Ace Chemicals, like the Aquacade, seemed, from all outside appearances, to be deserted as Harleen drove through its rusty gates. The factory's broken windows gaped lifelessly open, but Harleen thought she could just barely make out a strange, green glow coming from inside.
She carefully made her way through the front doors of the factory, where the green glow grew stronger. She saw that it was coming from huge vats of chemicals that lined the floor. "Jack?" she called, her voice echoing around the giant chamber. "Jack?"
She suddenly felt an arm tightened around her waist as someone seized her from behind. A blade pressed into her cheek as an unpleasant, unfamiliar voice hissed, "Well, well, well, what have we got here?"
"Back off, creep!" snapped Harleen, whose desperation to warn Jack made her more irritable than afraid. She raised her arm and elbowed the figure who held her in the face. She heard a satisfying crack, and then he yelped in pain, releasing her and dropping the knife as both hands flew to cup his nose.
"You'll pay for that, you little bitch!" he hissed, as Harleen grabbed the dropped knife and turned to face him.
"I'm not afraid of you," snapped Harleen. "Where's Jack Napier?"
"Who wants to know?" demanded the man.
"His girlfriend," retorted Harleen.
"Girlfriend, eh?" asked the man, eyeing Harleen up and down. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart, but he's busy. But if bad guys are your type, you and me can get to know each other a little better, huh?"
"I said, back off, creep!" shouted Harleen, holding the knife in front of her. "Just take me to see Jack! It's urgent!"
"Harley?" said a voice. Harleen looked up to see Jack emerging from an office above the vats. He beamed at her. "Kid, what are you doing here?" he asked, racing down the stairs.
"Jack!" gasped Harleen in relief, dropping the knife and leaping into his arms. "Oh, thank God I found you in time!"
"In time for what?" he asked, puzzled. "Hey, Buzz, beat it," he snapped at the man who had threatened Harleen. "A guy and his girlfriend tend to want privacy. You'd know that if you ever had a girlfriend, but I guess there ain't too many dames lining up for the dumb, scrawny, and ugly type."
Buzz glared at him. "You think you're so funny, Jack," he muttered. "But you ain't. And your joking's gonna get you into trouble one day."
"I doubt it," retorted Jack. "Now beat it."
Buzz skulked back up the stairs toward the office. "And now I can greet you properly, sweets," said Jack, smiling as he turned to Harleen and leaned forward to kiss her.
"There's no time," interrupted Harleen. "You have to get out of here now. Come on," she said, taking his hand and trying to drag him away.
"Woah, woah, woah, I can't just abandon the guys," said Jack. "Running out on them in the middle of a meeting is gonna result in worse than my wrist being broken by Sal."
"Sal's the least of your worries," retorted Harleen. "The cops are coming, with Ricky. They know you're here, and they're not intending to arrest you this time. You have to get out of here," she repeated, tugging at his hand.
Jack nodded. "Well, when you put it like that, I've gotta agree with you, kid," he said, following Harleen as they ran toward the exit together.
They froze at the doorway, seeing the sudden reflection of flashing lights in the broken glass, and hearing the crackle of the gravel as the wheels of multiple police cars descended into the front courtyard of Ace Chemicals.
"We're too late," whispered Harleen. "They're here."
Jack grabbed her hand and dragged her in the opposite direction. "C'mon," he said. "We'll head for the back way across the platforms. Hopefully once they break in here, they'll be too distracted shooting at the gang to notice us slipping out."
"Hopefully," agreed Harleen, although she was terrified as she heard the front door bang open, and booted footsteps head into the factory. Jack ducked behind a vat, pulling Harleen down next to him, and they both held their breath as the men stormed past, heading for the office where the light was on. Jack peered out from behind the vat to see that guards had been set up along the front entrance to make sure nobody got out. He glanced upwards to the series of platforms – the cops were already climbing up to the one leading to the office, but a smaller trail of them ran along the sides of the building and to the back emergency exit.
"We're gonna have to be quick and quiet," he murmured. "When we get up there, we just need to run without looking back."
Harleen nodded, her heart pounding in terror. "Jack," she whispered, clutching his hand. "Whatever happens…I just want you to know that I love you."
He grinned. "Of course you do, kid," he murmured. "Only somebody who loved me would risk their life coming here to save mine. My only regret if we don't make it is that I never got to thank you properly for it."
Harleen smiled despite herself, and then kissed him tenderly. Their kiss was interrupted by the sound of gunshots and shouts of alarm as the gang was ambushed, and defended themselves.
"Now," whispered Jack. "While they're distracted."
He and Harleen raced up the stairs to the platforms, running as fast as they could down them. Harleen could see the door to freedom, and she could hear Jack behind her, and her heart leapt in hope that they would make it after all…
And then fell again as she heard a familiar voice behind them. "I can shoot you in the back, Napier, if you insist on running like the coward you are. Keep running if you think I'm bluffing, or turn and face me like a man."
Harleen heard Jack stop, and turned to see him standing facing Ricky, who stood further down the platform, aiming a gun at his head. "My fellow officers are taking care of the rest of your gang," said Ricky, his blue eyes fixed on Jack like cold steel. "But you're mine."
Jack chuckled. "This is the thanks I get for saving your life, kid?" he laughed. "Suppose that'll teach me a lesson for being merciful, if this is where mercy gets me."
"If you think I'm capable of any act of mercy after you killed my partner in cold blood, then you're even dumber than you look," retorted Ricky. "You gunned him down like a dog, and now it's time I did the same for you. That's justice, cop killer. That's what all your kind deserve, a swift bullet to the skull. You deal that out to so many people, but you must never really think your day's ever gonna come. But it's come today, Jack Napier," he said, cocking his gun. "Today's the day you die, unmourned by anyone, and alone. Because you're an evil monster, and evil monsters always die alone."
Jack grinned. "I ain't alone," he murmured.
Harleen stepped forward into the light, standing protectively in front of Jack. "Ricky, please," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "Please, don't shoot him."
Ricky stared at her in disbelief and shock. "Harley?" he gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to warn Jack," she said, taking Jack's hand and turning to face Ricky again. "I love him, Ricky."
Ricky gaped at her, not processing what she had said. "What?" he gasped.
"I love him," repeated Harleen. "That's what I was trying to tell you earlier. That's what I've been wanting to tell you for weeks, only I didn't know how. And I never wanted it to come to this. But Jack and I…are in love."
Ricky continued to just stare at her, aghast. "Harley…he…he can't…a thing like that can't love!"
"Yes, he can, Ricky," murmured Harleen, gently. "He loves me. And I love him."
"Why do you think I saved your life during the raid, kid?" asked Jack, grinning. "Did you think it was because of your stunning good looks? It was because Harley pleaded for you with hers. It was because I'd rather let you live with Harley than hurt her with your death."
"Harley…you can't love a creature like that…you don't know what he's done!" cried Ricky.
"I read his file, same as you," replied Harleen, calmly. "I know him. And I love him. It's as simple as that, Ricky. I never meant to hurt you, but there was no way of telling you the truth without doing that. And now that you know, please, you have to let him go. For my sake."
"Let him go?" repeated Ricky. "The man who killed my partner, my fellow officers, and seduced my fiancee…"
"He didn't seduce me," said Harleen. "We met on the subway after my engagement party. We got talking, and we discovered we liked each other, and…he was the person I stayed with that night. I didn't know who he was then, except a man I was very attracted to, and after I found out, I only grew more attracted to him. The truth is, Ricky, our relationship…has never really worked, at least not for me. I stayed in it because I was too scared and apathetic to break out of it. But with Jack, I'm not afraid or apathetic. He makes me feel things I've never felt before. And that's not your fault – that's not anyone's fault. We're just two different people, and we're just not compatible. But Jack and I are."
Ricky shook his head. "Harley, I know you, and you're not compatible with a murdering psychopath…"
"You don't know me, Ricky," interrupted Harleen. "I've tried to hide my true self from everyone for a long time. But finally, with Jack, I don't have to. I'm not appalled by crime and murder – I'm attracted to it. I'm attracted to a man who does bad things, and one…who can do bad things to me. You deserve a much better wife than me. So please, just let Jack go. And let me go with him."
"Harley…" gasped Ricky. He shook his head firmly. "This isn't you. He's done something, twisted your mind, like the monster that he is…"
"Ricky, he hasn't!" cried Harleen. "This is who I am! You have to accept that! You have to accept the truth!"
"No, I don't!" he roared. "Not if the truth is insanity! And that's what this is, Harley! It's crazy! No one in their right mind could love a creature like that! You're confused, and you need help, and you can get it once he's gone!"
"Ricky, please…" began Harleen, but he raised his gun again.
"Get out of the way, Harley," Ricky murmured, his gun and eyes fixed on Jack.
Harleen gazed desperately at Ricky, and then glanced at Jack, who said nothing. But she felt his hand slide toward his gun. "Get out of the way, Harley," Jack whispered, gently.
"Jack, no," she whispered. "I won't let you…"
"I'm sorry it has to be like this, Harley," murmured Jack. "But one of us is going to meet our fate today. Just get out of the way and let it happen. Personally, I like my odds."
Harleen shook her head, but she could sense them both getting ready to shoot. She was desperate to stop them, but if she had to save one, she knew who it was going to be.
"Ricky, no!" she shrieked, suddenly rushing him.
"Harley!" shouted Jack, racing after her to push her out of the way in case Ricky fired. Harleen reached him before he could, however, and knocked the gun out of his grip, sending it spinning out of his hands and into the glowing green acid below them.
Ricky shoved her away from him, knocking her back against the railing, and then dived forward to try to grab Jack's gun out of his hand. Jack fired, but Ricky had ducked in time, and the bullet shot through one of the supporting chains holding up the platform instead. It lurched just as Ricky collided with Jack, and they both slipped and fell together under the railing and off the platform.
"Jack!" screamed Harleen, looking over the edge of the platform to see Ricky clinging onto it, with Jack clinging onto his leg. The glowing, green acid bubbled below them, and Ricky struggled to hold on as Jack slipped further down his leg.
Harleen grabbed hold of Ricky's hand, trying to pull him up, but she wasn't strong enough with both of them hanging on. She braced herself against the railing as Ricky struggled to pull himself up with her help.
"Jack," she gasped, letting go of Ricky once his torso was back on the platform, and leaning over to hold out a hand to Jack.
Jack reached up to take her hand, and that was when Ricky kicked out suddenly, making Jack lose his grip on his leg. Harleen watched in horror as he plummeted down into the green chemicals below, hitting them with a splash.
"Jack!" she screamed, waiting for him to resurface. But nothing did, not even his body. It was as if the chemicals had swallowed him whole.
"Sorkin, what happened? Where's Napier? Weren't you going after him?" demanded Gordon, who had suddenly appeared from the office, as his men escorted what was left of the Valestra gang out of the factory. "Harley?" Gordon said, noticing her suddenly. "What are you doing here?"
Harleen couldn't respond – she just stared in horror down at where Jack had disappeared. "Napier's been dealt with," muttered Ricky, climbing slowly to his feet. "He's gone."
"You…you killed him," stammered Harleen, tearing her eyes away from the vat and up at Ricky.
"He fell," retorted Ricky, firmly. "I couldn't pull both of us up – it was either one of us died, or we both did. I made a choice. I did what I had to do, and it was the right thing."
"You killed him," repeated Harleen, ignoring him and just staring at him, aghast. "You killed the man I loved. How can that possibly be the right thing?"
"I know you don't understand it right now, Harley," said Ricky, gently, taking her by the shoulders and gazing into her eyes. "But you will. You're sick, and I'm gonna help you get better. That's all mental illness is, after all, you've told me that a thousand times. It's something that can be cured, with time and help and compassion. And I'm gonna give you all those things, baby. And I know eventually we can be happy together again."
"Happy," repeated Harleen. "You think…I can ever be happy after this?"
"I know you can," he said. "Trust me, baby."
He kissed her forehead, and then said, taking her hand, "Now let's get outta here and get you home."
Harleen couldn't do anything else but obey him, and she followed him dumbly. She was in a state of complete mental shock right now, and she couldn't process nor accept that the man she loved was dead. She couldn't process nor accept that the man she was engaged to had killed him. And she couldn't imagine what on earth was going to happen to her now.