Author's Note: Cheers to people who point out when there are errors so I can go fix them, when I write chapters on my phone my autocorrect is a real dick about the characters names and the locations. A couple things are in a different order (nothing too important) because it fits better. Also for reference, 'bearded soldier' is Lt. Edwards; but for the most part in this Harley calls him 'bearded soldier' because his name has not yet come up; so yes I do know what his actual name is haha. Not one of my best chapters, I don't think, but let me know what you think.
Chapter Thirty Four.
The small alley way opened up to a broad street lined by towering brick buildings, which were currently dark and empty, with chunks of stonework missing. The street, which would normally never sleep, looked eerie in its current state as it was now cracked and littered with debris. Harley stepped smoothly around the fresh potholes and piles of rubble, keeping her footsteps silent despite her nonchalance.
Fire flickered towards the end of the street from what looked like the mangled remains of a vehicle from the distance Harley was at. The air was thick with smoke and tension. The buzzing of one of the soldiers coms buzzed through the silence "I'm standing by for follow though on tasking" Spoke the garbled voice. The soldiers checked the street suspiciously before they moved ahead.
As the parade of soldiers and criminals passed through the street, a twisted wreck caught Harleys attention. The middle of the almost unidentifiable car was blasted out, leaving a dip followed by a blasted trail of what once were car parts. The rest of the vehicle looked as though it had been melted, it was definitely not normal, Harley thought, eyeing it closely. She wondered what kind of threat had come to the city, what threat was large enough for the government officials to gather the best of the worst and set them upon it.
Flag stopped as he caught sight of the skeletal remains of the vehicle, not responding to the muffled buzzing of his com, Harley could not make out what the garbled voice said from her position. The handsome bearded soldier Harley had noticed turned to Flag "Boss, we got people up here" He said, voice quiet and serious. Harley turned to peer down the street, catching sight of shadowed figures in the distance. Flag stared out at the distance for a moment, before picking his com up "I'm on my way" He said, taking off down the street.
The soldiers communicated silently with hand gestures, their footsteps light as they moved down the war torn street. The group of criminals exchanged glances without a word, as the soldiers positioned themselves down the street, taking cover with their weapons raised. Harley moved to the front of the group, listening carefully as Flag lifted his com to his mouth "-we have hostiles up ahead" She was able to catch him say. Harley shifted her position slightly, getting a better view of the scene before her as she swung her bat up; prepared to have some fun.
"Flag get out of there, we're not here to fight them. We know that doesn't work" Harley heard the reply coming from the coms clearly in the silent street. That was interesting, who was it that the American military would be ordered not to fight in an attack, how unpatriotic not to go charging in, guns blazing, Harley considered. This was definitely becoming more interesting by the second.
"Copy that, we're diverting" Harley heard Flag respond to the order. As Flag began giving quiet orders to the bearded soldier, the criminal group moved closer, standing wisely behind an abandoned car. Harley leaned her arms against Floyd and Digger as they all listened closely, puzzling out what was going on. "Bump out second squad two blocks east. We'll pass through you, continue north. Take bravo two blocks east. We'll leapfrog through you once you're in position" Flag commanded. "Copy that" The soldier responded, nodding quickly.
As large number of the soldiers began pulling back, heading back down the alley to their alternate route, Harley, Digger, and Floyd leaned closer to talk. Killer Croc' stood a few steps behind them, clearly listening, as Diablo stood further back from the group; distancing himself. "Hey, I like these odds mate. You just say the word" Digger whispered to the group around him. Harley stared up at Floyd, who was watching the street ahead with a distant look on his face. Harley tapped his shoulder "Come on" She pushed.
Floyd glanced at them, before staring back out at the street, his face distracted. "Yeah, uh, hold that thought" Floyd said, pulling away as he walked around the car. Floyd pulled a glowing red device over one of his eyes as he made his way towards Flag. Harley frowned at the sight, wondering what he was doing. "Rick, why do they look like that?" Harley heard the soldier next to Flag ask him, as Floyd slowly walked towards the men. "Stay cool" Flag responded, glancing at the man. "What the hell are they?" Floyd asked, his face shadowed from Harleys view. She glanced again at the unmoving, black, vaguely human shaped figures in the distance. What the hell were they? "You cut and run, I'll blow your head off" Flag replied, avoiding answering, Harley noticed.
Katana widened her stance, standing firmly as she pulled her glinting sword free, whispering something Harley could not make out, even with her excellent hearing that had only been improved by her chemical bath. Floyd raised his gun, aiming steadily at the hostile figures. The minute Harley saw that his aim was not on any of the soldiers, she understood what was about to happen.
A sick, bubbling roar came from one of the hostiles, before they all seemed to turn at once and rush forwards, their gate distinctly human. "Hit 'em!" Flag yelled, as bullets began to rain down upon the advancing creatures, blowing black matter through the air as their bodies arched down to the ground. Harley watched the scene for a moment, before pulling her gun from the inside of her jacket, cocking it quickly. As Harley had reached for her weapon, she heard a crack, and a growl. The crack had evidently been from Diggers now opened beer as he crouched low, the growl from Killer Croc' as he dropped his hood back, teeth bared.
The creatures moved amazingly quickly, even with their bulky, strange forms. "Huh" Harley said aloud as she stared ahead, surprised that she had actually found herself on the same side as these soldiers. Who would have guessed, she thought. One of the creatures managed to avoid the hail of bullets as it leapt over a car some soldiers were using as cover. It landed heavily on top of one of the soldiers with a growl, quickly followed by more black creatures leaping over the car. "Hey! Hey get off me!" The soldier yelled as he struggled with the being, which seemed to be wrestling his gun away.
Katana let out a cry as she leapt forward, blade blurring through the air as she sliced through the attacking beings, leaping and ducking between the creatures. Harley stalked ahead firmly, gun raised as she blew the head off of every beast she came across, taking a moment to wonder again what the hell they were as she saw their black, uneven, humanoid bodies crack and burst like old stone.
Harley kept track automatically of where everyone on her 'side' was as she blasted through the monsters, Diablo stood uselessly to the side, staring ahead. Floyd too was blasting through the beasts with incredible precision. Harley could hear Killer Croc' growling somewhere behind her, she assumed he was ripping the things apart, she wondered what they tasted like absently. She suspected Digger was drinking his beer behind the car as he slipped lowly down a nearby alley, though she did spot his boomerang whipping through the air.
Harley let out a laugh as she spotted Killer Croc', he was indeed ripping through the things, as she had spotted him he had tossed one of the beasts easily through the air, sending him flying into a flaming car with a crunching smash. Harley sighed as her gun clicked, depleted out of bullets, she had no time to deal with ammo right now. As she tucked her gun back into her jacket, Harley twirled her reinforced bat around "Batter up!" She called loudly in a sing-song tone as she hefted the head of one of the beasts off with a grunt. Harley lost herself in the motions as she beat the beasts into crumbling black pieces, enjoying the anger she was releasing.
The sounds of grunting, growling, smashing, and gun fire became background noise as Harley ducked and twisted her way around the hostiles, face set as she destroyed them one by one. A part of Harley's mind still kept track of where everyone was, losing track of your surroundings was dangerous, Harley thought vaguely as she smashed a beast nearly in half, Joker had told her that.
Digger was somewhere at the back, having just been hit in the face he gave a quick smile as he pulled boomerangs out from his coat and began slicing through the creatures. Harley wondered if she was bringing her imagination into real life again as she spotted what seemed to be a stuffed, pink unicorn fly from his jacket to the ground, followed by him calling "Pinky!" And scooping the plush animal up. Her attention was quickly diverted from the stuffed animal, as Flag was rushed by at least four of the creatures, they seemed to be trying to carry him off as he struggled "Get off me you son of a bitch!" Harley heard him grunt. She smiled at the sight, laughing slightly.
"Flag!" One of the soldiers yelled, attempting to shoot his way to the man. "Good riddance" Harley said aloud, landing in a crouch as she smashed through another beast. "Harley! He dies, we die!" Floyd shouted, gun lowered. Harley turned slightly, noticing him watching. Harley sighed loudly in annoyance, rolling her eyes as she stood and ran towards Flag. Raising her bat, she began to beat down the beasts, sending their crumbling bodies flying through the air as the bearded soldier gunned down more of the monsters around them.
Harley swung her bat over her shoulder as the soldier reached Flag as well. Harley and the Bearded Man, as she had come to think of him, simultaneously held a hand out to Flag, which he grabbed with a grunt as they pulled him up from the ground. "Thanks" Flag said casually. Harley pushed past him "Shut up" She responded firmly, running ahead to beat more of the beasts down.
Harley took off, annoyed at her actions. She did not want to save Flag, but she enjoyed beating down the monsters; their silhouettes human shaped despite the appearance of thick, black, rock coating them. She wasn't stupid, she knew there was something big going on; she just didn't care too much. Her priorities lay with escaping from the hold of that prick Flag and the devil woman Waller, by an ironic twist that she was not enjoying, her chance at escaping alive currently meant she needed to keep Flag alive.
Harley ran by a soldier aiming what seemed to be a large device designed to shoot explosives, the exact make difficult to make out around the swarms of soldiers and monsters. "Backblast, clear!" A soldier next to him yelled above the sounds of the battle. His words were followed by an explosion as the device was used, tearing to pieces a small grouping of the monsters. Harley stopped for a moment to enjoy the explosion, she had always loved the dramatics and the flare explosions held.
Her easily distracted delight at the explosion was soon chased away as Harley once again found herself annoyed at being on the side of the people who held her captive. She did not have a side, she had Joker. Joker and her were not a side. They simply were. They are chaos, they do what they do, with who they chose to keep around. This good and evil business was making her itch.
With that in mind Harley began whirling her bat around, beating anything close to her, which happened to be a smattering of the creatures; though Harley wouldn't have cared if it had been a soldier. Harley laughed slightly, her mind calming as she put her force into her actions. As she spun around the cracked concrete, dipping between two burnt, and destroyed cars, Harley caught sight of Floyd standing at at the front line of the battle, taking down creatures at a lightening speed, for a bad boy he certainly made a convincing good boy, Harley thought.
The growls and shredding noises coming from her right hand side suggested that Killer Croc' was having a good time tearing the things apart, Harley suspected he was seeking them out, as they were being torn apart faster than they could get to him. A flash of a boomerang as Harley knocked the head off of a creature indicated that Digger was still fighting, which was surprising, and Harley didn't need to look for her to know that Katana would still be battling. Diablo, however, stood unmoving at the far back, arms limply at his side as he watched the events.
The numbers of the beasts were dwindling quickly, Harley was disappointed, she wasn't even close to finished beating her frustrations out yet. This was more fun than she'd had in a long time. The group was rapidly gaining ground, fighting their way forward as the piles of crumbling, creature remains spread quickly across the pavement. Harley spotted a couple of the beasts making their way around the edge of the fighting, glancing around quickly, Harley spotted a rusting red pickup truck abandoned near them.
With a grin, Harley ran at the truck, launching herself onto the hood, with only a single hand on the roof of the truck Harley kept her momentum going, her body arching artistically through the air, over the truck. Harley landed in the bed of the truck, with a thump, catching the attention of the beasts, who had been moving past the truck, to attack at the flanks of the soldiers formation. With a grin, Harley raised her bat and swung at one of the beasts, the right half of its head crumbling in response. With a tight flip off of the truck, Harley landed behind the beasts, quickly beating them down to the road below.
With a huff, Harley turned to look at the group, a sudden silence taking the dense air by surprise as the beasts all seemed to have been destroyed. Harley watched as Floyd jumped down from his position on top of a bullet riddled police car, turning back to look at the soldiers behind him. "That's how I cut and run" Harley heard Floyd say to Flag firmly as he walked past the man. Her attention was quickly turned to one of the beasts by her feet. She frowned for a moment as she stared, wondering if it had really just twitched.
With a shrug, Harley lifted her bat high into the air and brought it down solidly onto the beast, quickly repeating the motion as she beat the thing down. "I - have - had - a - really - bad - time - lately - no - time- for - this - shit" Harley huffed, her words coming out breathily, punctuated by a blow to the beast between each word. "Hey" Harley heard a slightly reprimanding voice call to her side, freezing with her bat in the air she glanced up, catching sight of Floyd staring at her. "Hey, come on" He said, waving a hand dismissively at her actions as Killer Croc' and Diablo made their way over to the pair.
"What?" Harley asked as innocently as she could "I saw it move" She said, eyes wide. Harley kicked the thing in the side, watching it as it twitched, or maybe just jolted from the impact. "See? It flinched… I think" She said, her voice not entirely convincing, as she leaned down to peer closer at the beast. Crunching footsteps had Harley straightening up as Digger approached the group. "You were some help Princess" He spoke accusingly to Diablo. Diablo looked up at him, face masked from emotion "It's better this way. Trust me" He responded, waving a hand through the air, leaving a flaming skull in the air.
As the skull dissipated, Digger gave an exaggerated low gasp "Oh yeah. You're the fire bloke, 'eh?" He said, his voice low and mocking. "I was, yeah" Diablo agreed. "Right, yeah. Hey look at this" Digger said, pulling a lighter from his pocket. Flicking it on he waved a hand over the small flame "Well lookie here, it's fire! Oooh" He taunted, eyes wide. Harley sniggered from where she stood, watching the scene before her.
The heavy footsteps approaching behind Harley told her that the soldiers had finally come to supervise the criminal groups little party. "The brief said terrorist. You want to start explaining this?" Bearded soldiers voice spoke quietly behind Harley. "If I told you, would you believe me?" Flags unmistakable voice responded. Digger kneeled down suddenly, as he pulled something glinting from the rubble of what had once been a beast. He wiped it on his sleeve, as Harley realised it was a watch, her interest peaked. She liked watches. Digger shook the watch slightly, holding it up to his ear.
Harley turned to Flag, attention back on his words. "What are they?" She questioned. "I don't know" He replied simply as he brushed past the group. "That's bullshit" Floyd jumped in, moving a step closer. Flag sighed and stopped walking, turning to face the group. "Thing is, he owned a three thousand dollar watch" Floyd added, pointing to the beast Harley had been beating as he walked closer to Flag, staring at the man. "Is that a person?" He added, his voice holding slight disbelief.
"It was. Now it's not" Flag emphasised, tilting his head to the side. A part of Harley's mind flew through the puzzles and scenarios that would cause a man to turn into the beast Harley had been destroying, while another part of her considered how she would be able to take the watch to add to her collection, it would be one of her most unique trophies. Flag turned on his heel, catching sight of Digger holding the watch he had pulled from the ground "Hey, don't!" He called, causing Digger to stand up straight, quickly joined by Killer Croc' who breathed out a growl as he stepped closer to the tense pair.
"We got a job to do. We're moving" He said, voice low as he stared Digger in the eyes. Flag then turned to bearded soldier "Get your boys moving" He ordered. There was a moment of silence as the soldiers stared each other down, before bearded soldier turned towards the men behind him "Let's go" He called with a nod. As all the soldiers stepped forward, heading down a short alley, Harley hung back, stepping over the rubble carefully. With a glance ahead, she leaned down and pulled the expensive watch from the beast, slipping it into her pocket. Just because he was ugly, didn't mean he couldn't be a trophy, she thought. Her imagination turning to what Joker would say when she showed him her newest addition.