The Adventures of Imprisonment

Harley's brown eyes fluttered as she slowly regained consciousness. "Okay where's the kangaroo that hit me?" She grumbled sitting up on the white and gray bedding. The last thing she remembered was fighting to break free, something stinging her in the back of the neck, then everything was a blur after.

Her head snapped up when she realized she was in a plain and rather small room. The room itself did not bother her it was the total emptiness and isolation that began to rile her. "Oh greet I've died and gone to hell!" She moaned falling back onto the bed as her head began to throb with a headache.

"Forever the joker eh Harli?" Someone asked.

Harley sat up. "I resent that." She said trying to recall exactly who called her Harli with a 'i'?

"Oops forgot that you hated them." The voice went on.

Harley walked towards the door. "I don't hate them; there was a time I wanted to be one of them. But nowadays they're...I don't know, pitiful." Harley said looking out of the window of her locked door. Across the hall from her a young man with something on his head looked at her.

"Don't remember who I am, do ya Harli?" He asked smiling.

Harley nodded. "Drawing a big blank buddy. Let me guess you didn't look like this when you first got here?" She asked.

"Nope. I use to be skinny, scrawny, and wore glasses. But now I've got all the power I could ask for." He growled. Harley could hear the wall thump as he punched the wall.

"What happened?" Harley asked the headache still brothering her.

He punched the wall again. "Batman. I went back to Hamilton Hill High to get revenge on a few people who tormented me when I was there."

"Hamilton Hill? Harli? Willie?" Harley asked. She looked at his face a moment more. "Well slap my butt with wet leather it is you." She said.

"That sounds tempting." Willie smirked.

"But look at ya! You must have hit a second puberty or something." She said.

"Something like that." Willie said.

"So what's your story?"

Willie Watt told his tale of exactly how he acquired telekinetic powers from a GOLEM and fought against Batman. "And the next thing I know I wake up back here in juvy's maximum security."

"I'm in maximum security? I haven't even done anything yet. Man don't they trust me to be good?" Harley asked innocently.

"What is life without trust?" Willie joked.

Harley rested her head against the metal door allowing the cool feel to sooth back the pain in her head, "So how many other rejects of HH High is here?"

"Not many, just a lot of Jokerz and Ts who were too young to be trailed as adults like you and I." He said.

Harley turned around so that she could easily slid down the door to the floor. "Soooo do we get out of these rooms for breaks or anything?" She asked.

"Yeah simple things, meals in the cafeteria depending on how well you behave physical exercise, recreations, classes, and social interactions." Willie said.

Harley smiled devilishly. "Gooood." She smiled. "We're going to make this place fun."

****

It had been a little over a week since Harley had been brought to juvy. In that little time she had frequent visits from her mother and Dr. Vanderburg. She hated them both for kidnapping her and having her locked up in hopes that she would reform. Harley sat on her bed thinking of this as she waited patiently to be released for recreations.

"Okay Jest." The guard said unlocking her door.

Harley stood cracking her back. She watched as the guard checked Willie's headgear then allowed him out of his room.

"You got it?" Willie asked her as they walked side by side down the insipid hall.

Harley smiled. "Of course, this is going to cost me but it'll be worth it." She laughed.

"How are the headaches?" Willie asked.

Harley rubbed her tender temple. "Not as bad as before. The doc says if this keeps up I'm gonna have to take pills." She said darkly.

Willie draped one arm over his blockmate. "They won't dose you up like the hospitals. Everyone's paranoid about the chances of another Ranch."

"Yeah remove our wills; make us zombies, just as long as we are under control! What trivial things please the parentals." Harley said as they walked into the TV room.

As soon as everyone has settled down and the guards were outside the door Harley stood before the television with a small diskette in her hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, and I use those words loosely, I have today for your viewing pleasure a little something I call Working Overtime." She slipped the disk into the DVD player.

"Whoa!" Many of the teenagers said while others whistled and the rest sat agape.

"Oh! That's just nasty!" Someone cried out.

"I didn't know a woman could bend like that. Wait...that's the guy."

"Look at his face he looks like he's in pain." Someone laughed.

"No honey, that's the face all guys make, believe me I've seen it before."

"Is that Ms. Donavan?"

"Tweaked it is! And that's Dr. McCoy's son!"

"Eck! They look like animals!"

"Harley give us some sound!" Someone shouted.

"Sorry but I've heard the noises they make, believe me it will keep you awake for days." Harley said. She visibly shuddered. "Ew!"

Ms. Donavan suddenly ran into the room. Her grand entrance was met with laughter, whistles and applause. She grabbed the DVD player and ripped it out of the wall the best she could.

"Aw boo!" Everyone jeered at her.

"All of you go to the recreation room now! And you!" She pointed her narrow finger at Harley.

"What?" Harley asked titling her head to the side. "Sleeping your way to the top just went down the hole?" She asked. With a laugh she passed by the woman and headed to her room.

****

Dr. Jonas Vanderburg made his way towards his patient's room with the enraged Dr. McCoy at his heels.

"Dr. Vanderburg I hope you know that your patient, Miss Jest, is becoming a bit of a hassle. I had to dismiss by best secretary due to her actions."

"Really?" Vanderburg asked. "Usually Harley's antics aren't so troublesome. Your secretary must have done something to upset her. I'll deal with Harley myself this time." He said walking into Harley's cell closing the door behind him.

Harley laid on her bed with her legs parallel to the wall as she read Alice Through the Looking Glass. "What's up doc?" She asked turning her attention towards the man.

"You know why I'm here. What did you do Harley?" He asked taking a seat at the small desk.

Harley smiled edger to share her small story with someone. Harley repositioned herself so that she sat on her knees facing the doctor. "A few days ago I'm relaxing on the couch playing Blackjack with some of the others when Ms. Donovan walks by with some other chick and she makes the rudest remark about my actions as a criminal. Okay that I let slide but then she said how tacky my hair looked! MY hair, she was talking about my hair! Now that I couldn't just ignore. So knowin' lil' ole me I had to pay her back for that. I know little dark secrets everyone has here and it just so happened that I knew a dozy on her. So I left one of the computers on with it's digital video cameras running the whole night. It recorded the dear director's son playing doctor with his daddy's secretary." She laughed. "Then I played back the disk for the others; they needed some indecent entertainment. So I did a bit of good twice today, only at the cost of two weeks of lock down in my room." She laughed.

"You don't mind being left alone?" Vanderburg asked.

"Miss Q told me once that isolation could either break you, or drive you insane. I'm already at the insane part so it's only feeding it." Harley said.

Vanderburg hid his amusement. "Harley your mother and I care for you a lot and we only want what's best for you, if you keep this behavior up then you might never be rehabilitated, or worse you might have your sentence extended."

Harley scoffed. "If you cared so much about me then you two wouldn't have snatched me and threw me in this hole! Funny way for mother dear to show she cared, especially since I had to be bounced from home to home until I ran off and ssss." Harley hissed the end as her head began to pain her again.

Vanderburg removed a bottle from his pocket and removed two blue pills. "Harley you can't stress yourself out like that, it makes the headaches worse." He chided softly as he gave her the pills.

Harley quickly swallowed the bitter pills without the help of water (a talent she developed while at the hospital). "Have you figured out why this is happening to me?" Harley asked getting up to get herself a drink.

"We're not sure, perhaps exposure to a pathogen from one of your...um...partner's plants." He said.

Harley smiled as she downed a cup of water. "You mean my boyfriend? Or would you prefer the more definite term lover?" Harley asked sitting down on her bed again. "I'm shocked that these actually work on me, I have an immunity to most drugs and toxins, while except for the food here."

"Maybe you're changing Harley." He smiled.

She stared at her 'doctor' with a firm loathing gaze. "You can try all you like but you can't change me." Harley said slowly laying down as the drowsy side effects of the pills began to kick in.

Dr. Vanderburg stood and left the room, but not before he said something to Harley who could not understand him thanks to pills.

****

Time went on without any farther schemes or antics from juvy's now most popular inmate. It was now April and Harley had been released of her solitary confinement in her room. But being on good behavior just wasn't her way.

"Raah!" Harley shouted throwing a book across the small room. "I can't take this anymore!"

On hearing her kick her foot to the wall Willie slid open his door window. "What is it Harli?" He asked.

Harley peeked out of her window the best she could. "See anyone?" She asked.

"No, they're at the door." Willie said.

Harley reached into her shoe and removed two small metal pins within a second her door was open. "As I was saying I can't stand being in this place anymore! I'm actually going nutz!" She said as she walked towards Willie's door.

"Is that possible?" He teased.

"Yes it is! Just look at this place." She said waving her arm at the gray painted walls. "It's so...plain and dull. And these clothes!" She said pulling on her baby blue top. "What drab clothes! I don't have anything black or red in this flagging place." Harley hissed leaning on Willi's door.

"They don't want you even looking like your old self Harli." He said.

Harley looked in on Willie. "Gimme your shirt." She said.

Willie looked down on his black t-shirt. "What do I get in return?" He asked.

"You give me the shirt off your back and I'll give you the bra off my chest." Harley said. Willie quickly removed his shirt and forced it through the small window. Harley smiled as she pulled the black shirt two times two big for her over her body. "On second thought, I think I'll keep my bra."

"So what are you going to do about this place?" Willie asked.

Harley smiled at him as she headed back into her room. "What else? Leave." She said.

****

In the cafeteria the air was thick with anticipation among the teenagers. Today was the today, they had all agreed to that. But when was it going to happen? When was she going to make her move? That was the question flowing back and forth.

Everyone watched as Harley casually ate her food making the same comments at how she's eaten better from garbage bins. "Harley what are you waiting for?" A former Joker asked her.

Harley looked up at the purple haired girl sat across from her. "Watch what you say and how you say it. Did you know that Willie's in lockdown?" She asked.

"Oh? What for?" Asked the Joker.

"Fight over the dumbbells." Harley said.

"Over weights!" Said the Joker.

Harley shook her head from side to side. "Over to Bixby girls." Harley said taking another bit of her food.

"Thals." She groaned into her plate. (Thal=Neanderthal new slang for when guys act the fool.)

"Ppaack!" Harley cried dropping her fork into her plate. "I can't stand it anymore this food is terrible! I need a heavy-cheesed pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms! I've got to get out of here!" She said.

Harley jumped onto her chair then jumped down on the back of the security. "Heehaw!" She cried as they both fell downwards to the floor. At Harley's motions the entire cafeteria when into total pandemonium. The few guards that were in the room were attacked.

The rebelling teenagers quickly took the keycards and began to rush towards the main doors. Harley took one card and began running towards maximum security. "Harley where are you going?" Asked one of the fleeing Jokerz.

"I'm going back for Watt!" She shouted running on.

It was easy for Harley to knockout the remaining guards as she made her way back towards her cell. "Willie?" She called.

"Harli, I thought for a moment you were gonna bust without me." Willie said.

"Ha! You've got mental powers; you're a good ally." Harley said quickly moving to opening his door. Once the door was opened she fought to remove his headgear.

"Freeze!" Someone shouted backing their words with a gun cock.

Harley and Willie turned to see their entrance blocked by many of the new guards. "Ain't that a bitch?" Harley asked.

****

Emily and Dr. Vanderburg stood in Harley's cell. "Do you have any idea how many people escaped thanks to you? Lisanette what were you thinking?" Emily asked.

"Of leaving! And my name isn't Lisanette!" Harley shouted.

Emily was about to argue the matter farther when Harley held up her hand. "Just stop my head hurts and I'm not the best opponent to argue with when in metal pain." Harley said.

Emily looked to the doctor and nodded. Vanderburg removed the bottle from his pocket and gave Harley the blue pills once again. "Mrs. Carolyn I think we should come back later, Harley has not yet built a tolerance for the side effects."

"I'll be waiting in the car." Emily said. "I'll see you soon Lisanette." She said to Harley as she left.

Once Emily was gone Vanderburg released his anger. "You went too far this time Harl!" He said pointing to Harley as she swallowed her two pills and chased it with a glass of water.

Harley stood onto her feet. "What do you expect me to do uh? Sit here and be a good girl? You forget who I am, what I am. You forget, dear doctor, that I was brought here against my will! And I know right now that my Red is looking for me. He'll tear this city apart to find and rescue me. And when he finds out what you've done to me he's going to use you as mulch for his Camellias." Harley sneered.

That was all the good doctor could take. His fist swung towards Harley's face.

Harley blocked out of instincts. She stared at him with narrowed eyes. "Don't think you can do sh-t like that to me." She said.

"Harley, I'm not leaving here until I've tamed you once and for all." He swung again this time catching her in the jaw. Harley moved to fight back but the drowsy side effects of the pills made her motions sluggish. Vanderburg swung twice, one blow landing on Harley's stomach the other on her cheek. With a grunt she fell onto the floor.

Vanderburg looked down on Harley as he readjusted his clothes then turned to leave. Harley rolled onto her knees. "Where do you think you're going?" She asked in huffs. "I thought you said you weren't leavin' until you've tamed me." Dr. Vanderburg looked down on her again. Harley's lips stretched into a bloody smile. "Well, you haven't broken me big boy." She said.

Vanderburg gave her one last look. "You're going to, mark my words Harley, I will tame you." He said leaving.

Harley slowly crawled to her now locked door. "Is he gone?" Harley asked.

"Yeah." Willie said. He waited patiently until he saw her face at the window of her door. "You're bleeding." He reported with worry and shock.

"I know, it's the only bright colors I get to see nowadays." She breathed a small laugh. "Willie, I've never been afraid of anything or anyone in my whole life, until now. That man, I have to be cautious around him." She said.

____________

End o' chapter 2