Jeannette had just received some rather distressing news to say the least. She'd been invited to The House to watch a battle by her rival and semi-acquaintance Roulette. Only the whole thing turned out to be a trap for Jeanette, Roulette's other rival Vincenzo Baldi, as well as Harley Quinn and her friends who had been caught in the crossfire of the whole mess.
Roulette had already captured Harley, Ivy, Magpie and Selina and her mind control technology was forcing them to fight to the death at the moment. But Jeannette had bigger concerns for her own personal well being. As soon as Roulette revealed her treachery, several security guards on her payroll burst into the room, surprising Jeannette, Scandal and Knockout. The first instinct Jeannette had was to use her Banshee scream but it seemed somehow Roulette had anticipated that. One of the security guards had brought a piece of fabric with him which he used to gag Jeannette.
It was pure chaos. In all the energy and confusion, Roulette's guards managed to subdue Scandal with pure brute force and hit Knockout with a sedative dart that rendered her basically useless. They also managed to hold Vincenzo's guards down.
Once she had her captive audience, Roulette began to dramatically pace around in front of them like the supervillain she was. Her right hand woman Hazard followed Roulette around like a loyal dog. Roulette went over to the portrait of her grandfather, the original Mister Terrific, and stared at it for a moment.
"This all could have been avoided, you know." Roulette said. "We all could have been friends."
"I really doubt that…" Vincenzo said, holding his hands up in surrender. He glared at the men pointing guns at him.
"I really do mean it." Roulette sighed. "Above all else, I believe in Fair Play. But you were planning to betray me and that just isn't fair."
"So you betray us preemptively? What sense does that make!" Scandal yelled.
"Perfect sense." Roulette replied. "You lived as traitors, you die as traitors."
"Wait, we're going to kill them?" Hazard asked.
"Of course we are." Roulette nodded. "We're supervillains, Hazard. What did you think we'd do to them?"
"But… But what about fair play? You surprised them. You're not exactly giving them a fair chance here."
"You bring up a good point." Roulette remarked, still pacing around her office. "But still… They're dishonourable people. Why should I give them a fair chance?"
"Because it's the right thing to do." Scandal spoke up, trying to appeal to her captor.
Roulette remained quiet and continued pacing around. "I suppose you have a point…" She returned to the portrait of her grandfather and stared at it for several moments. "What would he think of me? He'd hate me, wouldn't he?"
"Uh, no." Hazard said, quickly hurrying behind Roulette. "Listen, I love my grandfather too and he loves me. But, um, he's a supervillain too so maybe that's different."
"No, no, you're right Hazard. Mr. Terrific wouldn't hate me, he was a kind man." Rouette said. "He'd want me to give you all a fair chance." She turned around to face her captives. "Alright, I'll give you all a chance to prove yourselves."
"How exactly will you do that?" Scandal asked.
"I'm going to give you the chance to fight your way out of here." Roulette revealed. "But it will be fair for both of us."
"How so?" Vincenzo asked.
"No guns for any of us." Roulette said. "Oh, and Jeannette, I'm keeping you gagged. We can't have you using your special screaming powers."
Jeannette looked at Roulette and made an annoyed shouting noise through her gag.
"It's far your own good." Roulette replied. "Now that everyone's clear on the terms, let the fight commence…" She clapped her hands which signalled her guards to stop restraining their captives. And of course once she did that all hell broke loose.
Outside of Roulette's office, things were going off the rails as well. Of course it was gladiatorial combat, that was to be expected. Harley, Ivy, Selina and Magpie had been brought out into the arena while an announcer introduced them. They looked around, a little surprised by how big the turnout was for the event. All four of them were a bit nervous but most of all was Magpie who felt like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
But soon the four women found themselves not having to worry about their minds at all. The mind control technology that had been influencing them from the moment they arrived fully took over. They weren't thinking for themselves anymore. The programming just told them to mindlessly fight each other until only one stood and that was just what they were going to do.
Harley wildly swung her hammer at anyone who got close to her, Selina methodically used her whip and acrobatics to keep the other three girls at bay and Magpie used her clawed gloves and small bombs to attack the others. Ivy didn't have weapons and wasn't much of a fighter but in preparation for the fight Roulette had put several plants in the arena. So Ivy used these to attack her opponents. As they fought they didn't say anything, their minds were being forced to think of nothing but survival and the defeat of their opponent.
Since neither of the women were holding back it was a surprisingly tense fight with each woman inflicting and dealing an equal amount of damage. As the fight went on, Ivy became more and more reliant on her plants until eventually she just sat down on a throne of vines while ordering her plants what to do mentally.
But unknown to Poison Ivy and Roulette, her plants were helping her in more ways than one. The more she used the plants the more prominent the plant side of her biology became. And as it turned out, the mind control was only rigged to work on humans. So as a result, the strength of the mind control over Ivy began to gradually get weaker and weaker.
This continued until finally the plant part of Poison Ivy was strong enough to break the mind control completely. She gasped sharply when she became aware of her surroundings, looking around in confusion.
She saw Harley running straight at her, waving around her hammer quite erratically. "Harley, wait, it's me!"
But her pleas were ignored when Harley hit her in the face with the hammer, sending Ivy flying a good few feet back. It took her a few moments to process what was going on. She realized that Harley wasn't really in control of her body which only made her angrier.
"Harley, stop this!" Ivy yelled in anguish and frustration. "I love you, dammit!" She took a deep breath, watching Harley charge towards her again. "And I'm going to have to hurt you because I love you…" She concentrated and used the plants made available to her in the arena. The roots and vines quickly restrained Harley and knocked the hammer out of her hands.
This of course didn't stop Harley, the programming made her attempt to free herself by thrashing around wildly. Ivy made the vines tighten but not too much, not wanting to hurt her own girlfriend. She then became even more distracted when Selina pounced on her from behind and attempted to pin her to the ground. Ivy managed to throw Selina but she made another attempt at an assault. Usually Selina tried to be non-lethal in her fighting style but this time she clearly was not holding back. Taking down her friends would take quite a bit of ingenuity. Ivy took a deep breath and tried to focus. She would need to do some creative thinking if she wanted to escape.
Back up in Roulette's office things had, to put it mildly, spiralled far out of control and Roulette was beginning to regret giving her captives a fair chance. Scandal Savage and Jeannette had knocked out several of her guards. Knockout was gradually becoming more lucid and managed to toss Hazard across the room by accident. Apparently New Gods are more resistant to horse tranquilizers than humans. Roulette had gone to hide under her own desk where she found Vincenzo Baldi had hidden himself two. Neither of them were in the mood to fight so they chose to awkwardly stay under the table together.
While Jeanette fought off Roulette's guards she also awkwardly struggled to get the gag out of her mouth but found it was tied in a very tight knot behind her head. She also tried to chew her way through the fabric which, while much less dignified, seemed to already be yielding some results.
While she cowered under the table Roulette had some time to ponder things. "Where did it all go wrong…"
"Hey, don't look at me." Vincenzo replied. "You started all of this."
"I wasn't talking to you." Roulette crossed her arms. "I was thinking out loud."
"We're trapped under the table, forgive me for overhearing." Vincenzo sighed.
"I really shouldn't have given you a chance…" Roulette remarked. "I should have just executed you and buried you down here."
"But you didn't." Vincenzo smirked.
"Shut up..." Roulette scowled. "How can this get any worse?"
As if to answer her own question, Roulette was momentarily deafened by the sound of glass breaking and some angry shouting. She saw the glass landing near her, almost going under the desk.
"Oh, that is not good…" Roulette trailed off. "Wait a minute… Did my window just shatter from the outside? That can't be right…"
"Maybe you should go out and check." Vincenzo said.
"But I'm worried about what I might find…" Roulette replied.
"Roulette! Where are you!" An enraged female voice yelled, one that sounded vaguely familiar.
"Oh no, that had better not be who it sounds like.." Roulette sighed. She raised her voice to address the mysterious woman. "I'm coming out! Please don't hurt me!" She crawled out from under the desk, careful not to touch any of the glass shards. Once she stood up she saw what had happened to her office window overlooking the arena. It had been broken from the outside and framed in the window was Poison Ivy, standing atop an enormous vine. "Um, hello there… Shouldn't you be trying to kill your friends?"
"No, not anymore." Ivy shook her head, a dead serious look on her face. "You've gone too far Roulette… We were planning to just intimidate you. But now I think I might kill you."
"Stay back…" Roulette took a few steps away. "Guards! Kill her! You can use your guns now!"
Roulette had only about two guards left plus Hazard who were still fully or conscious. Still, they all tried to make a move only for more vines to crawl into the office, tying them up and immobilizing them.
"The more you try to stop me the madder I get!" Ivy shouted. She sent another vine out to coil around Roulette, rendering her unable to move.
"Oh god, please don't kill me!" Roulette pleaded. "I'll… I'll do anything!"
"Good, because I have a list of demands…" Ivy smirked. "Let's all get comfortable." She stepped down from her vine. While she did this, Scandal got behind Jeannette and helped her cut the knotted fabric gagging her.
"Thank you..." Jeannette sighed. "That's one of the few times in life I haven't enjoyed being gagged…"
Ivy stepped down from her vine, gingerly avoiding the pieces of broken glass on the floor. "Let's get down to the first order of business…" She snapped her fingers and three bundlesof vines came in through the window, each carrying her three still-brainwashed associates who were still desperately trying to thrash themselves free. "I need you to undo whatever you did to their minds."
"When the sphere transported you, it implanted a small device in your right ear." Roulette explained. "Just take it out… I have no idea how you overrode yours."
Ivy decided to go see if Roulette was bluffing or not. She went over to Harley and looked into her right ear and sure enough there was a small metal device that resembled an ear-pierce intercom link in her ear. She reached in carefully and grabbed hold of the device. It was a little hard to remove at first, especially with Harley still struggling, but eventually she got it out and immediately crushed it in her hands.
Once the device was out of her head, Harley became aware of her surroundings. She looked around in complete confusion until she saw Ivy. "Red… What the fuck happened…"
"Shhh…. Shhh… You're okay now…" Ivy made her plants release Harley and caught her. "Just sit down for a moment… I need to free Selina and Magpie too."
Harley nodded, rubbing the side of her head in confusion as she tried to figure out what just happened. Once she did that, Ivy repeated the same process she did for Harley with Selina and Magpie. After she got them all down, Ivy turned to Roulette to talk to her. "Now then, where were we?"
"You were making demands." Roulette said, weakly trying to break herself free.
"Oh yes, that's right." Ivy smirked. "I'd like you to donate some of the money you make running this casino to an environmental charity of your own choice."
"Are you fucking serious?" Roulette asked.
"Why not? I have you trapped here. Might as well make you do something I like." Ivy replied. "Honestly I'm not the one you're having a mafia rivalry with." She shrugged. "Take it up with them." She pointed over to Jeannette and then to Vincenzo, who was in the midst of emerging from beneath the table.
"Yeah, we're just a bunch of pawns." Selina said. "If we had it our way we'd be back in Los Angeles right now."
"Alright, what are your demands then?" Roulette looked back and forth between her two rivals.
"Stay outta my territory, that's it. Or if you do enter my territory, do it with respect." Vincenzo said.
"And for you?" Roulette turned to Jeannette.
"Let's just both agree to never be rivals again. We'll stay out of each other's way." Jeannette said.
"Deal." Roulette nodded. "Now are there any more demands or can I leave now?"
"No, I think that will be all." Ivy nodded. "Just remember not to cross us ever again." She paused for a moment. "Oh and I'm leaving you tied up. Just in case. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure a way out eventually." She glanced over at Harley, Magpie and Selina. "Girls, follow me. We're going home."
"Thank god for that!" Harley cheered.
Ivy led her three friends out of the room with Jeannette, Scandal, Knockout and Vincenzo following shortly after.
"So… Today was a pretty big mess." Selina remarked.
"Yeah, let's put this all behind us." Scandal said. "I can finally go back to the rest of the team in Vermont now."
"Thank god for that." Knockout nodded, putting a hand on Scandal's shoulder.
"What're we supposed to do?" Magpie glanced over at her friends.
"You can stay at my casino some more." Jeannette said.
"No offence, but after today I think Las Vegas is losin' its charm." Harley replied.
"None taken, it's understandable." Jeanette nodded.
"But where else can we really go?" Selina asked.d
"Well, um, since you girls helped me out back there I would be willing to forgive your transgressions against me." Vincenzo spoke up. "I could even set you up with a nice beach house just as long as you promise to behave."
"We'll be good!" Harley cheered. "Cross my heart, hope to die!"
"Can the beach house have a jacuzzi?" Selina asked.
"We can discuss the details after we get out of here." Vincenzo said. "Something tells me we're not in the clear yet."
The group walked down the hallway, trying to find their way out of The House. To their knowledge, the only way out was through the elevator and Roulette likely wouldn't just let them leave. They managed to get out of the employees only area without incident and onto the casino floor. But once they stepped out things started going south again.
"There they are! Those are the ones that escaped from the arena!" A male voice shouted.
"Oh fuck, not again." Ivy sighed as a small group of Roulette's guards began approaching her. "Do we really want to do this?"
"Surrender yourselves and we will not hurt you!" One of the guards continued.
"I think they do wanna do this, Red." Harley smirked. "Let's teach 'em a lesson."
The two parties clashed with each other and it ended up being a very one-sided battle. Despite Roulette's security team being at an advantage with their guns, they ended up being no match for the girls and their athletic skills. In less than two minutes their combined efforts had taken out all the guards.
"Well, that was fun." Harley remarked. "Now let's get the hell outta here."
They all made a mad dash for the elevator with Vincenzo lagging behind just a little. But eventually they made it to the elevator and squeezed themselves in. It was a very tight fit and once again Magpie found herself squished in the back between Selina and Jeannette.
"For the love of god someone get me out of here…" Magpie groaned.
"Oh relax, we're in the clear now." Harley quickly hit the elevator button for the top floor. The elevator doors closed and a long awkward silence began as the elevator began moving. Nobody knew what quite to say. It was hard to make conversation when you were packed into a small metal box together.
"So…" Vincenzo awkwardly looked around. "You girls did a good job. You're not mad at me for trying to kill you, are you?"
"Meh, let bygones be bygones and all that." Selina shrugged.
"I'm only forgivin' ya cause you promised us a cool new beach house." Harley replied.
"Fair enough." Vincenzo nodded.
They remained silent for a little while longer until the elevator came to a sudden stop. The doors opened up to reveal the Nevada desert in front of them. They were all in a hurry to get out and after a little bit of awkward struggling they managed to squeeze out of the elevator.
"Alright, we're in the clear!" Harley cheered. "Now what?"
"I'm going back to LA." Vincenzo said. "I'll give you girls a call when you can go back there. In the meantime, hang out here."
"I'll take good care of you in the meantime." Jeannette nodded and put a hand on Harley's shoulder.
"You've been doin' a great job so far!" Harley cheered.
"So, um, how do we get home from here?" Magpie asked. "Are we supposed to walk?"
"Not to worry, I'll just call my limo around." Jeannette said. "It might take a little while though, but I'm sure you can wait. Trust me, you'll be back at the hotel sooner than you think..."
"Here's hoping." Ivy nodded.
They returned to the Nocturne that afternoon and Jeannette treated them to some dinner. The girls spent the evening chatting at the restaurant and after that all decided to go to their rooms for the night. After the very exhausting day, Harley was glad to be back in her room with Ivy.
"Phew, what a day…" Harley sighed, flopping over onto the bed.
"I'll say." Ivy nodded. "Do you feel like our lives have gone off the rails lately?"
"Oh Pam, our lives have been off the rails for years." Harley laughed, sitting up a bit. "We ain't exactly normal people."
"That's true." Ivy sat down beside Harley. "You're a clown, I'm a plant person and yet we're able to have a healthy relationship."
"It's funny how the world works out." Harley giggled and kissed Ivy on the cheek. "So now whatta you wanna do?"
"Let's just relax… After today we need it." Ivy replied. "It should be nice to go back to Los Angeles. I'd started to get used to it before we left."
"Yeah it's nice there…" Harley nodded, beginning to take off her jester suit. "I can't believe I'm sayin' this but I'm beginnin' to miss Gotham."
"Really?" Ivy smirked, getting out of her clothes as well.
"I know it ain't the best place but, well, it had a charm. I swear, I knew every inch of that city." Harley sighed. "I wasn't born there but it sorta became my home."
"I'm sure we can go back some day." Ivy said. "But for now, how about we enjoy our vacation."
"Great idea, Ives." Harley leaned in and gave Ivy a kiss on the lips. "Mmm, I'm never gonna get tired of doing that."
"Good, I love it when you kiss me." Ivy smiled and kissed Harley back.
Harley stood up and casually shimmied out of her jester suit, leaving her completely naked except for her jester hood and domino mask. She began taking it off before Ivy suddenly spoke up. "Hold on Harl, could you keep that on?"
"What for?" Harley raised an eyebrow, curious.
"This is kinda embarrassing to admit but… You look really sexy wearing just that." Ivy smiled.
"Thank ya!" Harley giggled. "I forgot you could be so kinky sometimes."
"What can I say, you're just irresistible." Ivy stood up and looked over Harley, putting a hand on her hips. "Mmm… My sexy little jester…"
Harley giggled and kissed Ivy again. "Jeez, you sure are horny… Wanna mess around?"
"You know I do." Ivy nodded, grinning at Harley. "God, you and me have a lot of sex, don't we?"
"Hell yeah we do." Harley giggled. "And that's the way I like it!"
Once again, Magpie and Selina were enjoying their time together in the room just to the left of Harley and Ivy's. Today had been very confusing for the both of them with all the kidnapping and mind control so it felt good to just be in their room together. They decided that watching a movie would be a good way to unwind after a day like that. After some flipping around on the TV they found a horror film to watch together.
Magpie was in an oddly good mood today and as such she didn't even complain or fuss when Selina invited her to sit down in bed with her. She even sort of cuddled herself against Selina without saying anything about it.
"I can't wait to get out of Las Vegas…" Magpie sighed.
"I thought you liked it here." Selina said.
"I did." Magpie nodded. "It was all bright and shiny but I'm kinda over it now. I'm a little tired of it…"
"It's understandable." Selina remarked. "Going back to Los Angeles should be nice."
"Definitely. It was nice there." Magpie sighed, looking forward at the screen. "A lot nicer than Gotham."
"Gotham had its charm too, but I definitely agree." Selina smiled. "It should be nice to be out of Vegas though, it hasn't been my style."
Magpie stayed silent for just a little while longer before glancing over at Selina. "Hey, can I kiss you?"
"Sure, why not." Selina nodded. "At least you're finally being more open with yourself."
"I'm not gay. I just think you're cute and deserve a kiss." Magpie crossed her arms.
"Whatever." Selina laughed a little bit. "You have my permission to kiss me."
"Thank you." Magpie nodded. She somewhat awkwardly leaned in and kissed Selina on the cheek. She held for a little while before pulling away. "So, um, do you like the movie?"
Selina giggled a bit and nodded. "Yeah, it's alright." She leaned in and kissed Magpie on the cheek, much more confidently than Magpie had kissed her. "Now let's both be quiet and try to enjoy it."
"Good idea…" Magpie nodded, feeling her cheeks flush again. "Hey, um, I love you."
"Thanks. I love you too." Selina reached out and held Magpie by the hand.
Magpie awkwardly held Selina's hand back and looked to the movie, hoping the rest of their stay in Vegas would be quiet and uneventful.
A/N: We're almost done here, after this there's an epilogue chapter that should wrap up any loose ends here. I've had a lot of fun writing and I'm almost sad to be ending this. But it's still exciting that I've almost finished this.