Ch.56: House of Horrors
Bruce opens his eyes to find himself inside a dimly lit blurred hallway that's decorated with fluorescent green and purple paint scribbled over the walls and floor. Looking to the ground, he sees glowing green arrows that lead down the hallway.
"Wakey wakey, Banes and back-breaky! Nap time's over my old friend."
"Jeremiah...?" looking down the hall, his visions hones in on the speakers on the walls that blare the mad man's voice, "Where the hell am I? Where the hell have you taken me?"
"Stop me if you've heard this one before... There are two men, very, very different from each other, but also so, so similar. One would think they were even the same person, a cracked reflection from a mirror. But no, it's never quite that simple. See these two men fight for what they believe in. The first, a self-righteous man who can't bear to see his poor, poor, poor misguided mission be revealed as nothing more than just a waste of time. The other man, well...let's just say...he's deeply concerned for the other guy, so scared for what he is putting himself through."
"So he goes to the first man, chin up and having already eaten a can of spinach. Looking him deep in the eye, they say: Hey there, I couldn't help but notice that newly acquired cut of yours. Oh boy does it look nasty! Maybe you should get it looked at."
"The second guy then freezes, looking quite confused. In his bewilderment, he aims his eyes to where the first guy was looking at. He sees his good-old friend there instead of the so-called mentioned cut. Now even more confused, the second guy looks back to the first and says: You must be mistaken. That's not a cut. That's my buddy!."
"The first guy then replies with: Then why are you bleeding?"
"The second guy now looks down to his side, finding himself covered in blood, bleeding like hell. Now more confused he says: How have I not noticed this before? "
"The second guy laughs, saying: Because you can't tell the difference! Ha!"
"Enough with your twisted games! Where the hell am I!?" Bruce stammers as he walks through the hallway, hearing the faint sound of carnival music in the distance. Wherever he was, he knew such a place wasn't in Gotham. That much he knew, "What are you waiting for? Show yourself!"
"Not so fast now, Brucie... you're in my world now. You leave when I say you do. You aren't going to be doing anything that I don't want you to. - For too long you have been blinding yourself, pretending not to see who those around you really are. That's how my dear Harley was able to trap you, my friend. You saw a young woman who was desperate for saving and closed your eyes to every little detail that clued you in on her true self, but that's not all... Oh, it's just the beginning... She's not the only one who's hiding something..."
"Do you think you're funny?" voicing his anger that echoes through the hall, Bruce glares, "I'm going to destroy you!"
"But why would you ever want to do that, Brucie? I'm the only one who's on your side. I see the people's deception of you, I've been watching it ever so closely. By the end of the night, you'll see it too. Their lies make you weak... what I'm doing will make you stronger, far more powerful. That's what I want for you...to become a true monster."
"Keep going, Brucie...you'll soon see..."
Complete darkness surrounded Selina but her eyes were opened. She was breathing yet she was feeling deprived of oxygen. She tried to move, but she was trapped. She screams as she finds herself inside a vertical-placed coffin. She slams her hands against the door and breaks free. Falling out of its confines and to the ground, screaming at the experience. Same as Bruce, she found herself in the room that looked to be a part of a haunted funhouse, with dimly lit lights and neon signs.
In the corners, she also sees mannequins of deformed clowns facing her, creepy agape smiles and glowing eyes, " Hell no..." Getting up and looking at the world around her, she finds that the only way forward was through the line of haunting figures, "Harley...you..."
Hearing muffled cries past the mannequins, Selina moves through them and follows the trail of muffle pleas until she turns the corner, eyes widening as she sees what was in front of her. Her stomach twists and she nearly gags at the sight, "Oh my god...Bullock?"
In front of her is a spin wheel that had Harvey Bullock tied to it. His face was covered in cuts and bruises, bleeding from the mouth with a black eye. His fingers looked twisted and misshapen. His hair covered his face, looking to be unkept and uncleaned for months. Selina then realizes how bad he smelled, recognizing the stench of dried blood and other unsavoury stenches, "Harvey? How are you here?" she comes closer to him and becomes victim to the harsh smell.
"S-S-s-s-se-se-seli-" dribbled Bullock, barely lifting his eyes to look at the woman, "H-h-h-h-h-hel-h-."
Quickly moving to the man's aid to free him, she rips the bonds around Bullock's limbs and eases him to the floor, "Who did this to you?"
"Oh, ya mean who was the beautiful psychopath who took pleasure in torturin' him? That'd be me, honey! Guilty as charged," looking behind her, Selina sees the mannequins looking at her with their mouths glowing, speaking with the voice of Harleen, "Do you like know how hard it was for me to play nice for so long? I need to get my fix of bloodshed so whenever I was feelin' on edge, I would pay Mister Bullock a visit and cut him real good. Oh...I've perfected so many good techniques on him, Kitty! But don't go gettin' jealous, I'm plannin' to use 'em on you, too!"
"That's impossible! Bullock was with Gordon! How were you able to..."
"An' I thought I was a few sandwiches shy of a picnic! Oh ya poor soul, I almost fell bad for ya...almost."
Selina assists Harvey Bullock to his feet while she glares around the room, "Why? Why the hell are you doing this you crazy bitch! Bruce let you stay with him, looked after you...and this is how you repay him? By doing this sick game?"
"Now, now name callin' won't do ya any good, Kitty. An' this is to show my appreciation to B, but I doubt someone like ya could ever understand. Ya just want B to be nothin' more than your puppet. Always followin' your whims and never-daring to defy ya. Heh...Ya want him so bad that you can't even see that ya forcin' him to be someone that he's not," Selina turns back to the mannequins that were still in place, "That's not what love is. Trying to force your other to conform to your ways an' punishin' them when they try to be themselves. Ya make me sick, Kitty."
"Oh, I make you sick? I make you sick? Look at what you have done to Harvey, you don't get to call anyone sick! You're the sick one!" returning to Bullock's side, Selina helps eases him forward as she helps support him, "You're the sick one..."
"Oh, Kitty... I love ya so much. Even now yer actin' like ya care about someone as worthless as that trash. We both know what you really think, what ya really want. Just like me, ya wear a mask. Masqueradin' around as a carin' person, but we both know that you couldn't care less about those around ya. - You've killed before and just like me...ya liked it..."
"You don't know what you're talking about," leading Bullock with her as she traverses down the hall, entering the tunnel with Harley's voice fading.
"I'll be seein' ya real soon, kitty. Don't die before then...Toodles! "
Bruce continues his path throughout the fluorescent walkway that was guided by the arrows. He remains silent as he carefully treads onwards as he finds himself walking on the tracks of what he guessed to be from a ride. Hearing the stock screams of the haunted house repeatedly go off along with the sound of thunder made Bruce feel on edge, feeling uneasy in the place. His tension is then increased as he's startled by a ghost-like puppet that springboards up, screaming right at him.
Stepping away from the marionette for a needed breather, Bruce waits to cross past it.
He keeps moving on the tracks until his ears start to pick up the sounds of something else. muffled Laughter. The mere sound of it brought out a thunderstorm in Bruce as he knew the person who would be behind it. He follows the laughter and reaches the end of the tracks.
Reaching the next room, Bruce sees the walls covered in a swirling spiral pattern which combined with the darkness of the room hurt his eyes to look at. Journeying down the hall, Bruce's hears the laughter become louder along with music that plays alongside it. Setting for in the next room, Bruce's mouth hangs agape at the sight. Harvey Dent chained to the ground as he appeared to be knocked out over a platform. Moving to his friend's side, Bruce gets to work with trying to break the chains, "Harv? What happened to you?"
Stirring awake from his slumber, Dent locks eyes with Bruce, quivering, "Bruce...? I...I was jumped by some lunatics. What's going on here, Bruce?" he then realizes his predicament once his ears hear the clang of the chains, "What the?"
"Calm down, Harv. I'm going to get you out of this, just relax," moving closer to the chains, Bruce feels the material that its made of as he traces his fingers over them, "Steel. Okay, give me some time to think, Harv. I need some time to do this."
"Ding! Ding! Ding! Looks like we have a winner here, folks!" the speakers in the room begin to blare with the sound of Joker's voice, "About time you finally got moving. I was getting so bored waiting!"
Bruce tugs at the chains to dislodge them from the lock while the mad man laughs, "Waiting for what? Just what are you planning!?"
"I have already told you, Brucie. I'm here to shed light on the darkness that you blind yourself too. Make no mistake my dear friend, every little one your dirty secrets will be exposed, all of you. All the lies, all the deception will be unclouded this night."
"*Brucie*?" Bruce thought to himself, "Jeremiah never calls me that. The only one that does is...," Bruce then retreats his gaze back to the chains around Dent's arm, "Hang on, Harv."
"Oh, Brucie...I gotta say seeing the terrified look on your face takes me back! Oh, I remember it, do you? Me holding a knife to your throat on that stage in front of that lively crowd, oh...it was so much fun! Then there's that time I took you to the good ol' circus, remember that? I was so close to shredding you to confetti, but you snaked your way out before I could finish it...," Joker's voice becomes more unstable the longer that he talked, breaking off into laughter.
"Then when I got you up on that stage in the middle of town, oh...and then our fight in Ace Chemicals...we have had so many good times, and we're barely beginning my dear friend. What we have is special...it's amazing, something...eternal."
"B-Bruce? I thought that was the other Valeska twin who did that to you?" asked the chained man, looking to Bruce with bewilderment as he continues to pull at his binds.
"It was. Something's off with Jeremiah...more than there usually is, he's talking like he's his brother..."
"This isn't Jeremiah, Brucie. I'm someone else, something else. I had to keep with you, my friend. So I became so much more than what I was. I'm Joker now! Ha! The Valeska brothers are yesterday's news, and you deserve something fresh, something new...someone perfect for you..."
"What is he talking about, Bruce?" the chained man asked Bruce.
"Let's just focus on getting you out of these chains, Harv. We'll talker late," replied Bruce as he looks down the chain, honing in on their starting point, "He's trying to mess with us. Don't let him win."
"You aren't going to break these chains by yourself, Bruce. There has to be something around here that can do that," looking around the room, Dent searches for anything that could be of with his situation, "Just get me out of here."
Bruce finds the end of the chain as his eyes land upon its lock.
"Oh, Brucie...do you really think that freeing him is a good idea? I don't. Trust me on this, our friend has quite the secret. A secret so veiled that not even he remembers, fooling himself into forgetting, remembering wrong."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Bruce holds his hand around the lock.
"Oh, look at you...so oblivious, so adorable. Allow me to elaborate...the night of good 'ol Mayor James Aubrey's death, it turns out not everyone has been honest with you, well...except for me. I've always been myself for you, transparency is key in any relationship, my friend. - Go ahead, check his pockets...you'll find something quite...interesting."
Bruce reaches in Dent's jacket's pocket and shifts his expression, pulling out a key, presumably the one for the chains that are strung to a loaded cassette player. Call it morbid curiosity, lack of judgement or foolishness to the core, but Bruce could not resist the urge to know what was on the table, his inner detective compelled him to seek the answers. He plays the tape and is immediately shaken by what was on it.
"Dent, what are you doing!? Put the gun down! Have you lost it!"
"Oh no, no no, Aubrey...this has been a long time coming...you...have this coming, we'll make sure to punish you."
"You son of a bitch, Dent! Do you think that you can waltz in here and shoot me?"
"He-he...let's have the coin decide, shall we...? Heads: I shoot you."
"What are you babbling about? My men will be here bef-"
"Heads...you lose..."
"Dent, NO!"
[!BANG!]
[!BANG!]
[!BANG!]
Bruce's muscles weaken, allowing the cassette player to slide out of his grip as he looks over Harvey with a tumbling gaze, "You really did it, didn't you? You killed James and pretended that you were set up? Harv...what the hell have you done?"
"Bruce-I...that never happened, I don't remember it! I swear that I was telling the truth! I WAS SET UP! Do you even realize that tape was from Jeremiah? You are trusting the word of a lunatic over me!" yelled Dent as he reaches for the key in Bruce's hand. His eyes narrow as Bruce moves the key out of his reach, "I didn't kill Aubrey, James. You have to trust me, I would never do something like that. P-please. You know me, you trust me."
"Decisions, decisions...am I right? So what will it be? Will you free a murderer and betray your precious code? But...oh wait, you already have, haven't you? First Selina, then Gordon's wife, your other crazy ex and now Goof-Guy Dent. For someone who claims to have such a strong moral code, you sure do break it a lot."
"Enough!," screamed Bruce as he looks around the room, "How can I trust a single word that you say?"
"Because I own what I am, Brucie. Face it, I'm the most honest person that you know. I could indeed have faked that tape, but why would I do that when the truth is scarier than any lie."
Selina and Bullock head into the next are to find themselves now inside a maze of mirrors. The room was mostly dark with ultraviolet lights on the floors in the shape of bloody handprints. From the look of the room, Selina feared that it could be a never-ending labyrinth. Her first thought was to head back, but her gut told her to move onward, knowing that there was nothing behind back there except for a dead end. Her attention then falls upon Harvey Bullock, fixating on his current rough state.
It was obvious to her that the man was in desperate need of medical attention, barely able to stay conscious, "Hang in there, Harv. We can do this." she tries to encourage the man, fully aware that she wasn't the best at consolement but she had no choice but to try. She couldn't leave him behind.
"W-why is it always...mazes with th-this guy...?" Bullock coughs with his sleeve over his mouth, "G-gotta be...a way."
"Keep it together, big guy. I need you to think. Tell me everything that you know about this? What happened to you?" the dark-haired woman takes the lead, guiding Harvey with her movements. From both sides, she's bombarded with the sight of her own reflection as she walks, mimicking her as expected, but there was something off. Selina couldn't explain it nor couldn't even tell what gave her issues, the only thing she did know was that her reflections seemed different, off-putting like they weren't reflections of herself, but possibly something else.
"-It's all fuzzy. I remember being ambushed, I don't know how long ago...it's been too long," stumbling his way through the neon-guided path, Harvey holds his sides, stopping himself from showing the truth of his current state, not wanting to worry the woman with him, "Mabey it was weeks ago? Maybe even a month, I just can't tell. There were no windows, no clocks, no nothing. I lost track quickly..."
"What was happening before you were taken? Anything that would give us more of an idea?" Selina then halts and blocks Harvey from proceeding past her, she draws attention to the floor that was covered in a layer of glass from the broken mirrors mixed between the fluorescent green and purple paint that points them down the same path, "Shit. Hope that you're light on your feet."
"An-an-anything to g-g-get out of h-h-here," Bullock looks to the ground, gazing over the countless shards of glass that were illuminated by the ultraviolet light. He waits for Selina to take the lead, trusting her judgment more than his, watching her moves like a hawk to hopefully replicate them, "The last thing I remember was the Arkham breakout. Jim and I went investigating and talked to...her. Then Jim and I parted to do our own i-investigation, but something hit me on my way back to my car, then I woke up...there..."
"The Arkham breakout?," Selina treads between the shards of glass, nimbly moving across the floor, "That was last year."
"No...sweet Jesus, there's no way it has been that long. Why would they keep me alive for that long?" Harvey was less mobile compared to Selina, making him second guess each move that he made, even when trying to copy that of Selina Kyle's own movements. He knew his shoes weren't going to help if he ended up stepping on the glass, so the space between him and the woman gradually grew over time, "This doesn't make any sense! Why would she do this to me? Why?"
"Harley's crazy. Who cares. Only thing I'm concerned with is tearing her apart."
"I haven't met anyone crazy as her since that harlot of Jeremiah. Can't believe that I'm saying this, but I k-kind of miss Ecco, at least she never tortured me," Harvey soon catches up with Selina as they both reach the end of the glass trail and are left with a clear floor, "M-makes you wond-wonder what made her go coo-coo."
"Who the hell cares, Harv? No sob story is going to make me not beat her," turning the corner with the guidance of the arrows, Selina and Harvey are basked in a change of lights, from the fluorescent blue to a dark red, taking a sinister tone when Harley's sing through the speakers.
"Hush little baby, don't say a word. Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird don't sing. Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring..."
"Oh hell no...I've heard that song enough times to traumatize me for life..." Bullock frantically looks towards the speakers and screams, "Stop! Every time you sang that...while you cut me! I'm sick of you! Stop! Hear me? I said stop!"
"Yeah, and you can't sing for shit, Harley!" Selina snarls with eyes full of rage towards the direction of the voice, "Stop hiding, coward! Try cutting someone who can fight back!"
"Ya really want a rematch, Kitty? Did I wound yer ego that much...hmmm? Wow, like wow...an' I thought I was desperate for attention!"
"Keep laughing, it'll make it even satisfying when I beat you to a pulp!," hissed Selina as she and Harvey continue down the crimson-lit path of mirrors, "Do you even know what you've done? You'd be lucky if you just spend the rest of your life in Arkham! Your life is over!"
"An' what, Kitty? My life before this was so worth livin'? I'm happier than I have ever been! I can finally be me. I can be free from the judgement of you all! If I want somethin', I'll take it. If I want to kill, I will do it. My life has never been more complete, Kitty!"
"Oh, your life sucked?," Selina rolls her eyes and spits, "Get over it! Guess what, the world sucks! Throwing a tantrum and lashing out won't magically make it better! It's about time you grew up, Harleen, and learned that life is hard on us all! I grew up on the streets, remember? I've seen the worst of mankind, so don't go acting like you're anything special, because you're not!"
"P-please don't antagonize the psycho, Selina...," Bullock" wheezes, trembling as he rests against the wall for support, "You don't know the things...that she's willing to do..." Bullock pleads with the dark-haired woman as he sluggishly breathes.
"Ohhhhh you poor thing... ya look like someone should put ya out of yer misery, don't worry, I'll be crushin' yer noodle real soon."
"Harley, listen to me closely and don't forget a single word...I'm going to get out of here, and then...I'm going to beat the crazy right out of you!" Selina returns to Bullock's side to check on him, "If you even have an ounce of intelligence, you should start running."
"Oh, is that right?"
Talia al Ghul opens her eyes to the confines of an anomalous room that's blanketed by the fraught fluorescent lights, the sounds of static emanate from the vintage televisions that are placed on the walls, almost screaming at her with their loud hiss. Lifting herself to her feet, the daughter of the demon wears a scowl that's made more vicious by the abnormal lights that touch her face. Doing exactly as her training instructs her to do, she quickly surveys her surroundings, finding herself with the only option of moving forward.
Her attention is drawn to the TVs by their harsh static distortion, landing her gaze upon the image of a man on the screen. Very unlike anyone else she had seen, the man was plain. Not in a forgettable way, but much rather his face was featureless. He has no eyes, no nose, no mouth or ears. He looked to be made of clay and resemble that of a mannequin that one would find in any clothing store, but one massive difference came from him moving like he was alive.
"You..." Talia grimaces and bites her lip to restrain herself from saying more than she should, she wanted to keep it minimal.
The mannequin-like man contorts his head to let the woman know that it heard her, "Greetings Ma'am, I see that you are alright, relatively speaking of course."
"You dare touch a daughter of the great Ra's al Ghul? The League of Shadows have wiped out armies for less," warned Talia as she approaches the televisions that show the featureless figure, "What sort of creature are you?"
"Harsh, but not underserved. My name is-was Basil Karlo. I was once a regular human like you, but I was enhanced many years ago in Indian Hill, below Arkham Asylum. At first, my alterations simply allowed me to take on the shapes and forms of anyone that I choose, but after years of retaining the alteration to my D.N.A, I was mutated to the point to where I could become anything, human or not" The mannequin explains with no ill-intent in his voice, sounding sincere in their tone like he enjoyed explaining the topic.
"So you can become anything you desire, but you chose to take the form of that atrocity from before? And what of the face you wear now, or lack thereof?" Talia asks the mannequin in an attempt to learn from it, to find any weaknesses that she could utilize against them.
"Ah, that...well who am I to refuse a lovely lady such as yourself. That form I used against you earlier was just the result of my furthered mutation, It's one of my favourites because it's the one creation that I can call mine, I'm not copying anyone with it. As an inspiring actor, it has been so great to forge my own role as this so-called villainess *Clayface*. Truth be told, I have never been a fan of that name, It just doesn't have a good ring to it, but a true actor plays the part whether they agree with the character or not."
"And what of your current form?"
"Wear a mask long enough, you'll forget who you are underneath. I have spent so much time as other people that I have trouble remembering just who Basil Karlo is. I know his face, but I don't want to take the form of someone unless I'm perfect at it. So whenever I'm unsure of who I am, I just become blank. That way I'm not betraying any character" explained the living mannequin as they hold their hands together, facing their blank face towards Talia, "Now would you ever so kindly move along, please? my boss wants you in the next room asap."
"And pray tell, why would I do as you ask?," asking the mannequin, Talia shows distrust at the whole situation as she keeps her glare focused on the feed of the figure, "You have given little reason to believe it to be a good idea."
"It's not my role to have you believe in me, ma'am. I'm simply here to play the part of your guide through this place. You can stay here if you so chose, but the only way out is to go forward, I'm afraid," the mannequin explains as they turn their head to face the exit of the room, "No hard feelings, right? This isn't to do with any grudge of mine."
"That will not save you from my wrath, nor that of the shadows," Talia ventures forward begrudgingly, knowing that it was the only way for her to possibly escape the place. Continuing on, she enters into a narrowing dim hallway with the same sickly lights with both sides of the wall being coated in spiralling patterns. Her eyes sting looking at the patterns, feeling like they were almost being ripped right out of their sockets. She shuts her eyes tight as she moves along the walkway until she reaches the end.
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Arriving in the next room, she was once again surrounded by a similar layout as the others, fluorescent green and purple lights that mix together to make even her feel uneasy. By accident within her strive to look away from the lights, she comes across James Gordon, who was hanging upside down by a meat hook in the middle of the room. She sees the man is unconscious and goes to his side, quickly moving him down to the floor. She then takes the meat hook, glowering when she realizes that it was nothing more than a prop, fake.
"Commissioner," Talia glares down to the torpid man as she tries to wake him, "Commissioner!" running out of patience, Talia slaps Gordon across the face which as expected brought him to life. Gordon jerks away with a gasp as he goes to hold his sides. Looking to Talia with a lost of disorientation that worked to describe the at hand happenings of his mind. It took him a while to figure it out, but he puts a memory to the face of the woman, one that wouldn't do Talia any favours.
"It's you...I know you" Gordon harshly addresses the daughter of the demon, a look of fire in his eyes as he crawls away from her, "Where the hell am I? Are you behind this? Where the hell have you taken me?"
"Oh what a foolish question. If I wanted you dead, I would not waste my time with theatrics such as these, I would just kill you," Talia looks over James Gordon with barely a look of concern in her eyes. She watches the man stand up, letting him be responsible for himself, "I'm not going to babysit you, farewell," dismissed Talia as she leaves the side of Gordon and heads over to the next room. Barely standing as he was, Gordon was quick to pursue Talia, even at his own expense.
"Hold on a second! Damn it, I said stop! Just who the hell are you?" Gordon sluggishly sprints after Talia.
"Follow me if you'd like, but don't expect me to be friendly with you. My focus is elsewhere right now."
Selina and Bullock walk along the paths of the track as they keep an eye out for any possible threat to them.
"That's right, Kitty! Yer warm, warm...oh yer hot, hot, hot!," Harley's voice squawks through speakers along the tracks as the pair make their way towards whatever lies ahead, "Hey, Kitty... I always wanted to ask ya somethin', I think now is an as good time as any to do so. - What is yer earliest memory? What is the first thing that ya ever thought? The first thing ya wished for? The first nightmare that ya ever had?," asked Harley as she switched between the mannerisms of Harley and Harleen on a whim, making it hard to understand the emotions behind her words.
"It's quite the coincidence, but I vividly remember my first dream being about knocking out a crazy-ass woman who just happens to hold a striking resemblance to you, strange isn't it?" replied Selina as took the lead down the tracks with Bullock remaining several steps behind her, "What are the chances?"
"That's how ya wanna play it? An' here I am tryin' to have some girl talk with my bestie."
"That's the thing about me, Harls. I like to have my fists to most of the talking for me, so feel free to drop by! I really want to catch up with you," continuing to antagonize the blonde, Selina marvels at her own work as she can tell that the woman's voice was starting to show signs of irritation, "I know that you were a psychologist and all, but I got a feeling that you're the last person who should be a shrink, so excuse me if I'm not too willing to open up to you."
"Oh what a shame, Kitty. Fine, I guess I'll tell ya mine instead."
"My first memory..."
"Yet I remember it so clearly like it was burned into my head. Being forced to see it, even when I close my eyes."
"It was a dark stormy night in the Bronx. Ungodly weather swept away all that was caught in it, the trees themselves were nearly pulled from their roots. I was four, cryin' and hidin' under my sheets...but not because of the storm outside, oh no...I wish I was that lucky."
"The chaos happenin' right outside my window was a comfort compared to the true horror of the night. They were fightin', my parents, screaming at the top of their lungs, why? I don't remember that part. But I recall their screams, louder than any thunder that night, shaking the house each time they yelled."
"It was far past midnight, but before the light would come to save me. So they screamed, screamed and screamed until they probably didn't know what they were even screamin' 'bout anymore, but they kept it up because those were just who they were."
"I threw my bedsheet over me and clutched them for dear life, closin' my eyes and wishin' that I would just fall asleep. Oh...even to this day, I never wanted anythin' as bad as that since then."
"So I stayed up, forced awake by their screams and never-ending vicious snaps at each other, too scared to even cry."
"Mornin' then came, an' I knew I couldn't keep hidin', one of them would find me sooner or later, so I risked it. I got up from shield of my sheets and journeyed my way down to where the screamin' took place the night before, an' ya wanna know what I saw?"
"My parents and my brothers...just sittin' there, like nothin' happened - pretending like it didn't. But I know that it did. Then when night came again, the screamin' started all over again..."
"Oh you poor thing, if only you had some earplugs, maybe you wouldn't have become such a psychopath," taunted Selina, already committed to her plan of provoking the blonde, "Seriously? That's the best that you could come up with? Your parents arguing? Wow, like wow...how pathetic."
"Selina...p-please...don't..." Bullock lags behind the dark-haired woman, desperately trying to reach out to her, "You don't know what you're doing."
"What is she going to do, Harv? I can handle her. Relax, I got your back," Selina along with Bullock reach the end of the tracks, "She got lucky before, it won't happen again."
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Crossing through into the next chamber, the duo are placed at the left-wing of a small theatre with their eyes moving to face the front, towards the projection screen. Selina keeps herself ready for anything as she continues onward while she's trailed by Bullock, "Well? I'm here? You going to actually come out or are you really just a coward? Harley? I said come out! Stop hiding and face me, now! Harley! I said get your ass out here," yelled Selina, throwing her glare towards the screen, "Come out already! HARLEY!"
Selina's emerald eyes then fixate soullessly on the screen as a film leader countdown begun, leading into grainy black and footage of herself, Talia, Bruce, Lucius, Blüd, Lee, Harvey Dent and Gordon on a loop, all taken from the past few months, but luckily Selina noticed that there was nothing that would link them to Batman, as Bruce appeared as himself outside of the costume. Selina realizes that the footage wasn't amateur, it wasn't taken from a distance like some kind of stalker, instead, it was close up, and she recognized some of the backdrops. The Bat-Bunker, The clocktower, inside Wayne Tower and even Elliot Memorial hospital.
"What the...?" Bullock looks astonished, leaning against the wall as he holds his sides.
"What is this...?," Selina jumps when she hears Quinn's voice begin once again.
"Isn't reminiscin' so nice? Doesn't it just give ya like the warmest feelin'? Wrappin' around ya like a layer of warmth to keep yerself toasty from the coldness of the world? - Y'know why all of you are here? Yes, I mean all of you, the others are here, too and soon will experience the same fear that ya are."
"...You..." hissed Selina.
"You claim that yer the heroes of the city, the Champions of Gotham, but we know the truth, don't we? Ya all lie to each other, manipulate one another like it means nothin' to ya. Ya cheat, ya deceive and ya enjoy it...that's how I did it. I fitted right into yer dysfunctional group because you were all used to lyin' to each other. - Tonight, all of yer lies, all of yer deception is gonna be revealed and it will destroy ya."
"You don't a thing about us, and you damn well don't know a single thing about me!" countered Selina as she struts forward, "If you think you can tear us apart, then you never truly was a part of our team. Bonds like that can be hurt, but never broken...not by the likes of you."
"Oh can't they? Are you really sure 'bout that, Kitty? Hmmmm? I guess now is a good time to mention, since I was also a part of your little club, I have a little secret of my own to share, and trust me, gal...It's a killer..."
"You can't get to me, Quinn! I will never lower myself to your level," Selina then faces back to the projector screen, watching the footage change, now showcasing several reels of Maria Kyle, her mother, "...What..."
"Are ya ready? Here we go, kiddos! Tonight's big shockin' twist is...ready...drum roll please..."
A shiver runs down Selina's spine and a single sweat drips from her brow, her eyes widen but what she sees doesn't become easier to watch. Helpless. She feels helpless as her eyes are glued towards the nightmarish sight before her on the screen, "...No...no...," on the screen, Maria Kyle was showed lifeless with her throat sliced open with what little blood was left still oozing out of her. Her eyes were dead, motionless, she was already long gone. Beside her body, Harley was in frame, laughing at the camera, looking directly at it as she plays with the knife in her hand, "...no..."
"I killed yer mother, Kitty! An' I loved every second of it, oh...it was so amazin'..."
Bullock reaches out towards Selina's shoulder carefully not to alarm her, "Selina... I told you what kind of monster she is, please...don't do anything stupid, please to god almighty do not do what I think you are going to do..."
"B-Bruce told me that she...s-she..."
"Left the city? Well...technically she did because she kinda left this world...but ya mean her goin' on the train, no? Duh, we have a shapeshifter on our side, Kitty! Ya figure it out, hot stuff!," Harleen replies in a more flirtatious manner towards Selina, "Right before I sliced her up, she wouldn't shut up 'bout how much she was happy about finally gettin' on good terms with ya! Oh...she was so happy, and we couldn't have that now, can we?"
"You...You killed my mother? Let me say all of those...awful th-things about her and just...enjoyed every moment of it...?," Selina stammers, eyes trembling, "...Why...? WHY? WHY?" She shakes when her eyes land upon Harley, standing on the stage with a grin, wearing her mismatched outfit with her sledgehammer over her back, a look that could only be described as pure evil rests in her once gentle eyes.
"Because yer cute when yer mad."
"...You...," she has no other words, nothing that could explain her range. No look could convey her hatred of the blonde, "...you... that clown really has made you sick! "
"All it takes is a single cruel night for you to realize just how worthless this damn world is. That it's beyond savin', that it's not even worth savin'," Harley grins as she's overlapped by the footage from the projector, which both figuratively and literally put the death of Maria Kyle on her, laughing at the anger in Selina's eyes, "I always hated this world, oh did I hate it. Joker didn't meld my mind nor did he brainwash me...oh no, no. I always wanted to lash out at the same world that destroyed my father, but I was still held back by *her*."
Bullock holds onto Selina Kyle's shoulder and holds her back, looking at her with care, "Selina...breathe...please don't do this...she's...evil."
"She killed my mom...," shoving Harvey's hand off of her, Selina glares at Harleen, "You killed my mom..." She rushes the blonde, charging at the stage, "You killed my mom! I'm going to kill you!"
A look of ecstasy washes over Harley's eyes, eyes nearly sparkling as she sees Selina come at her, grabbing her sledgehammer for the incoming fight, "Let's rock the dance floor!" screamed Quinn with her voice full of bliss as she swings with her hammer. Selina slides under it the swing of the weapon and kicks at the blonde's feet to knock her off her footing. Harley somersaults away, using the hammer to thrust herself backwards from Selina, "I got them moves, too!"
"Shut up! Just shut up!" Selina scrapes at the blonde, knowing that she is without her claws, but instead having the desire to tear into her with her bare hands, "I'm sick of you! I'm sick of all of this!" swiping at Harley. Selina pounces but is stopped when the blonde beds backwards to avoid the attack, grinning as she thrusts herself up to headbutt Selina.
"Oh are yer mad? Can't we just kiss and make up? I promise I'll be more gentle this time," laughed Quinn, booting Selina in the gut with her spiked boots. Recoiling, Selina works through the pain and grabs Harley's jacket, who in tern took hold of her hair. She throws a punch at the blonde, being blocked by the other woman's new-formed grip over it. Kicking her knee at Harley, Selina is again obstructed, this time by the blonde's own knee, "Offer's still on the table, kitty...just so you know...I even put on my best lipstick for ya!"
Selina grapples Quinn's hair, pulling her down as she shoves her off of her, "Pass."
"Oh well, yer loss," smirked Harley as she pulls out one of her handguns, aiming directly at the dark-haired woman, "As pleasurable as this was, Kitty, I do have other things to do. I'm kinda on a busy schedule, so I'll leave ya two with this for now..."
"If you think that trick will work on me again, think again..." growled Selina.
"Oh, kitty...who said it was meant for ya?"," Harley winks before shifting her aim to Bullock at the row of seats, licking her lips as she pulls the trigger. Selina moves to thwart Quinn, but by then she was already too late. Bullock drops to the ground, scramming as he holds his leg that was spewing blood. Her eyes avert to the fallen man and then back to the blonde, not seeing a single ounce of remorse form her, "Relax, Kitty. It's just mean to slow ya down, but he'll bleed out if ya don't help right now...so what will it be?"
"...You e-evil..."
Harley throws Selina to the ground with a swing of her sledgehammer, making a dash for the exit while laughing, "Make yer choice!"
"HARLEY!"
"Only you can make this world seem right."
"Only you can make the darkness bright."
"Only you and you alone can thrill me like you do. And fill my heart with love for only you."
"Only you can make this change in me. For it's true, you are my destiny!"