As Harley and Sophie made their way to the docks on foot, Sophie was fighting with her mind to stay awake and be energized. She knew just how important this job was to Harley, and she was determined not to mess it up (no matter how tired and exhausted she felt.) As much as Sophie hoped they could have swiped a car or some other mode of transportation, she felt grateful to be out in the chilly night air. It helped to wake her up somewhat, which she was happy for. Being more awake and alert, however, just gave Sophie's more reasons to be nervous and worry.

Harley was completely oblivious to this, though, as she happily chatted about everything under the sun...especially about how much she was looking forward to meeting their "mystery boss" shortly. It was like they were going to a theme park and meeting the man behind the entire place, and Harley couldn't wait.

"Do ya think he's really famous?" Harley cried, excitedly. "I mean, what if he's so rich he gives us a million smackers just for showing up? That would really make Mister J happy!" Her eyes lit up at the thought of loads of money just within their grasp. "Although I gotta admit, it was weird that the back of the note said not to bring any weapons. What kinda job could we do that doesn't involve weapons, for gosh sakes?"

Sophie smiled, brightening a little. "Well, maybe...he'll just pay us 'cause we're so cute and pretty! That way, we won't need to shoot anything!"

Harley grinned and laughed loudly. "Oh, now you're talking! That's how to use our devastatingly good looks in a useful way. I like the way you think, sweetie! He'll take one good look at us and shell out his entire fortune!"

Sophie thought for a moment before she spoke again. "Yeah...but, Harley? What if the boss is a woman? Then what could we do?"

Harley shrugged her shoulders and linked arms with Sophie as they walked. Women weren't a problem for her, either, and she scoffed. "Oh, that's even easier, kiddo. Ivy always said I was pretty talented with a-"

"Harley, look!" Sophie interrupted, gasping a little. It was probably in Sophie's best interest that Harley wasn't able to finish her thought. On the other hand, Sophie was now at a loss for words. She pointed in front of them, her hand shaking. She saw a creepy dark figure standing right in their path. There was no way around it. "D-do you see that?"

They had reached the docks by that time, and Sophie gulped, loudly, her heart thumping like a rabbit in her chest. It was just as dark and spooky as the last time she had been there, and she felt chilled. Only dim lights shown around them, making the dark figure much more scary.

"Oh my goodness, I don't like this one bit!" Sophie said in a hushed whisper, her voice a little uneasy.

Harley patted her arm a few times. "Don't worry, cutie. You gotta be brave just for once, okay? I know it's hard for you, but you gotta try not to be scared of everything!"

Harley had only meant it as a playful jab at Sophie, but Sophie didn't take it as such. She removed her arm out of Harley's grip with a huff. "I can be brave!" She cried, a little angrily. "I'm not scared of everything!"

Harley giggled a little. "Oh, c'mon, cupcake. I bet this is the big guy in charge! Turn that frown upside down."

Sophie just huffed beside her, angrily. She was too tired and cranky for Harley's jokes at that moment.

The figure slowly walked towards them, and Harley stepped out in front, a huge smile plastered on her face. This was the person she was so looking forward to meeting, and she half expected him (or her) to just start throwing money at them. She could hardly contain her excitement. "Hiya, boss! Here we are, and it's your lucky day! We're ready for anything!"

Sophie was still pouting behind Harley, with her arms crossed over her chest. "Yeah," she mumbled. "Ready for anything, because I'm not scared!"

The dark figure still didn't speak, even as it came within arms reach of Harley. Harley gulped, her smile fading a little. Now she was beginning to feel uneasy and she could understand how Sophie must have felt. "So...uh...who are you, and how did you know about us?"

The figure laughed a deep laugh, which made Sophie's blood run cold. It was a terrible, menacing laugh, much more so than the Joker's. Without a second thought, she took a step closer to Harley and took her hand, slowly. Her anger had been trumped by her fear, and she could tell Harley was pretty spooked as well. Harley gripped Sophie's hand just a little, and she knew their feelings were mutual at the time - neither of them were thrilled to have the creepy looking hooded figure standing in front of them...and even worse, having it laugh.

"Harley Quinn, I'm so surprised at you," said the voice, speaking in a more human-like sound. "You're a famous criminal around here, and a very interesting one at that. Of course I would know who you are, along with your little sidekick here. Everybody should in my opinion." The figure removed his hood, to reveal a normal-looking man with shining red hair and deep brown eyes. "The name's Burgundy."

"Burgundy?" asked Sophie, raising her eyebrow. "What kinda name is that? Did your mother hate you or something?"

Harley grinned, but Burgundy shut his eyes as if he had a headache. "It's my last name."

Sophie giggled, her strength returning on account of not feeling the least bit threatened by him. "Well, I never heard of you before. Who are you? A millionaire? A mob boss? An escaped inmate? An out-of-town villain who needs a way better costume?"

Burgundy smiled a little. "No, sweetie. I'm not a millionaire, mob boss, convict or a villain. I used to work at Gotham University, but unfortunately, I was...released of my duties."

Harley let go of Sophie's hand for a second, bawling her fists up in a fit of anger. "Are you trying to pull a fast one on us or something? We didn't come all the way out here in the middle of the freaking night for a play-date with a nobody, ya jerk! Where's the valuable merchandise we were promised, huh?"

Burgundy smiled, pulling out a gun without another word. He pointed it directly at Harley, who gasped in shock. "I'm afraid you must have misunderstood my note. The valuable merchandise is here. You brought it, Harley!"

Sophie gulped loudly. "W-what're you talking about, Mister? We didn't bring anything with us! We don't even have anything valuable!" She and Harley had slowly began backing up, ready to make the fastest getaway they could manage.

Burgundy smiled and lifted his free hand into the air as if to say, "come out, now." "Oh, you'd be surprised at just what someone could consider valuable, my dear child."

Harley gasped again, turning around. To her horror, fifteen huge thugs came out of nowhere and began surrounding them on all sides. Some behind them, some appearing behind Burgundy. Many, she saw, had guns. She turned back to Burgundy, fuming. She gritted her teeth in an angry rage. "We've been set up!"

Suddenly, Sophie felt two strong arms grab her tightly from behind, pinning her arms to her body. "Hey!" She shrieked loudly. "What're you doing? Lemme go!"

Harley turned and saw the giant man who had grabbed Sophie. She stormed towards him, her teeth clenched. "Get your hands off her, you-"

Burgundy shot the gun into the air as a warning, cutting Harley off and stopping her in her tracks. "Watch yourself, Harl, before you get somebody hurt. I heard you had a mouth on you, and I can clearly tell."

"Let. Me. Go!" Sophie screamed, kicking her feet angrily as the man lifted her up into the air, laughing at the fun he was having.

Harley tried to intervene once again, but Burgundy cocked his gun and pointed it at her. "Miss Quinzel, if I were you, I'd reconsider doing anything stupid. Look around. We've got you surrounded. You'd both be shot dead before you could even blink."

"I-I don't get it. What do you want?" Harley asked, nervously, her voice shaking. Harley knew she probably looked and sounded pathetic, but she knew the situation they were both in. Neither she nor Sophie had any weapons with them, and they were outnumbered big time. The only choice Harley seemed to have was to do exactly what Burgundy wanted...especially if she wanted to protect Sophie.

"What do I want?" Burgundy asked, innocently.

Sophie still struggled under the grip of the man. "Well, I want you to let me go, ya creep!" She cried, her teeth clenched. "Put me down!"

Burgundy laughed, partly at Sophie's attempt to free herself, and partly because of the cluelessness of Harley. "Oh, Harley, it's not about what I want. It's about what he wants. And he wants your most valuable thing...which we're going to take to him right now."

Harley gaped at him, dumbfounded. "M-my most valuable thing? But, I didn't bring anything with me because we were told not to! Whoever he is can't take something away from me if I don't even have anything to start with! So, it looks like the joke's on you. Uh...him!"

Burgundy laughed. "You little fool. You do have something of great value with you. Remember, my dear, something valuable doesn't only have to be a thing. It can also be a who. And if I'm not mistaken, there is someone here who is pretty valuable to you, isn't there?"

It took Harley about a second to realize just what Burgundy meant by his statement. She felt her heart stop beating, and she gasped loudly, turning to Sophie. "No!" Another thug came behind Harley and grabbed her, also. She couldn't move an inch no matter how hard she struggled. "No! No, you can't! Please!"

Sophie saw great fear in Harley's eyes, and that scared her more than anything. The tone of her voice made Sophie's heart race with fear, mainly because she had no idea what was happening.

"Harley?" Sophie said, her voice quivering. "W-what's he talking about?"

Harley tried to be as calm as she possibly could be. "Listen, I've got cash. I've got loads of cash. How about some priceless jewels? I can steal anything you want, I promise! Do you hear me? I'll get you anything you want!"

Burgundy chuckled at Harley's apparent desperation. "Sorry, Harley. Your bribes won't work on me. I'm under strict orders from the boss to deliver the prize as soon as possible."

"The boss?" cried Harley, in shock.

"Oh yes. I am just a henchman, after all. I simply take orders...just like you do." He grabbed Sophie's face in his hand with a chuckle. "I had no idea it was gonna be such a piece of cake to take the kid, though. It was just as easy as taking candy from a baby!"

Sophie gasped, her stomach dropping. Now she understood why Harley had been so upset. "You mean...you...you...?" Sophie's throat felt dry, and her eyes felt moist. She was barely able to choke out her words.

Burgundy laughed evilly, thoroughly enjoying the reactions from both girls. "That's right, my dear. This whole thing was a set up just so we could nab you as easily as possible. We knew Harley wouldn't be able to resist a job to impress the Joker, and that you wouldn't be able to let her do it alone. You're both so predictable. Lucky us."

Sophie's eyes began to water as she listened to Burgundy's horrible words. She had struggled as hard as she could to free herself, but her fatigue had already begun to set in once more. "Oh, Harley!" She gasped, her eyes wide and her voice squeaking. "Don't let them take me, please!"

Burgundy laughed again."Don't worry, sweetie. You'll be well taken care of. My boss is so intrigued by you. He just wants to have a little...fun with your mind. Y'know...just play some little games with you, that's all. Just a little free test subject."

"Over my dead body, he will!" Harley yelled, angrily trying o kick herself free.

Burgundy raised the gun and pointed it at Harley's face. "Oh, that can be arranged, if you want. You should really learn to watch what you say, Harley. Surely that's what got you into this mess in the first place."

Harley noticed the thug holding Sophie had set her on the ground. Sophie stopped struggling in that moment, because she needed to save the little energy she had left. This was what she had been waiting for. Harley managed to grin at that moment.

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe you should just watch!" Harley cried, with half a giggle

Within a flash, Sophie used every ounce of strength she had left. She forcefully threw the thug who had been holding her directly over her back. He crashed into Burgundy in a heap on the ground. Harley had given Sophie a little self-defense classes months ago and Sophie had been dying to try out a move she'd learned. At the same moment, Harley used the same move with her thug, and he crashed into several more of them like dominoes.

Harley grabbed Sophie's hand and took off in a sprint, despite the gunshots they were encountering. Some of the goons felt lost without Burgundy telling them what to do, and it was fortunate for Harley and Sophie. They had nowhere to run as their exit had been blocked by thugs with guns, so they retreated further down the docks, dodging bullets as they flew all around them. There was mass construction happening around them and they relished in the thought of being in the cover of both darkness and by huge stacks of crates and boxes. They were stacked like a mini labyrinth, which only worked to their advantage. They hid back behind one of the stacks, as far as they could.

"Oh, Harley! I don't wanna go with them!" Sophie breathlessly panted, her eyes filling with hot tears. "P-please, don't let them take me! Please!" Sophie couldn't stop herself from sobbing out of fear, her heart pounding.

Harley pulled Sophie close into a hug, her heart beating wildly, also. "I won't let those creeps take you, sweetie. I promise! Nobody's gonna take you anywhere."

Sophie couldn't imagine the kinds of things they would do to her if they caught her, and that scared her more than anything. The thought of being taken away from Harley and even the Joker, whom she had a great respect for, shattered her heart. She began to cry pathetically, out of both sadness and fear. Suddenly, they heard voices approaching them. Harley quickly covered Sophie's mouth with her hand, still holding onto her tightly. "C'mon, cutie. You can't make a single sound, okay? Not one!" Harley whispered quietly, but urgently.

Sophie nodded, her eyes wide with fright. Suddenly, they heard gunshots and the crashing sounds of stacks of crates being knocked over. Sophie flinched, shutting her eyes tightly. She gasped at the noise of the gunshots, but luckily, only a quiet, muffled sound escaped her mouth. Sophie held onto Harley as tightly as she could, never wanting to let go. It was fortunate that Harley had Sophie's mouth covered, because otherwise, she would have cried out, and then they'd have been goners in a heartbeat.

"They gotta be around here, somewhere, boss! We blocked the exit to the street. They ain't going nowhere!" cried a thug.

"But, they are going somewheres, ain't they? I thought we was gonna kidnap that cute little brat, then send Harley Quinn to the bottom of the bay!" said another, questionably. "Ain't that right, boss?"

Sophie opened her eyes after hearing their plan, feeling sick to her stomach at the thought of them catching Harley. She was more concerned about the safety of Harley than for herself. If she knew they would leave Harley alone, Sophie would have given herself up and gone willingly with them, especially after hearing what they wanted to do to her. But, from the look of things, even giving herself up would still result in them harming Harley. There was silence then, but suddenly, they heard a gunshot, and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. Sophie gulped, knowing full well that Burgundy had shot the man who asked the question.

"Does anybody else have any more questions I can answer?" Burgundy asked, loudly, only to be met with silence. "Now, listen up! If you goons don't find them within the next twenty minutes, I'll have your heads on a platter! Do you understand me?" He cried, angrily, shooting his gun into the air. "Everybody split up and take a good look around here. They've got nowhere to run but everywhere to hide. They're trapped like mice! Leave no box unturned. Now, go!"

Harley and Sophie heard shuffling and footsteps all around them. Harley's eyes became wide with fright after each nearby sound. For once, she knew they were in a very, very bad position. She didn't have a clever...or even a stupid plan to get them out of it. They couldn't run undetected, because they were surrounded on all sides. They couldn't fight, because there was no way that the two of them could take on so many armed people. They really were trapped like mice. Harley looked at Sophie, whose eyes were wet with frightened tears. She felt her own eyes fill with tears, too, but she blinked hard to keep them from falling. For the first time in any job she'd ever done, or any situation she'd ever been it, she felt completely helpless and out of ideas. It seemed this time was really the end of the line. Harley shut her eyes tightly after coming to the realization that it could very well be their last moments, and she quickly wiped the tears which started to fall before Sophie could see them. Harley knew the only thing they could do was wait it out, and hope not to be discovered.

For what seemed like an eternity, every footstep or shuffle that came around them made both Sophie and Harley's hearts jump. They were waiting for the moment when a face or body would come peeking around the corner, see them, and everything would be over. As the seconds turned to minutes still, they heard the yells of the men becoming more and more frantic.

"Boss, we looked everywhere! They ain't here!" A faint voice called out from a distance.

"They have to be here, you idiot!" called another voice. "They didn't sneak past Big Ed! There ain't no way!"

Another loud gunshot rang out in the night, making Harley and Sophie gasp. "You're all the lowliest bunch of henchmen ever! It's been over an hour, and you're telling me you haven't seen a single thing, yet?" yelled Burgundy, his voice a little closer than the rest, but still off in the distance. "He's not gonna be happy about this if we come back empty handed! He was counting on us to snatch that stupid kid! He set it up perfectly! He'll kill us all!"

"Maybe they's out on the street somewhere, boss!"called another voice from a different direction. "Maybe they really did make a run for it!"

Harley and Sophie looked at each other, their eyes wide. That statement was exactly what they wanted to hear. They just hoped it would have some affect on Burgundy.

"Alright, listen up! Let's get outta here!" Burgundy yelled, angrily. "I read all about them, and I thought this was a sure thing! I knew those two are notorious for slipping out of places unnoticed, and I shoulda known it this time. They're sneaky, just like...just like-"

"Mice," both Harley and Sophie mouthed along with Burgundy, grinning at each other for a moment. Sophie had to cover her mouth to stifle the giggle that came afterwards.

They heard someone kick over stacks of crates, and they assumed it was Burgundy, livid that he'd failed his mission. Their suspicions were confirmed once they heard Burgundy angrily scream every curse word known to man. Harley bit her lip and covered Sophie's ears until he stopped his ranting. They stopped and listened, and their hearts leaped with joy after hearing the footsteps slowly get quieter and quieter, until they heard nothing.

"Oh, Harley!" Sophie squealed quietly, throwing her arms around Harley, happily. "They didn't find us, they didn't find us!"

Harley hugged Sophie back, but she still looked around, nervously, shushing her. "Hold on, cutie. I dunno if we're in the clear just yet. They're stupid, but I bet ya they aren't that stupid. I'm gonna go take a peek out there just to be sure. Stay here, and I don't wanna hear a peep outta you 'til I get back, you got it?" She grinned and poked Sophie in the stomach, making her giggle.

"I got it, I got it," Sophie said with a grin, sitting down and pulling her knees up to her chest. She watched as Harley carefully stood up and began to walk away. "Hey, Harley?"

"What is it, sweetie?" Harley asked, turning back around.

"Um...when we get back to the club...hideout, can we eat a whole tub of ice cream for breakfast, please? I think I need it," Sophie said, sighing heavily. "Y'know, it's a good thing I color my hair for my costume, 'cause I bet ya I got some gray hairs, now...and I'm barely eleven!"

Harley laughed, kneeling down and cupping Sophie's face in her hands. "Sure, cutie. We can eat three tubs of ice cream if you want!"

Sophie smiled, a glint in her eye. "You promise?" She couldn't help but giggle.

Harley laughed, realizing she was being set up. "Yeah, I promise. And you know I never break a promise."

Sophie giggled once more. "Yeah, I know, that's why I asked."

Harley kissed Sophie's forehead and stood up, hoping to check the coast was clear, and to get them both out to safety. "I'll be back in just a minute, okay?"

Sophie looked around at the dark surroundings, and gulped. She bit her lip, nervously. "Y-you promise?" She asked, her voice in a hushed, nervous whisper.

Harley smiled and pinched her cheek quickly before she left. "I promise!"

As Harley quietly scampered off, Sophie took in a deep, nervous breath. She knew they were safe and sound because as they hadn't heard a single sound for a long time. Still, she hated to be alone in the dark and she couldn't fully relax just yet. She hugged her knees tightly to her chest, and concentrated on watching the place Harley had disappeared to. She thought if she concentrated hard enough, she'd be able to magically make Harley appear with the all clear, and they would be able to run away and never look back.

After a few minutes, Sophie felt her eyes grow heavy, and she yawned, sleepily. She wondered if the sun would soon be rising, as she'd lost track of the hour by then. The entire night was a complete blur to her. She thought she had been tired before all the chaos, but now, she was almost too weary to function. She felt her eyes slowly begin to close, and before she knew it, she had given up all hope of fighting to stay awake. As she started to get comfortable on the chilly wooden ground, she used the very last bit of energy left inside her to forcefully shove herself up into a seated position once more. She blinked her eyes a few times as hard as she could. "C'mon, c'mon! Snap out of it!" She scolded herself, giggling a little as she rubbed her burning eyes. "Now's not the time to sleep."

All of the sudden, she felt two cold hands seize her from behind. Before she could cry out even the slightest peep, one gloved-hand clamped tightly over her mouth, and the other wrapped around her waist and jerked her up from the ground as if she were nothing more than a tiny little puppy.

"Oh, you'll be able to sleep soon enough, cutie," said the deep voice of one of Burgundy's men, who had still been lurking around. He had waited for such a moment, and he counted his lucky stars that Burgundy had instructed him to stay behind and see if the two girls would eventually come out.

Sophie was in a right panic at that point, kicking and fighting as hard as her tired body could manage, but his grip was just too strong for her. She tried desperately to scream for Harley, but the only sound she was able to make through the thick leather glove was a quiet, muffled whimper. She tried again and again to scream, yell, shout...anything, but her soft, quiet cries were as quiet as the wind in the trees.

"You ain't going nowhere, sweetie, 'cept with me. I'm just gonna take you to the boss, and he'll deal with you, then," said the thug with a laugh, as he started to drag Sophie away into the darkness. Given his size compared with hers, it was an easy task. "Man, I should get a gold medal for this! Kidnapping you right from under Harley Quinn's nose is something to be proud of!"

As the man pulled Sophie farther away, she began to feel sick in her stomach. She knew if she didn't find a way to escape, she might not live much longer. Try as she might, though, no amount of kicking or struggling could free herself. He lifted her up and started carrying her under his arm with ease, and Sophie could do nothing but cry, completely giving up her fight.

Harley had seen nothing on her lookout, and sighed with relief. "What useless goons they turned out to be. But, this is the last time we answer a creepy, strange letter, that's for sure!" She said out loud, making her way back to where she'd left Sophie. "This was almost as bad as the time I answered that personal ad at the university!" Harley paused. "Almost." When she came close to where Sophie had been, she grinned. "Hey, sweetie, the coast is clear, and it's time to cel-e-brate!" When Sophie didn't come a-running, Harley's grin faded. She rounded the corner, expecting to see Sophie. When she wasn't in the spot she should have been, Harley gasped. "Hey, sweetie, where are you? C'mon, we're going home!" Harley's stomach dropped after a moment, and she began frantically walking through the maze of boxes. "Sophie?" She cried, a little more urgently. "Sophie, sweetie? Where'd you go? If you're hiding, it's not funny. And I know funny...I'm a harlequin!"

As Harley searched, Sophie was crying much more now, still trying to make as much noise as she could to alert Harley about her current predicament. The thug carrying her rolled his eyes as he walked. "Hey, stop your whining, you little brat. I ain't letting you go, no matter how much you cry."

"Sophie!" Harley yelled, hysterically. She was well beyond panicked by then, her heart racing inside her chest so hard she thought it would burst through at any moment. "Sophie!"

Sophie's eyes widened after hearing Harley's voice echo in the distance, and she felt a sudden jolt of energy. She kicked her feet as hard as she could at just the right moment, and knocked over a huge stack of boxes as they passed by them. The thug gasped and used one of his hands to stop one of the boxes from crashing directly into their heads. Sophie took that chance to kick and struggle once more, and the thug lost his grip on her, causing her to fall to the ground around the stray boxes which were now crashing down everywhere. She wasted no time in running from him as fast as her tired legs could carry her, under the shield of the little chaos she'd caused.

"Harley!" Sophie screamed, half sobbing, her voice hoarse from her tears. She ran towards where she thought Harley was. "Harley, I'm over here! He's after me!" Sophie continued running, glancing behind her, half expecting the thug to be on her heels. When he was nowhere to be found, she gasped and was able to stop sprinting, much to her pleasure. She was feeling faint in her head and wasn't sure just how long she would have been able to continue like she had been. She stopped to catch her breath and to wipe the tears from her eyes, relieved to finally be away from danger.

"Sweetie, don't worry! I'm coming, I'm coming!" Harley yelled from a closer distance.

Sophie giggled, breathlessly, but managed to shout back. "Okay, I'm not going anywhere!"

She leaned back against a stack of boxes, happily. She wanted to laugh at the bumbling thug, and how she had managed to escape from him with ease. She grinned widely when she noticed Harley's shadow come running towards her. Her entire body filled with pure happiness, and she felt as if she'd burst open. "Oh, Harley!"She squeaked happily, her fists clenched with joy as she ran towards Harley's shadow. "Harley, you-" Suddenly, Sophie gasped lin sheer horror. She lost her breath and fresh tears poured from her eyes. The shadow which had run towards her wasn't Harley, but another one of Burgundy's thugs. "No!" Sophie quietly cried out in disbelief. "No!" Sophie gasped, backing up. She almost fell to her knees in agony when she realized she literally had no energy to protect herself any longer. As the thug came into view, grinning and holding a pistol in his hand, Sophie felt as if someone had punched the wind out of her.

"Hiya, Sweetie. Did ya miss us?" He snarled, reaching his hands out towards her.

Sophie continued to back up, her vision cloudy with tears. She gasped as she tripped over her own feet, falling onto her back. "Harley!" She screamed as loudly as she could. Unfortunately, given her current state of mind and fatigue, she had barely made a sound. "Harley, help m-!" Before she could finish the sentence, a cold, gloved hand covered her mouth once more.

She gasped as the first thug grabbed her again, angrily jerking her up from the ground. "You little brat!" He growled, fiercely. "Did you really think you could run away from me? That stupid little clown girl ain't gonna find you no matter how loud you scream! Now, we're getting out of here, and I hope the boss will kill you just as fast as he can. I'll be glad to watch!" As the thug picked Sophie up again in one of his arms, she could barely fight back, this time. She knew she was a goner, and she cried harder than ever before as he made his way back towards the street. "Y'know, it's a shame I can't just dispose of you now. I've got tons of ways I could get rid of a little brat like you!"

Sophie noticed the other thug had disappeared for a second, but she saw his shadow which seemed to creep beside them. She wondered why he wasn't saying a word, but she was too afraid to wonder for long. Suddenly, he jumped out in front of them, but to Sophie's joy, it wasn't the thug, but Harley.

"Hey, you stupid creep!" Harley cried, her fists clenched angrily. "You got some nerve, y'know. You have about five seconds to let her go, before I hand you a still-pumping body part!"

The thug laughed and shook his head. scoffing. "I aint scared of a silly little dame like you dressed in a clown costume!"

Harley advanced towards him, her fists clenched in fury. "Well, you should be, 'cause trust me, if you don't get your hands off her right now, you'll get a taste of my foot in all the places it shouldn't be. Unless you have any last words, I'll go ahead and demonstrate for ya."

The thug grinned widely as he saw his partner sneak up behind Harley, the pistol raised like a club. Sophie's eyes got wide, and filled with tears. She tried with all her might to warn Harley, to tell her to watch out behind her...but it was completely useless as the thug had such a tight grip covering her mouth.

"My last words, hm?" said the first thug with a sly grin. "Well, if you insist. I promise you...we'll take good care of your little sweetie pie."

"What?" Harley asked, dumfounded. That surely wasn't what she was expecting to hear.

Before Harley knew what was happening, the thug behind her clubbed her in the back of her head with the handle of his pistol. She fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, knocked out cold. Sophie gasped in a panicked distress, but she could do nothing to help her dear friend.

The first thug lifted her up under his arm again as harshly as he could. "Get on with it, Mack! Tie her to one of them heavy boxes, dump her into the bay, and let's get going! She'll sink to the bottom like a red and black cannonball!" He dragged the hysterically crying Sophie away as he shouted the orders to his partner. "Hurry it up! We've got some precious cargo to deliver."

Mack dragged Harley's limp body towards the pier, just as he had been instructed. He hastily threw her on top of a wooden box with a groan. He grabbed some prickly rope and began tying Harley to the box as quickly as he could. Once he had finished, he kicked the box off the pier. He grinned as he heard the loud splash, and laughed as he watched the box slowly sink down into the cold, murky black water. "See ya around...never, Harley Quinn," he chuckled, "saluting." He eagerly walked off to meet his partner...ready to take Sophie to the man behind the entire operation.