Chapter 2: The Underworld of Gotham
A young woman with pale skin, green eyes and red hair was walking down the street. She wore a dark, hunter green trench coat, and her red hair fluttered slightly in the faint wind. She pulled her coat more tightly around her as her boots hit the ground, a small echo bouncing off the wall around her. Every once in a while she would stop and listen. She knew the Arkham authorities would be after her for this escape, but she also knew she would be safe soon.
The woman scowled as she thought about the escape tonight. It had been arranged by a man that she most despised---and he despised her as well. Naturally, she was left behind. She then turned at a corner, the boundary of the Underworld. She walked on, her green eyes scanning for intruders. She turned another corner and entered a small shaded cutout. Here, another woman is waiting.
She was dressed in a tight-fitting, black and red Harlequin outfit. Her face was painted white like a porcelain doll, and a small black mask framed her brilliant blue eyes. The first woman, Poison Ivy, reached out to the second, Harley Quinn.
"Good evening, Harls," said Ivy. "I am pleased to see you here on time."
"Sure, Red," said Harley. "I didn't think you would be left behind, but I'm glad yer here!"
"Yeah," said Ivy, ignoring the misunderstanding in Harley's sentence.
The two women turned the corner, entering the Underworld.
The Underworld was completely run down and shady, with several old buildings scattered around unsafe alleys. It was in this place where Gotham's worst hoodlums and criminals made themselves at home. As Harley and Ivy entered, a few of their cohorts dashed past.
"Hey, Johnny! Eddie! What's the rush?" Harley called.
The two men, the Scarecrow and the Riddler, stopped.
"We must hurry!" the Scarecrow said. "The celebration is almost through!"
"What celebration?" asked Ivy.
"The one we are hosting for the Joker!" the Riddler replied, before he and the Scarecrow rushed off.
"Oh yeah!" Harley said, grabbing Ivy's arm. She pulled her towards the "square" of the Underworld. "Puddin' helped everyone escape, so we're celebratin'!"
Ivy stopped her.
"He didn't help me..."
"He probably just forgot! Come on!"
Harley grabbed her arm and made her follow.
In the midst of the Underworld, a crowd had gathered. The Joker had finally made his appearance. He was Gotham's most notorious criminal, and came up with supposedly the best (and craziest) schemes. Because of this, he had earned slightly more respect among his cohorts, except to those such as Poison Ivy, who loathed him, and Two Face, who found him somewhat annoying.
Tonight, he had just earned even more respect, for with his cleverness, he was able to break almost every prisoner out of Arkham. He had hoped to earn a somewhat higher status among some of his fellow Arkhamites, to prove he was indeed Gotham's greatest criminal. He would soon find out his plan worked a little too well.
"Hello, Joker," said the Penguin, seemingly the second in charge of this small "town." He was like the Mayor of the Underworld, second only to the Joker. "I must say, last night's escape was rather brilliant. You managed to get most of us through!"
"Yeah, I guess," said the Joker, with a grin. No one noticed the slight dullness crawling into his voice.
Ivy, who was nearby, scoffed.
"Everyone but me..."
She wasn't the least bit surprised. She and the Joker hated each other, though occasionally, they could tolerate one another. Harley, who was beside her, let out a dreamy sigh.
"He's brilliant, isn't he?"
"Yeah," said Ivy. "About as brilliant as an old light bulb."
Harley didn't even notice the insult. She was too busy gazing upon the Joker, the man she loved. Ivy tugged on her arm.
"Come on. We're leaving."
"But I don't want to leave!"
Ivy pulled !" she exclaimed, taking a step back with each word.
"No...I'm...not!"
Harley twisted her arm in a way that made Ivy let go. Her red glove slipped off her hand as she made a mad dash towards the crowd. Ivy, still gripping the glove, fell back into a puddle, her trench coat getting all wet. Harley ran off, trying to get away from the overprotection of her best friend. Ivy slowly got up and ran after her.
"Harley! Come back! Come back here, you foolish---hey!"
She had bumped into the Killer Croc and he had pushed her back. Ivy struggled to push her way through, but failed. The crowd was just too thick. Harley had gotten away. She pouted.
"Harley..."
The Joker was having a fairly bad time as well. Several of his cohorts kept coming up to him, to thank him for releasing them from the bounds of Arkham Asylum. He was happy that success was his, but now it was getting to be a bit too much.
"Please, Joker," said Catwoman. "Tell us the secret again!"
"Can't. What if someone's eavesdropping?" said the Joker, trying to find an excuse to get away from the praise and gratitude of his fellow Arkhamites.
"Don't be silly," said the Riddler. "This is the Underworld!"
"S-so it is," said Joker.
Now he really needed to get away.
"Hold it," said the Penguin, through a megaphone. "We have some others who deserve a great thanks, as they participated quite marvelously in the Joker's plan."
The crowd turned towards Penguin.
"The first to be recognized is our marvelous Scarecrow, for creating the fear serum to scare the main guards..."
The Scarecrow stepped forward and bowed, a bottle of fear serum clasped in his hand.
'Good old bird,' thought the Joker. 'He really saved my neck this time...'
"Our second and an honorable mention goes to Catwoman for distracting Batman..."
The crowd applauded again as Catwoman took a bow as well. While the crowd was still distracted, the Joker quickly and quietly slipped away, now that the crowd's attention was elsewhere. He sighed as he walked down a dark, quiet street, towards the tallest building in the Underworld---his home.
The tower was tall, with a tall set of stairs leading up to the door. It was an older building, with gray coating peeling off, exposing the black bricks underneath. It did not look in the least bit his type, which was great for throwing Batman off track. The Joker climbed up the stairs and entered.
Inside, stairs spiraled all the way up, almost like the inside of a castle or a lighthouse. He ran up the stairs. Inside was a long hallway. Along each side were five doors, and at the end was one more door. It was this door that the Joker entered. Inside was another flight of stairs, which spiraled to a door above the one the Joker just entered. This was the entrance to the main room.
The main room was as big and brilliant as a ballroom. It had a high ceiling, five stories tall. The floor was like a giant checkerboard, with several red and black squares. The walls were lined with giant playing cards and in each of the corners were a purple curtain bearing a giant club, heart, diamond or spade, the four card suits. In the center, a mighty green and purple throne stood tall.
To the left, eight giant Scrabble tiles lined the floor. The word "STALK" went down, like on a crossword puzzle. The "K" was connected to "KILL," which went across. To the right were several giant building blocks, spelling out, "JEST." Also scattered about the room were what appeared to be giant toys, like wind-up cars and jack-in-the-boxes. A few pieces of furniture floated among the room.
The Joker took a deep breath, and walked down the red carpet to the center wall where his throne was placed.
Unknown to the Joker, someone else was hiding in the main room. Behind the giant building blocks, Harley Quinn was sitting there, trying to set her thoughts in order. She had come here when she ran away from Poison Ivy, knowing it was the one place Ivy would avoid, as it was the Joker's domains. She looked at her bare right hand, where her red glove once was.
Harley had heard the doors open and peeked out just enough to see it was the Joker. At first she felt like running towards him, but seeing his head hanging low like that, she decided not to. She watched as the Joker sighed and sat down upon his mighty throne. Beside it was a little red pillow, where she would sit when she felt like being near him, which was fairly often. The Joker lied back in his throne, then stood up, before he slowly began to talk to himself, walking around the room.
"Out of us all, it has been shown that I am the best," he said to himself. "When it comes to a theft or a crime, I excel easily. Just a flick of my wrist and a blast of my gun, and anyone who's in my way is out of the picture."
He began to laugh insanely at the thought. Harley, who had only one eye exposed from behind the blocks, now came a little closer. She listened to him, smiling. The Joker stopped laughing, then sighed, as though bored.
"Yet night after night it's the same routine. I go to commit a crime, shoot whoever's in my way...and then, more often than not, I have Batman on my tail!"
He growled at the thought, then sighed again.
"And now...I've grown so weary of the sound of screams. It bores me to my skull to just shoot whoever happens to be in my way. Even laughing gas and my Joker toxin has lost its fun!"
He walked back to his throne and sat down. Harley gasped and shrunk back. The Joker rested an elbow on the armrest, then rested his head on his elbow.
"Somewhere inside me...something calls. My desire to be rid of the Bat once and for all. If only I could win over him!" He growled, then sighed. "But alas, the bitter jest of fate! Somehow, I don't think I'll ever be rid of him---"He looked like he was going to smack himself. "What am I saying? I'll kill him eventually...and when I do, it will be my biggest masterpiece! I shall pull a real corker; the ultimate humiliation of Batman, followed by his deliciously delirious death!"
He laughed for a minute, then sighed, falling back into his bored and miserable state. Harley, who had just dared to peek out again, ducked back, sharing his pain. The Joker sighed again.
"But...no one understands. No one understands my madness and my reasons for wanting him dead. It's not for the crimes he's stopped me for. It's much, much deeper."
The Joker growled.
"He created me. Each night I close my eyes...and I see him! I hear the splash, and feel my body change...I was his first enemy, and every night I relive when I became his first enemy! He changed me! He created me. It was his fault I became what I am now, and yet---he doesn't seem to care! Oh, how sweet revenge shall taste!"
He clutched his head in his hands, as though thinking about it put a vice on his head.
"Oh, what jealousy! It burns to my very bones! Every time I confront him, he wins! Even if I escape, he still has won the battle! How I tire of each well thought scheme going up into smoke, blowing up in my face! If only he were gone! ...If only he were gone..."
Harley, who had been watching this from her little corner, struggled to hold back her tears. So that was what was bugging him! Once again, Batman was all that was on his mind. She knew the feeling. Batman had always been the reason for his misery, the reason he could not be truly happy. Even her unconditional love for him could not penetrate through the thoughts that plagued her Puddin's mind.
"Oh, Mistah J," she whispered to herself, her voice so low and quiet that she hardly heard it herself. "I know how you feel."
She watched as the Joker rubbed his temples with one hand, the other clutching tightly to his armrest. Slowly, she leaned in, trying to get a better glimpse of him.
Suddenly, the block Harley was leaning on slipped, falling to the floor. The Joker jumped slightly then turned to her in surprise. Harley looked up at him. His lovely green eyes were full of surprise. Slowly, they began to grow brighter, but not in love. He got off of his throne and began to come towards her. The fire in his eyes blazed in anger.
Normally, Harley would have been swallowed alive with love in those eyes, despite the danger that often followed, but this time, the fury burned with such a menacing flame that it set her very soul ablaze with fear. The Joker slowly came towards her, each step echoing in a lethal way. Harley was too paralyzed with fear to move. She now realized he hadn't wanted anyone to hear his meandering, especially not her.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed.
Harley found it hard to speak.
"I...I..." she choked out.
"WHAT are you doing here?"
Harley's voice died in her throat. She was too terrified to reply. The Joker was now very close. Without warning, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, then pulled her to her feet. Harley stumbled slightly as he did, quickly maintaining her balance.
"I asked you a question," he growled, his face coming towards hers, "and I want an answer. Now!"
"I---I'm sorry!"
The Joker twisted her arm back. Harley hissed in pain, trying to counteract him.
"Sorry, sorry," he sneered. "You're always sorry!"
He pushed her back into the wall. Harley tried to push him off, but his grip was like steel. She felt his fingers start to dig into her skin, the blunt tips almost more painful than knives.
"Why were you listening?"
Harley struggled to hold back her tears.
"I-I don't know why, M-Mistah J," she sobbed. "I-I heard you come in. I didn't know you wanted to be alone...so I...so I stayed!"
The Joker pulled her away from the wall and threw her, front first, as hard as he could to the ground, then kicked her. Harley tried to get up, clutching her side. He loomed over her, his once smiling face now turned down into a terrifying scowl.
"Get out."
Harley looked up at him. He looked down at her, like the Beast who had just discovered Belle in the West Wing.
"GET OUT!"
Harley scrambled to her feet and made a mad dash for the door.
"FASTER!" the Joker screamed. "GET OUT!"
He picked up a nearby jack-in-the-box and threw it at her. It made contact with Harley's right shoulder blade. She fell down again, clutching the place where the jack-in-the-box hit her. The Joker was coming after her.
"GET OUUUUT!"
With tears streaming down her cheeks, Harley quickly got back on her feet. She ran from the room, her fear giving her more speed than she had ever experienced before. She stumbled down the stairs, nearly falling down them as she struggled to get down. She then ran out of the hideout and into the streets.
Rain was pouring. Harley sat on the steps, crossing her arms over her chest in an effort to keep warm. She gently rubbed the back of her right shoulder, where the jack-in-the-box had hit her. Harley sat there and thought for a few minutes, before she got up. Since the Joker kicked her out, there was only one place left for her to go---Ivy's place.
Harley thought for a minute. She didn't want to face her best friend right now, but the Joker had once again kicked her out. Now her only options were to wait in the rain, go to Ivy's, or see if anyone else was willing to take her in. Harley sighed. No one else really cared about her. To the rest of the Underworld, she was simply Joker's girlfriend, his property, nothing more, and nothing less.
The rain poured even harder. Harley slowly got up and headed towards Ivy's greenhouse. At least she knew she was always welcome there.
Her feet splashed in the thin film of water that now covered the sidewalk and streets. The cold water was cutting through her clothes. Harley wrapped her arms more tightly around her. She felt like a drowned rat. The water blurred her vision, but she kept going. It seemed to take forever, but soon, she arrived at Ivy's place.
Ivy was sitting on her couch, reading the paper, when there was a knock at the door. Her giant bush began to writhe and shriek, the signal that she had a visitor. Irritated at the thought of intruders, she set the paper down on the coffee table and went to answer it.
It was Harley. She was cold and shivering, as she had been soaked to the bone. Rain poured around her. The look on her face showed that her heart had been broken. Again. Ivy gasped upon seeing her.
"Harley! What happened?"
Harley looked up at her. Her teeth chattered as she spoke.
"He...he threw me out."
Ivy gently took her ungloved hand and led her inside. She had her sit on the couch, and got her a blanket. Harley curled up, wrapping it around her. Ivy made her some special herbal tea, before she sat down beside Harley.
"What happened? Why did he throw you out?"
Harley was silent for a few minutes. A few tears slipped down her white painted cheeks.
"I...I was spying on him. I was in the room first, because I...had run away from you and was trying to think...but then Mistah J entered. I hid, because I saw he was upset. Not angry upset, but sad upset."
"The Joker sad?" asked Ivy. The thought seemed to amuse her. "Now there's something you don't see everyday..."
"It wasn't just that, Red. He was bored, too."
"So he decided to throw you out to liven things up?"
"No." She took a sip of the tea. "When he finished talking about how he was sick of going after Batman, he discovered I was in the room too. I didn't know that he wanted to be alone. He was mad that I had heard him, and when he found me...he was furious. He told me to get out."
She pulled the blanket even more tightly around her. She took another sip of the tea. Whatever plant Ivy used, it was warming her up quickly.
"Harley, I keep telling you that he's nothing but trouble."
"I know, Red, but...I love him."
She gently set the now empty teacup down. Tears came to her beautiful sapphire blue eyes. Ivy gently pulled her into a hug, when she felt Harley flinch. A small gasp of pain came from her friend's dark red lips. Ivy quickly let go.
"Harley, you're hurt!"
Harley pushed her away, gently rubbing her right shoulder.
"Harley, please, let me have a look at that."
Harley hesitated, but did as Ivy told her. Ivy carefully unzipped Harley's outfit only enough to take a look at her shoulder.
"You're shoulder is fractured, Harley," said Ivy. "What happened?"
"He slammed me into the wall, and then he threw me to the floor, and then he yelled at me to get out...and as I was running, he threw something at me," said Harley, almost as if all this was perfectly normal.
"Harls, how can you let him do this?"
"I didn't know he was going to throw something at me!"
Ivy sighed. This was typical Harley talk. As usual, her love for the Joker blinded her to anything else---especially the abuse he threw at her.
"You MUST stay here with me," Ivy insisted.
"But I can't, Red. At least, not forever."
"Harley, he hurt you! You're not going back!"
Harley sighed.
"I can't."
"But you must! We just need to be patient, that's all."
"But I don't want to be patient."
Ivy sighed, then left the room to get a special plant mixture. When she came back, she rubbed some of the liquid on Harley's shoulder. Soon, it was fixed.
"Better?" asked Ivy.
"Much," replied Harley.
Ivy zipped up her outfit.
"Come. I'll show you to your room."
Harley followed without another word. The room Ivy gave her was always her room. Inside was a small bed with a red and black diamond blanket. A trunk full of clothes was at the very end of the room. In the center was a balance beam.
Harley sighed. She quickly changed out of her wet clothes and slipped into some red pajamas. She then went up to her bed and reached underneath the mattress. Harley pulled out a photo of herself and Joker. At the top left corner, just above their smiling faces were the words, "Harley baby, love ya forever."
SHe touched it gingerly. She had to keep this hidden from Ivy at all times, as she and the Joker hated each other. She was always caught between them, her best friend and her lover. Harley sat on the edge of her bed, still gazing at the photo.
"Oh, Mistah J," she whispered, touching his face. "Mistah J..."
Downstairs, Ivy was relaxing in of her vines. It was curved like a hammock, and was gently rocking her back and forth.
"Why doesn't she get it?" Ivy asked herself. "It happens all the time. He'll hit her, throw her out, leave her out on her own, and as always, I end up taking her in."
She sighed, then rolled onto her stomach. The vine curved upward, making it easier for Ivy to lay on it.
"I love Harley. She's a sister to me, but...she just doesn't understand. She can't make it in this world alone. It is too dangerous. The Joker is too dangerous. She is going to get herself killed one day."
She sighed again, and stroked her vine, her precious baby.
"I am going to protect her this time," she declared to the plant. "Harley must not go back to the Joker. I won't let her go out and get herself killed. She will stay with me at all times...just the two of us...best friends."
Ivy rolled on her back and slid down the vine. A fresh determination to keep her love struck friend away from that lunatic filled her heart. She was going to do everything and everything to keep Harley safe from this world...and more importantly, the Joker.
