her as Diamante returned the favour, one hand holding onto Harley's thigh. It was passion and longing, love and misery all in one kiss.

All around them, soldiers and convicts alike halted in shock as their eyes trained on the two women wrapped in a passionate embrace.

Boomerang made a strange squeaking sound as he watched them, eyes bulging in shock.

Harley pulled away enough to gasp against Dia's lips, "Little Jewel, show me the sparkle, please?" The begged please at the end caused Diamante to groan low before she felt her body bleed cold again—it still felt warm to Harley, but Diamante's power felt like ice to herself. Harley's body was burning against her, the Queen's pale flesh pressed tight. Harley giggled madly as she watched Dia's eyes shift from green to crystal, her body shimmering like a giant, precious stone. Claiming the malleable crystal of her lips again, the two looked entirely content to continue as they were. The surrounding men gaped in shock at the appearance of the diamond woman, shirt riding up from Harley's ministrations to expose her torso of glittering jewel, making out with the Queen of Crime.

"Hey!" Flag finally shouted, fed up with how even his men had halted, thoroughly distracted, to stare at the two. "Cut that shit out! Eight minutes!"

Harley huffed in annoyance as she looked over to him, still wrapped around Diamante, as Dia laughed loudly with her head thrown back. Already, the dark insanity was beginning to recede as she clutched at Harley's familiar warmth. "Come on, Baby Clown," she purred, her body softening into flesh again. "Let's give 'em a show Daddy J would be proud of." Her lips caressed Harley's cheek as she spoke, only the Queen able to hear her. Harley's face lit with a smile before she sensually slipped down off of Dia, legs nearly dragging the other woman's pants down past her hips. The peak of dark undergarments could be seen.